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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

I just love "Just Love"!


I have not read the book, but intend to. I am impressed by any theologian who tries to honestly set forth a theology of sexuality. It's strange to have a nun writing a book on sexuality, but Sister Margaret Farley should be appluaded, not censured. "Just Love" sounds like a search for the truth, in a Church in which repeating old nonsense is considered worthy of praise and admiration.

Here's a snippet of some of Farley's "radical" nonsense:

Farley applies criteria for justice to sexual relationships and activities, offering readers a seven-point framework for evaluating whether a sexual relationship is true, loving and just.

The first two norms consider whether the relationship is harmful and whether both partners have freely consented to the relationship. The framework then asks whether the relationship is marked by mutual desire, trust and self-disclosure. Building on that is the norm of equality, which requires that both partners share an equality of power that in no way entails an unequal vulnerability, dependence or limitation of options.

The final three norms consider whether there is a true commitment, which Farley defines as a union marked "by knowing and being known, and loving and being loved." If there is commitment, the question must be asked whether the relationship fulfills the sixth norm of fruitfulness. That is, does the commitment bring about new life by nourishing other relationships and by providing goodness and beauty to the wider community?

Finally, Farley asks whether a relationship is marked by social justice. By social justice, she not only means justice between sexual partners, but respect for all persons in a community. For an individual relationship to be just, it must respect every person's needs for acceptance, well-being and spiritual safety.

Source: http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/no-justice-margaret-farley-and-just-love

I don't know about you, but this sounds like good stuff.

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