Tender Gender, the Quality called “Humane”

Humanity is a quality that distinguishes the self-reflective person from animalkind, from bestiality. Inhumanity is behavior that is call bestial. Bestiality is a crudity, an insensitivity that is instinctively self-disposed as opposed to other-disposed.

The teaching and life of Jesus Christ is distinctively about being human, that is, other-disposed. To exemplify Jesus took a child and in so many words told his followers, “unless you behave as a child, I won’t claim you as mine.”

What sets the persona of the female apart from the persona of the male is her quality of other-focus, of sensitivity for community, for putting other ahead of self. It has to do with hormones. Right or wrong (for even animals show sensitivity toward other) the male of the species is violently intolerant of other males when the female is “in heat”, that is open to sexual intercourse. What distinguishes the human male from other animals is his capacity not to be violent and dominate other males for the sexual favors of females, not to allow his sexual instincts lo get in the way of equal treatment of others in whatever setting.

The problem with male dominion theology is that male psychology does not control male hormones and that male hierarchy doesn’t quite surrender its bestial instinct to the higher instinct of other-sensitivity. It shows up in the alienation and exclusion of women from essential function within the Church community. None of the dominion attitude is found in a child, the one quality which entitles a person to be identified as belonging to the “Company of Jesus.”