The baby and I slept in Taylor's old room last night. It was a great improvement over sleeping on the couch. We both slept better and longer, and I was able to get James to nurse lying down. Is that TMI? LOL! Much easier when you are sleepy and it's 4 a.m.
I watched the Left Behind Movie: World at War earlier that night, it was pretty good. I really like Kirk Cameron.
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In researching Creation Science and History for the girls I came across a website called http://www.annomundi.com/bible/index.htm
The gentleman makes some very good cases for many issues I have wondered and ranted about. Here is one excerpt.....
Should Women Go To Work?
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31:10-31)
This passage is clearly about a working woman who also looks after her household, but there are two points that should be noted:
- She is not working for an employer and is not under the authority of anyone who tells her when to clock in. Instead she is self-employed, doing the type of work that enables her to set her own working hours, according to the needs of her family. She has some domestic helpers called "maidens", who would undoubtedly be sent into the vineyard that she has planted, so that even at harvest-time she would be able to give priority to her family.
- She is a mature woman, not newly married. This is evident from the fact that her husband is "known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land". The city gate was the place where people were allowed in or out, with their merchandise, and was rather like a customs post. It was also a place of city administration and judicial authority. A man would not be given a position of authority among the elders if he was young or newly married. He would first have to prove that he could rule his household well, and in this case he had achieved it because it says "let her own works praise her in the gates".
If they had been newly married, her husband would not only be excluded from positions of authority, but for the first year he would also be unable to engage in any activities that take him away from his wife.
When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken. (Deut. 24:5)
This does not mean he cannot work at all for a year. It means he can engage in home-based work such as working in the fields, but he cannot go to some distant place to work in somebody else's field.
The lifestyle of an Israelite couple would therefore be something like this:
- For the first year, the man is involved in home-based business. The wife is also involved in home-based business until she has her first child.
- When children are born, the wife spends most of her time with them during their early years, and engages in very little commercial activity.
- When the children are older, she increases her commercial activities but remains self-employed so that she is in control of her working hours. She does not become a wage-slave to an employer while her children need looking after.
Clearly there are circumstances where this scenario cannot be maintained, for example there might be economic hardship, or there might be no suitable home-based work, but this is the lifestyle that an Israelite family would normally hope to achieve.
It was also the lifestyle of most families here in Britain, before the Second World War, insofar as men went out to work to earn a wage, while women stayed at home to look after the family and occasionally engage in home-based industries where they could produce things for sale in the local market. Then during the war, women were needed to work in the armaments industries, and continued working in factories afterwards. They had discovered that they could do all the industrial jobs that men could do, so why should they stay at home?
After the war, there developed a culture of "factory working girls" who considered work to be normal, regardless of whether or not they had children to look after, and they would make alternative arrangements for the children such as putting them in a creche or hiring a home helper. Once they had found their way into the workplace, they became concerned about their position and began to complain that they didn't get paid the same wage as men for doing the same job, or they didn't have the same opportunities for promotion.
Obviously the question of equal rights for women in the workplace is a reasonable one, if you consider the workplace alone, and in some cases there might be very little else to consider. The problem is that the work culture has affected women in such a way that success at work is the ultimate achievement, while raising a successful family is relegated to secondary importance. This attitude has continued for many years, and has impacted the family so that children feel neglected and lacking in self-esteem, and they eventually turn to crime.
During recent years, there has been widespread concern in Britain that criminals are getting younger. The Crime and Disorder Act was passed in an attempt to deal with child criminals who were previously below the age of responsibility and could not be prosecuted. Also the Act contains provisions for parents who neglect their children and allow them to get out of control. There have been many vague and inconclusive theories in the past, about why people turn to crime, such as greed, adventurism, getting something for nothing, keeping up with the gangland culture, or even insanity. Now that the criminals are getting younger, the causes are obvious. Crime starts in the family, where children are left to fend for themselves while Mum is out at work.
But then there is the excuse that Mum has to go out to work because Dad doesn't earn enough money. While this might be a valid argument in some cases, it doesn't justify almost an entire population of mothers going out to work. It simply becomes a self-perpetuating social evil. If all the working mothers packed it in and went home, there would be plenty of jobs for the men, and there would be no unemployment. To create jobs, there has to be a correct balance between production and consumption. Families are prolific consumers, especially when Mum is around taking the children to the shops, and they can create plenty of jobs for the men.
****The sentence in bold is my emphasis, but it does bear thinking. I agree with the reasons for the younger criminals and that one parent (preferably the mother) should be home full time to care for the children. Very interesting...I'll have to read more of his site and think on it..hmmmm.
