Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men

[Tamrin]

Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men



A Statement of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States

(Excerpt)

The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is essential to human progress and the transformation of society. Inequality retards not only the advancement of women but the progress of civilization itself. The persistent denial of equality to one-half of the world's population is an affront to human dignity. It promotes destructive attitudes and habits in men and women that pass from the family to the work place, to political life, and, ultimately, to international relations. On no grounds, moral, biological, or traditional, can inequality be justified. The moral and psychological climate necessary to enable our nation to establish social justice and to contribute to global peace will be created only when women attain full partnership with men in all fields of endeavor.

[thewidowsson]

hi tamrin, i will have to give this one a bit more thought, the equality bit could be misleading. i fished a major competition once, and a woman beat me by half an ounce, she could fish our open comp. but the ladies open comp. ? was only open to women. this seems to be a double edged sword. i think that womens freemasonry should be seperate from ours. i feel that equality should begin in all religions and all homes, then, i will consider equality in freemasonry. this may be a blinkered view in your mind, but it takes all kinds, as the saying goes.

[Tamrin]

No doubt there will be problems along the way in achieving equality, as there were and still are with the abolishion of slavery in the West. I too am uncomfortable with some aspects of Affirmative Action but can think of no better alternative.

BTW, my position is not so strong that I would actively oppose all gender exclusive organisations. I simply see Freemasonry as being perhaps the last organisation which should discriminate on irrelevant grounds and I regard such discrimination as being incompatible with my moral, civil and religious duties (despite the assurance given at my initiation). The closest analogy I can imagine would be with a purely hypothetical case of Amnesty International practicing arbitrary expulsion of members for voicing genuine concerns.

Freemasonry holds itself to be a model of equality and inclusion, teaching that, "... we are all sprung from the same stock, are partakers of the same Nature and sharers of the same hope... " Imagine, how alien, how "other" one must feel to be excluded from such an “all encompassing” organization and from instruction in its universal and progressive science. Imagine too, when told, “To improve the morals and correct the manners of men in society must be your constant care,” (with Freemasonry being, as it were, a model which Masons are encouraged to apply in the wider community), how the "No Women!" rule may influence the application of that model.

[thewidowsson]

well said tamrin, i must look again at my teachings and ethics. you have got my brain ticking.

[Tamrin]

Jul 6, 2008 8:12:57 GMT 10 thewidowsson said:

you have got my brain ticking.

Mine slips a cog every so often

[maximus]

Jul 6, 2008 8:26:40 GMT 10 Tamrin said:

Mine slips a cog every so often

You ever walk into another room, then forget what the heck you went in there for?

[Tamrin]

Jul 6, 2008 15:46:44 GMT 10 @maximus said:

You ever walk into another room, then forget what the heck you went in there for?

No... Ummm, Yes... Ummm, What was the question (that's me, bottom left)

[keith]

THere are things that , in general, men are better at than women - and vice versa. For example, the first man home in the Taupo Ironman Triathlon is around 3/4 hour faster than the first woman. So men and women are not 'equal'. I prefer to use the term 'equivalent'. Neither gender can do without the other. And if both genders enjoy spending time with each other, why should they not be able to spend time with their own gender?

And as for whether the glass is half full or half empty, an engineer would say that the glass had been poorly designed and over-engineered for its contents.

[Tamrin]

Jul 19, 2008 10:09:37 GMT 10 keith said:

And if both genders enjoy spending time with each other, why should they not be able to spend time with their own gender?

Jul 6, 2008 6:59:55 GMT 10 Tamrin said:

BTW, my position is not so strong that I would actively oppose all gender exclusive organisations. I simply see Freemasonry as being perhaps the last organisation which should discriminate on irrelevant grounds and I regard such discrimination as being incompatible with my moral, civil and religious duties (despite the assurance given at my initiation). The closest analogy I can imagine would be with a purely hypothetical case of Amnesty International practicing arbitrary expulsion of members for voicing genuine concerns.

Freemasonry holds itself to be a model of equality and inclusion, teaching that, "... we are all sprung ftom the same stock, are partakers of the same Nature and sharers of the same hope... " Imagine, how alien, how "other" one must feel to be excluded from such an “all encompassing” organization and from instruction in its universal science. Imagine too, when told, “To improve the morals and correct the manners of men in society must be your constant care,” (with Freemasonry being, as it were, a model which Masons are encouraged to apply in the wider community), how the "No Women!" rule may influence the application of that model.

[Tamrin]

Jul 19, 2008 10:09:37 GMT 10 keith said:

And as for whether the glass is half full or half empty, an engineer would say that the glass had been poorly designed and over-engineered for its contents.