Okay, so we Australian footballing types (that is, men) need to improve our sexual behaviour by learning to respect women. But it makes you wonder whether the non-footballing types (that is, women) also need to respect other non-footballing types. Would that improve their sexual behaviour too?

In a sense, I could say, “See my last post and reverse the genders”. Did the woman concerned think about the footballers' wives? Did the woman concerned think about her example to other women, or the pattern that her own promiscuity was setting up for future women involved with these or other footballing types? Does the office philanderess think about the wife at home, or the pattern of promiscuity she has taken from the ghost of Christmas past into the Christmas parties to come? Is the teenage sexual experimentress thinking about the future wives of her sexual partners? Is there an ethical she-goism that could also be encouraged and promoted here?

It is strange how quickly feminism seems to blame the male for all problems. Sometimes it is as if there is no such thing as a female sinner any more. Perhaps this is so especially when it comes to sexual matters because male sexuality is such an easy target. And we wouldn't want to blame the victim, would we. But is the victim always the female, and is the female always the victim? Surely a greater respect for women from women would lead to another incarnation of feminism that could actually recognize, identify and help the world cope with female sinfulness too. This does take respect because it takes respect to give a woman the power of real choice (even if it is wrong), responsibility for her actions (even wrong actions), and the expectation of her repentance (of those wrongs). It is disrespectful of women to continue to remove them from all responsibility. It is respectful of women to praise them for the good that they have done, and also to call for their repentance and renovation of life when they have done wrong.

It is also strange how quickly issues at the down-and-dirty level of individuals doing the wrong thing can also be broadened to some huge political campaign. Ideology quickly hijacks questions of personal responsibility and accountability. To speak of women, instead of this woman, and men, instead of this man, is, in the end, being disrespectful of both. To speak of respect for women as the Grand Solution in the Grand Order of things is to avoid addressing a problem of the real people who have done the wrong thing. Where do they find relief from guilt, renovation for life, and restoration of the real relationships that have been broken and affected by the disorder introduced by their sinfulness? Such Grand Order Political Ideology is, in the end, profoundly disrespectful of women, because it turns them into a class, and so removes their real personhood.

The Kingdom of God is the only true Grand Order of Things, and it is not an ideology that crushes the person, but a redemption that liberates people one by one into their true personhood. In Christ, at last, the footballing type can be a true man; at last, the non-footballing type can be a true woman.

Now, anyone who can achieve that is certainly worthy of our respect.

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