Are the brain-related differences between men and women part of Satan's attack on the family?


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I know this is kind of a strong statement to make, but I kind of feel these brain gender differences are one of Satan's ways to destroy families because I feel that nothing good ever comes from these differences.

 

Men and women use their brain differently, the genders process emotions differently, they handle stress differently, experience sexuality differently, men and women are wired differently, etc. The only thing these differences really ever do is cause frustration between opposite sex partners, damage their ability to communicate, damage their ability to cater to the needs of their opposite sex partner. I hear from many people that these differences between men and women are complimentary of each other and basically have this yin and yang effect, but I disagree completely- I think its pretty obvious and observable that these differences are nothing but relationship detriments. 

 

What I think is going on is that Satan uses his influence to shape the society and environment we live in so that our environment causes us to develop these differences one way or another. In the end, men and women just end up developing certain brain-related traits that make them uncomplimentary of each other. 

 

Obviously Heavenly Father wants us to live forever in eternal and happy families, I feel like these gender differences go against that cause by damaging the relationship between the husband and wife.

 

 

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Wow!  A few points - 

 

-It's only part of "Satan's attack" if you let it be!  he only has as much power as you give him. (lowercase on purpose)

-Yes, we are different but God created men and women so there's probably very good reasons for these differences!

-If everyone thought, felt, acted the same then what growth would there ever be?

-My husband and I are *very* different but - hold on - we have a GREAT relationship and he would never agree with your belief that "these differences are nothing but ... detriments".  In fact, he finds my way of thinking fascinating and amusing.

 

One last thought - you are the one that *chooses* to see things like this.  If you decide to look at things more positively, you'll find different results.

Edited by notquiteperfect
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I disagree. Most of the brain differences are scientifically recognized - natural, Satan is making nothing. So the fact the brains are different is not detrimental; rather, it's nature and our jobs to make relationships work.

I'd sooner say Satan is behind the movement to fight the recognition of these differences.

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I've always tended to view Satan as the absence of holiness or distance from God, not an active agent who intervenes in the world.  I know people who view this world as a giant chess board with God on one side and Satan on the other, but I'm not so sure.  Maybe I was influenced by many years in an evangelical Protestant church, where some members routinely blamed everything on Satan, even oversleeping, pigging out on brownies, and too many red lights as they crossed town to get to church.

 

These brain differences between men and women can be a force for goodness, too.  Go to any playground and observe parents and their kids.  You see fathers encouraging their children to be brave and try new things like hanging up high on the monkey bars.  And the mothers are there, usually telling the children to stay safe and act with care and caution.  The children grow up learning to balance these things and to master the art of prudent risk-taking.

 

If Satan acts in this world, he or she can exploit all kinds of interesting things, not just brain differences between men and women.  But I certainly agree with you that these differences can set all kinds of troublesome things into motion.

 

I once met a transgendered person who had been born male but became female.  She said the surgical aspects were the easy part, and that she had to re-learn the entire English language.  For example, when men go to McDonald's they say, "Gimme a hamburger," and women say, "Hi, I'd like a hamburger."  She said her big-boned physical appearance made people suspect slightly she had been born male, but as soon as she opened her mouth people knew it instantly from the words she used, the intonation in her speech, and the style of her speaking.  The chasm between male and female is much bigger than we realize.

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Gender is an eternal trait.  That means - it is part of our spirit.  Therefore, it cannot be designed by Satan.  These differences are the reason God gives specific callings to a specific gender.  These differences make the Eternal Family whole - the talents and treasures of woman brought into perfect cooperation with the talents and treasures of man.

 

Now, does Satan use these differences to bring souls to him?  Of course.  It's probably one of Satan's favorite tool to use as it is the foundation of eternal families, the ultimate goal of the Plan of Salvation... the very thing Satan wishes to destroy.  So, it is completely up to you if you would give him the power to do so.  From your original post, it looks like Satan is winning... making you believe man and woman needs to be THE SAME to be equal is one big lie that comes from just a very small twist of the truth.

Edited by anatess
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I think it is the opposite.  Satan tries to tell everyone that their is no differences, that men are equally adapt at doing x that women generally do and women are equally adapt at doing y that men generally do.

 

For example, I just had a young woman, very bright, well nurtured working at a doctor's office say she didn't ever want to have kids.  50-100 years ago, raising children was one of the greatest things a woman could ever do in life.  Now it's more desirable to have a good job, to be "equal to a man"-whatever that means; yet slowly but surely society in general is killing itself- the birth rate in the US is below re-population rate.

 

Trying to eliminate the in-born tendencies that have been in humans for thousands of years is only leading to disaster.  Nope, families are destroyed by saying men and women are the same.  Families become complete by recognizing the differences and then taking the best of each and incorporating it into our lives.

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I think it is the opposite.  Satan tries to tell everyone that their is no differences, that men are equally adapt at doing x that women generally do and women are equally adapt at doing y that men generally do.

 

For example, I just had a young woman, very bright, well nurtured working at a doctor's office say she didn't ever want to have kids.  50-100 years ago, raising children was one of the greatest things a woman could ever do in life.  Now it's more desirable to have a good job, to be "equal to a man"-whatever that means; yet slowly but surely society in general is killing itself- the birth rate in the US is below re-population rate.

 

Trying to eliminate the in-born tendencies that have been in humans for thousands of years is only leading to disaster.  Nope, families are destroyed by saying men and women are the same.  Families become complete by recognizing the differences and then taking the best of each and incorporating it into our lives.

 

Er...per my previous post...what I meant was...what yjacket said.

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  • 8 months later...

God created us in His image and He is perfect. We are human and thus not perfect because we can be tempted. I agree that Satan has been guiding society in order to breed more contention between the sexes. In the scriptures it says that a man and woman must enter into an eternal marriage to attain higher glory in heaven, if God mean for these differences to keep us apart, then they would be more than just opinions and such. After all, it takes a man and a woman to bring a life into this world.

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"I and the Father are one."

 

 OK.  What about the Father and the (heavenly) Mother (or mothers)?  I'm sure they are more united than any mortal couple.  But, at the end of the day, it seems they have different jobs to do.  Seems fine to me.  A unisex universe sounds too boring.  Let us be different, now and forever.

Edited by garryw
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The differences between men and women are real, but it's not an excuse to never improve. I've only heard this excuse from men, how some of them justify being superficial because they're "visual". But I'm sure women have their own brand of rationalization.

 

The big question is, which attributes of our gender are the "natural man", i.e. the ones we should try to eliminate, and which are divine? I hope someone here knows the answer, because I sure don't.

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The big question is, which attributes of our gender are the "natural man", i.e. the ones we should try to eliminate, and which are divine? I hope someone here knows the answer, because I sure don't.

 

I'll take a stab, although this question is like mousetrap and there are plenty of politically correct people waiting to pounce.

 

1.  A woman's desire to rule over her husband in terror is the "natural man".  If you don't know what I'm talking about I can introduce you to my best friend and his wife.  It's scary.

 

2. For men the most striking attribute is that of omission.  It's somewhat rare to find a man who teaches is family the gospel at home.  Too many leave that job to the church which is wrong.  Leadership is divinely appointed to the patriarch of the home. 

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The differences between men and women are real, but it's not an excuse to never improve. I've only heard this excuse from men, how some of them justify being superficial because they're "visual". But I'm sure women have their own brand of rationalization.

 

The big question is, which attributes of our gender are the "natural man", i.e. the ones we should try to eliminate, and which are divine? I hope someone here knows the answer, because I sure don't.

 

I don't think I know the answer, either. Usually, my only concrete conclusion is circular: "The natural man is an enemy to God, so everything that contributes to being an enemy to God is what constitutes the natural man."

 

In rather generic terms, Mos. 3:19 describes a "saint" as one who is "submissive, meek, humble,patient, and full of love". So, can we say that the natural man is one who is rebellious, disobedient, proud, impatient, and full of hate (I probably did not get exact opposites for everything here, but you get the idea)? Even if we can, there still seems to be a good deal of discernment left, trying to understand each of these elements of the natural man. So, in the end, I really don't have any answers.

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The big question is, which attributes of our gender are the "natural man", i.e. the ones we should try to eliminate, and which are divine? I hope someone here knows the answer, because I sure don't.

 

I tend to agree with MrShorty on this topic.

 

I think that gender-related attributes per se are not necessarily either evil or good. To use a few stereotypes as examples: A man's aggression, high sex drive, and proclivity toward action (leaping before looking) -- all of which are sometimes considered "evil" or "natural man" qualities -- can easily be considered virtues, when exercised in the appropriate context. Similarly, a woman's supposed passivity, dithering, and weakness for gossip are just expressions of personality traits that can, in some cases, become strengths that greatly benefit a community.

 

So the (unsatisfying and rather obvious) conclusion is that it's not necessarily the character traits themselves, but how we use those character traits, that determines whether we're acting as the "natural man" or the "spiritual man".

Edited by Vort
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I think that gender-related attributes per se are not necessarily either evil or good. To use a few stereotypes as examples: A man's aggression, high sex drive, and proclivity toward action (leaping before looking) -- all of which are sometimes considered "evil" or "natural man" qualities -- can easily be considered virtues, when exercised in the appropriate context.

Exactly; somebody has to put out the fire while RS is still busy trying form a committee to figure out what sort of table decorations are appropriate for a burning room.   :P

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I'll take a stab, although this question is like mousetrap and there are plenty of politically correct people waiting to pounce.

 

1.  A woman's desire to rule over her husband in terror is the "natural man".  If you don't know what I'm talking about I can introduce you to my best friend and his wife.  It's scary.

 

2. For men the most striking attribute is that of omission.  It's somewhat rare to find a man who teaches is family the gospel at home.  Too many leave that job to the church which is wrong.  Leadership is divinely appointed to the patriarch of the home. 

 

I was lucky to have a dad who taught the gospel in home. But you're right, it seems like women are more open to sharing the gospel.

 

I tend to agree with MrShorty on this topic.

 

I think that gender-related attributes per se are not necessarily either evil or good. To use a few stereotypes as examples: A man's aggression, high sex drive, and proclivity toward action (leaping before looking) -- all of which are sometimes considered "evil" or "natural man" qualities -- can easily be considered virtues, when exercised in the appropriate context. Similarly, a woman's supposed passivity, dithering, and weakness for gossip are just expressions of personality traits that can, in some cases, become strengths that greatly benefit a community.

 

So the (unsatisfying and rather obvious) conclusion is that it's not necessarily the character traits themselves, but how we use those character traits, that determines whether we're acting as the "natural man" or the "spiritual man".

 

Agreed, but aren't we expected to overcome our weaknesses? (Ether 12:27). Men's strength can come from being the family's protector & provider, but I'm looking at it from the other end.

 

If we conclude that men, in general, aren't as meek as women*, and conversely that women, in general, aren't as assertive, shouldn't men focus on overcoming their weaknesses (that are women's strengths) and vice-versa?

 

* Insert any other gender differences here

Edited by Syme
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If we conclude that men, in general, aren't as meek as women*, and conversely that women, in general, aren't as assertive, shouldn't men focus on overcoming their weaknesses (that are women's strengths) and vice-versa?

 

* Insert any other gender differences here

 

You are missing the point. Not being as meek as women/assertive as men is irrelevant. The point is that sometimes you have to be meek, and other times assertive. The natural man does not necessarily behave appropriately, but instead behaves however he wants to behave.

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