Back in the 1950's, some guy whose name I can't recall wrote a book called "Momism" in which he blamed all of society's ills on American mothers. Remember, these were the good old days, in the eyes of the Tea Party and their ilk.
About that time, the Seymour Lutherans had an intern fresh out of the seminary. He was to spend a year here learning how to be a minister. It fell to him to preach the sermon on Mother's Day, the third holiest day on the church calendar.
Mothers came to church dressed in their finest, with fancy hats, corsages, and their progeny around them on the pew. It was their day to be honored and that's what they expected. Instead, the intern, who seems to have read the book, lit into motherhood, listing all the ways the moms had fallen away from their Christian heritage. The church got quieter and quieter as this tirade hit the women. It was May, but the pink and reddened faces had nothing to do with sun tans. There was little handshaking after the service.
My clan met afterwards at my grandmother's house for the usual chicken dinner. Grandma Pearl was a strong willed woman and though she couldn't be on the church council being female and all, everyone knew my grandfather pretty much had his orders when he went to meetings.
As I recall, all of her children, four of them, and all of her grandchildren were there. We were a pretty quiet lot, waiting for her to explode, but she calmly went about dishing out the food. Finally, the topic of the intern was raised. Someone, probably my father, got to wondering if interns were ordained before they could preach.
"I don't know if this one was sworn in," she said, "but he's going to be sworn out." It took the young man another two years to reach ordination. I do not think he got a good report from the Lutherans here in Seymour.
It's over sixty years later, and once again, Momism is back. This past week, the assistant leader of the Wisconsin state senate, Glenn Grothman (GOP) started a bill that said a single parent (and he clarified that to mean mothers) were guilty of child abuse. The child should be removed from the home.
That was outrageous enough, but his co-sponsor in the assembly, Don Pridemore (also GOP) suggested that an abused woman should try to remember what she loved about her husband as he slapped her around, saying it could help. (Pridemore, incidentally, is a Lutheran.)
There are those who say there is no war against women in this country. Perhaps not in this country, but just in Wisconsin?
I am waiting for the recall election. As my grandmother would say, it's time for these men to be sworn out.
About that time, the Seymour Lutherans had an intern fresh out of the seminary. He was to spend a year here learning how to be a minister. It fell to him to preach the sermon on Mother's Day, the third holiest day on the church calendar.
Mothers came to church dressed in their finest, with fancy hats, corsages, and their progeny around them on the pew. It was their day to be honored and that's what they expected. Instead, the intern, who seems to have read the book, lit into motherhood, listing all the ways the moms had fallen away from their Christian heritage. The church got quieter and quieter as this tirade hit the women. It was May, but the pink and reddened faces had nothing to do with sun tans. There was little handshaking after the service.
My clan met afterwards at my grandmother's house for the usual chicken dinner. Grandma Pearl was a strong willed woman and though she couldn't be on the church council being female and all, everyone knew my grandfather pretty much had his orders when he went to meetings.
As I recall, all of her children, four of them, and all of her grandchildren were there. We were a pretty quiet lot, waiting for her to explode, but she calmly went about dishing out the food. Finally, the topic of the intern was raised. Someone, probably my father, got to wondering if interns were ordained before they could preach.
"I don't know if this one was sworn in," she said, "but he's going to be sworn out." It took the young man another two years to reach ordination. I do not think he got a good report from the Lutherans here in Seymour.
It's over sixty years later, and once again, Momism is back. This past week, the assistant leader of the Wisconsin state senate, Glenn Grothman (GOP) started a bill that said a single parent (and he clarified that to mean mothers) were guilty of child abuse. The child should be removed from the home.
That was outrageous enough, but his co-sponsor in the assembly, Don Pridemore (also GOP) suggested that an abused woman should try to remember what she loved about her husband as he slapped her around, saying it could help. (Pridemore, incidentally, is a Lutheran.)
There are those who say there is no war against women in this country. Perhaps not in this country, but just in Wisconsin?
I am waiting for the recall election. As my grandmother would say, it's time for these men to be sworn out.
Thanks for sharing about Momism from the 50s. If we don't remember our history, we tend to repeat it.
ReplyDeleteWe're in a sad state (Wisconsin). It's no longer progressive, I'm sorry to say.