Why are tough women becoming so common in movies and TV? There are a lot of women in combat roles now. One example is Starbuck of the new Battlestar. The movies always portray them as being able to go toe to toe or to best men. Starbuck had an extended heavy-duty boxing scene with a man in which they both ended up very bloody. They have a host of other violent and tough female characters on BSG. It seems common in many places, though. Any thoughts on why this is?

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Scott Roberts
Ruling Elder, Lakeside Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Southlake, Texas

They have been reading Carolyn Custis James?

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C.P. --Attending Grace Community Baptist Church, Mandeville, LA

"Where is the young man who fears the judgment to come? What is the breath of an enemy of God to the blast of the soul by the breath of the Almighty? If you fear the frowns of a fellow worm, how will you stand in judgment with an angry God?" --Asahel Nettleton

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I don't know but for anyone who knows anything about the rigors of the infantry or of the profound strength difference between men and women, it's always a major suspension of disbelief. It's believable only in The Matrix where you're kicking butt with your mind and not with real muscles.

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Rich
Okinawa, Japan
Deacon, Central Baptist Church, SBC

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What I find even more disturbing than the positive portrayal of these types of women is the men who are attracted to them!

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Rev. Daniel Kok
Pastor of Grace Reformed Church (URCNA)
Leduc, Alberta CANADA
Church Blog

"there is no creature, either in heaven or on earth, who loves us more than Jesus Christ"
Belgic Confession, Article 26

Indeed, that seems to be the point - these characters are made so that male audiences will be attracted to them, more than they are made to be characters women would relate to or aspire to be like.

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T W Hopper
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church
Currently between churches since PRC closed here - attending Crossroads Christian Church.
Canberra, Australia.

That movie where Demi Moore was a U.S. Seal is probably the worst that I can think of.

It's totally ridiculous. I saw a good illustration once of the difference between men and women physically. Take a coffee mug and bang it against a china teacup. The teacup will break and the mug will be fine.

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Traci
Lynnwood OPC
Psalm 52:8-9
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

When I did my military training in Canada (in the reserves), it was co-ed. The physical part of the training was easy and I believe that was because of the female component. I remember carrying extra rifles and packs because there were certain females in the platoon who simply couldn't do it. (To be fair, there were a few guys who couldn't cut it either, but those were few and far between b/c it had been so 'gender normed'.) Basically, it was still too hard for the females and what should have been a culling process for eliminating the weaker males was turned into a few months of pep talking so everyone could cross the finish line together.

I remember reading somewhere (maybe in Quo Vadis, a long time ago) that there were women in Rome who could basically buy the life of a gladiator and kill them after sparring with them. Why this was of any interest, I cannot comprehend, but this thread brought it to mind. (I'm not sure if it was historically accurate.)

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Kevin
Far East
Deacon, Int'l Church

When I did my army reserve basic training it was about 9 females out of 38 in the platoon. To be honest most or all of the females were not very strong physically. On our second pack march, one collapsed and the female squad took a third longer than the men did. I found the march strenuous but not exhausting, and I was about the weakest male in our platoon.

That said I am not sure that I am entirely against women in the military. There may be some roles they can reasonably perform, and I have known women who did very well in the army.

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J. M. - Baptist - Ontario, Canada - Feileadh Mor

"Nothing is more seductive for man than his freedom of conscience. But nothing is a greater cause of suffering."
The Brothers Karamazov

Don't forget Eowyn who killed the Witch-King of Angmar. It caught me by surprise when she chopped off the head of the Nazgul in the movie.

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Chris
Independent Baptist
Michigan
Layman

For us, the integration was fully done. Everything was co-ed, save the showers. Platoons and sections were mixed; most of the mods we slept in were about 80-20 male-female - it meant that any sense of modesty or femininity was erased; it simply wasn't compatible with the situation.

We had three sections in the platoon, one with the females and 3 or 4 men, the other 2 all male, I was in an all male one. Most things were co-ed except showers and sleeping arrangements in barracks.

The objective seems not to be the evolution of women to male status, but the elimination of maleness altogether.

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How often have you wondered why Christ should set His heart upon such a one as you! --Octavius Winslow

Lon Wadkins (Jesup, Iowa)
New Covenant Fellowship, OPC
Independence, Iowa

That was consistent with the scene in the book by Tolkien. Glorfindel had foretold that the Witch-king would not "fall by the hand of man". But Éowyn was able to overcome the prophecy and shocked him by saying:

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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"On land, at sea, at home, abroad, / I smoke my pipe and worship God." -- J.S. Bach

The Marines still segregate training at Boot Camp.

Lon is right, we see a similar agenda happening with children. I believe ADHD was invented to do away with maleness (boyish behavior) at a young age. Laugh at my tin foil hat if you must but there is some truth to this. Boys aren't allowed to behave like boys anymore and if they do, it's rittalin for the upstart.

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Bob Vigneault (Bawb Vēēn-yo)
I'm learning more about less and less; soon I won't know anything at all!

The Heartbeat of Heaven (blog) MySpace (Music), MySpace (Personal)
Member of Christ Presbyterian Church, Janesville, WI OPC www.christ-opc.org
Jude 24,25

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so far....

am I right in remembering that physical qualifications are different for men and women, though, as they are in some Fire Departments, etc. in the US?

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Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://semperubi.rtrc.net

"Many men, after a long conversion, see more of the workings of sin in their hearts than ever they did before or at their first conversion. Now, such men have not an increase of sin, but an increase of illumination and light" (Christopher Love)

Well what else would you do, Bawb? You know you aren't allowed to spank them or be gruff with them and tell them to settle down!

My wife was called to KinderCare last year because my son, (then 3) was about to be suspended. I asked what he had done. The teacher said he tackled another boy at recess.

I kept waiting for the rest of the story. That was it. He tackled another boy at recess. I knew then that things were very different from when I was a boy.

did you buy him ice cream and explain that he should only tackle if the other kid has a football ???? :P

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Jeff Rod
Eastwood Presbyterian Church PCA
member.
webpage: myspace.com/reformationforever

To live a simple, peaceable life before God
To owe as little as possible, to few as possible.

I bought him a toy gun or two and enlisted him in karate. He has his first form almost perfect.