Thank you Sr Joan, We must live our responsibility for the world now and help men not fear our leadership but appreciate different thoughtful perspectives of all. A bigger God worth our love and committment is the mystery behind all of this creaton processl Our hearts and minds are growing thanks to you!
This talk deserves 82 million views. Sister Joan Chittister delivers a brilliant message - many brilliant messages, actually - and she's an excellent speaker. This is worth re-watching and sharing. Thank you, Sister Joan.
I wish I knew of Sister Joan before I left Ohio. I would have Loved having a chat with her! Her message is Inspiring, thought provoking and Empowering! I’m listening Sister Joan. Bless you. 💜🙏🏻💜
It's called Process Theology. It's been around for a long time. She states it plainly. I have been preaching this same message for years. Now the last 5 minutes is important. Women are co creators and equal decision makers who must take their equal place in society and the world!!!!!!!!! We must do something.
I LOVE this woman's mind, heart, and soul. What Sister Chittister so well points out is that God so loves us that we are not only made in the Divine Image as co-creators, but granted free choice, including the need to NOT be given direct Divine guidance, that we may, with all our human frailties, choose, learn, evolve, and elevate ourselves, which is the perpetual quest - and test - of soulful faith.
Pure beauty I have been trying to share this with people most of my life. They think I'm crazy LOL but finally to know others feel and think as I do. Thank you so much
How have I not heard of Soster Joan before? This talk brought tears to my eyes . . . all she said resonated with me like nothing I've ever been taught about God and creation before."Where you've been is where you should be . . ."
I love her also. Her one liner's are deeply contemplative. It is fabulous to know a Catholic Nun is bringing such open-mindedness to both religion and spirituality and at the same time crossing the bridge or connecting to Science which she calls the spiritual director of our age. When scientists tell us we are destroying the garden, (earth) they become the spiritual director. She says God is lLife and God is Love and that nothing is going to change in the world until the situation with Women changes. Our world needs a shift to see that only half of all the decisions being made in the world are being made by men. What do we need to do? We need to "something" right where we are in the world, where we live, where we work to change attitudes. See the world as God sees the world." "Beauty scatters the seed in us".
Bluewren Reilly Our church history includes many individuals who went right to the edge of what the Catholic Church accepted in their era. Some were cast off and others became Saints! Time will tell for Sister Chittister. I am a proud Catholic-I find her writing and speaking truthful and inspiring.
@Bluewren Reilly Why hasn't the Catholic Church told her to shut up then? Not saying that they accept it but if it goes against what they say, they should tell her to be quiet. Who gave her permission to speak?
@Carol Rios Nuns and priests take a vow of obedience. Faith means accepting the doctrines of the church, you are not 'free' to think whatever you want. @Kim Adams All that she is speaking of comes from secular quarters, looking to get The Catholic Church to change. It should be ignored as beneath its dignity. Feminism is not a Catholic idea.
Bravo! what a pleasure to hear all the old conditioned thinking dissolve. Thank you sister! what you speak of is no religion ! for me we are all on our own spiritual path, be kind, be honest, and true freedom arrives.
As a man I have never thought of woman as anything less than 100% equal, and I doubt that I am the only Christian man to hold that view. I found Sister Joan to be a forceful and inteligent presenter, and think many of her comments ring true, but felt that belief in and relationship with Jesus Christ was not part of her vision. However certainy food for thought.
This is real feminism that the young women should see and learn from. Feminism must be life giving and progressive functionally not harbouring hate and destructive to uniqueness and progress
@Staldren there are far more men than women on the TED stage during the 'regular' TED events. Women need women-only spaces to be represented. Men don't because they get public platforms by default.
Okay, I'm an agnostic...but if she was the face of Catholicism, I'd be at mass every Sunday! If you like this talk, check out her interview with Bill Moyers. It's even better.
" befriending” a religious tradition in a critical way can only be done through dialogue. By staying within the church SR.Joan is an 'outsider' voice in regard to women in the church ; The RCC is slow to act, but at least gives credence to her arguments by holding a dissenting view. We are part of a family and even though we do not agree, dialogue is a key to bring about change. Leaving the family is not an answer.
About Benedictines of Erie Pennsylvania --- Once a girl is voted in to that 'order'/monastery/convent, she and her family must will their entire estate TO The Benedictines of Erie Pennsylvania. It's full forfeiture. Pennsylvania is NOT a State --- legally, it is deemed to be a 'COMMONWEALTH'. Only when and if there are additional legal, social security number and birth certificate-verifiable sons/daughters/siblings, are allowances made for wording of the will to include the birth/ legal inheritance arrangements. The family is required to will their entire estate, All foreign and domestic Assets, TO The Benedictines of Erie Pennsylvania. Attorney for the family must comply with Benedictine estate handling procedures. The parent's house, and all house/home contents: dishes, major appliances, furnishings, heirlooms, paintings, jewelry, strong boxes and all strong box contents, banking accounts and account numbers, banker's name and bank officer contacts, PINs, CD's, stocks, bonds, any and all financial/real estate/ insurance contracts, trust funds, rental property, real property, hunting/fishing camps, automobiles, boats, planes, time-shares, et cetera, then become the property of and owned BY The Benedictines of Erie Pennsylvania. When the parents die, Benedictine nuns who are decided by the Manager of Community Planning and Development and /or her Committee, move into that house. The Nuns that then occupy that house, are given: new carpeting, painting, new major appliances, household furnishings of their selection, air filters, water filters, Flat-screens, washers, dryers, compacters, dishwashers; plumbing and heating appliances are checked. Should furnace not meet with nun approval, new major appliances are installed by local Erie Appliance businesses (support your local businesses and keep them independent). Benedictine nuns automatically get: free, full prescription/medical/ allergy-treatment/diabetes treatment/ MS treatment/ Cancer Treatment/dental/surgical/private room hospitalization, benefits; nuns are issued their automobile (from the Benedictine 'fleet' of cars and vans) with full Road/Maintenance services through contracts with Firestone/Goodyear; nuns are issued Oil Company credit cards ---- Mobil, Exxon, Sunoco (nuns never have to look at, be concerned with or even care about fuel prices); each nun is provided a private Cell Phone and unlisted home phone number. Janey Vergotz, The Community Planning and Development Manager (OFFICER), determines housing for all Benedictine nuns and regulates: all family and Benedictine order's financial accounts --- has family's account numbers, PIN's, bank officer / bank law officer contacts, family member social security numbers (nuns don't have SS numbers, yet nuns are allowed to collect SS benefits), to guarantee Benedictines get transferred/issued bank account balances, to secure, (through the family attorney and Erie County Assessment procedures), release of entire family account funds. JVergotz chooses wording IN and format OF the family will, to guarantee flawless, legal processing of, release and possession of financial and all family material-world assets TO The Benedictines of Erie Pennsylvania. Benedictine girls never go to bed hungry. The ring these nuns wear, signifies they are Brides of Jesus The Christ. British and French actresses, actors and Aristocrats have a descriptive adjective which more accurately describes and explains girls who live this type debt-free lifestyle. Madonna wrote a song years ago and got it right, about all of this. Madonna will never realize what button she actually POSHed.
Sr Joan is not presenting authentic Catholic doctrine here sadly. She would be be wiser to not swallow too easily, the scientistic world view which rejects the common sense notion of a Creator who created a universe separate to the divinity, and enables rational humans to seek their way through science and faith to unchanging truths. She is a teacher of secular humanism, who is causing dangerous errors to be spread about the Church. Better for her (and for all of us) to emphasise the saving love of Jesus, when he raised women and others who were oppressed in his time and offers the same grace to women and men today. Authentic Catholic Christianity is life changing from the heart and not just a social movement for justice and peace.
Your definition is considerably different from accepted 'common knowledge'... Merriam-Webster defines sanctification as "a : the state of being sanctified b : the state of growing in divine grace as a result of Christian commitment after baptism or conversion." Which lends more credibility to her remark, than yours.... as it IS spiritual narcissism to presume one is made 'more special' and has chosen the 'only way to Divine Grace' by following 'religious dogma'... the work of man...
Very Poor analysis of Scripture....mocking and dismissive, rather than searching for Truth. Her depiction of God as merely Law Giver, but with no loving actions is juvenile. "Scriptures of Science"...what is she talking about other than a sloppy justification of her man-bashing.
I don't get it. Sr. Joan has gotten smart enough to write 45 books and to be invited to speak thousands of places, yet she has enabled the system all this time by staying in a church that ignores women when it comes to making decisions? How is that a good example to other women? True, it may have made her seem to be a leader on gender to some RCC folks, but there are denominations that have already welcomed and respected women in leadership for decades. Women and men both lose when any gender is sacrificed by not letting people of that gender do what God has gifted it to do. Some nuns rejoiced when the commission to study the issue of women deacons was appointed. They said in effect, "Hooray, Pope Francis listened to us." That commission lasted almost two years and in the end could not agree and make a recommendation. [I didn’t just make that up.] During that commission's life, women still would not be allowed to vote at any important synod, and none could lead a Vatican congregation. Why should it have taken any commission, or any pope, more than a half-second to decide whether women should be able to be deacons - or priests? How, then, was it any kind of victory, or any cause for rejoicing, when the commission on women deacons was appointed? The RCC says the genders are "complementary," meaning that they have some differences in roles, experiences, and interests. If they were honest in their complementary theory, how would women having different experiences and interests not be a better argument FOR women sharing in the leadership than against women sharing in the leadership? Still, Joan stays in the RCC, continuing to enable the all-male hierarchy that is so happy to keep it all male? That doesn't seem to me to be real leadership, or even to make any sense. I don’t get it.
This breaks my heart. There is a reason the habitless orders are dying out and the more traditional ones are flourishing with young people. May we turn away from the gospel of the 60's and 70's and come back to the ancient truths and practices of our Catholic and Orthodox faith. Satan describes himself as an angel of light. He has even disguised himself as the Blessed Virgin Mary before (Look up Saint Gemma Galgani). We must be careful of individuals like this in the Church. Pax Christi.
She is passionate. But she is not brilliant. She enjoys language and has a colorful way of expressing her ideas. Oddly, her term "scriptures of science" takes her to a singularly vacuous description of Darwinian evolution. Oddly, also, she defines "classical theology" as "spiritual narcissism-all about me-getting what I want." Then...she moves right into her "scientific view" that is the materialist theology of "spiritual narcissism-all about me-getting what I want." Her description of the "Classical God" throughout is at odds with much of Classical Christian theology (she is a Benedictine, after all), and she bandies around "Scientific View" language that is disemboweled of any meaningful science. It would indeed be fun to "chat with her" and explore both Christianity and science with her in more detail. Her passion is fun to watch, but it does little to inform people about God, Christianity and science.
Dear M I S T E R Trads, if you are a catholic, I would not like to be one. But thanks to be God, we have Sr. Joan who thinks and prays deeply and has the courage to talk about it.
As a "sister" she still supports the order and the cath. church - and other more or less powerful religious enterprises for which gullible people fall for - , their chauvinistic politics, their ridiculous and influential pope and delusions about a god. Why waste precious time with speculations about that god-thing???? All this earth needs is love, attention and empathy!
OK the facts change and then the religion has to change (as the Dalai Lama says) but donot dare to attack the god principle because our faith is gone......... . The big bang is claimed as a "act of god" which is a never proven fact. the scientific method doesnot work that way dear sister. but i do understand that you cannot change your mind because you "lived your life for the "god-principle" which has never been proven : extraordinary claims needs extraordinary EVIDENCE dear believers !
