How the Canon (New Testament) was formed

An interesting read about the choice of writings to be included in the New Testament. I find it most intriguing that the father of the Reformation questioned the book of Revelation, among others. Anyway, of interest to those of you who are into Church history.

Taken from roseross at dark_christian, and cross-posted to xtian_trackback

Professional women, higher education, and other ramblings

I was thinking again this morning on a topic that often occupies my thoughts, at least peripherally - the problem of higher education and careers that require it, for women and mothers.

Let me elaborate.

When i was finishing my fourth year of university, I was one of about half my program who were approached by faculty with a request that I apply for the Masters program in my field (French Linguistics.) I had the marks. I had the contacts in the department. I was assured that if I applied, I'd get in, and that I would have a T.A. job for the duration of the program.

I didn't really think about it at the time, because I already had. I turned it down. Two months after finishing my B.A., I got married, and two months after that, i went to Teachers' College for my one-year B.Ed. program. The following September, I started working as a teacher, at a salary of almost forty grand. I didn't really discuss the decision with Piet, either, though we did discuss whether we should get married before or after Teachers' College. I'm very glad we decided on before, for various reasons that don't belong in this post.

My reasoning had nothing to do with ability and everything to do with life goals. I wanted a career. I also wanted to have a child, hopefully before turning thirty. I wanted a house, a stable income, a job that wouldn't require that I move - I had done enough moving. In short, I was ready to move on with the benchmarks of adulthood. At least, that was how I phrased it to myself.

I know several other teachers whose reasoning was very similar to mine - including the half-dozen or so from my department at Mac, who went on to TC with me at Brock or elsewhere. My friends list is full of women who have managed their children, their educations, and their careers, in various ways. Almost all of them have, at some point or another, agonized over these choices. It seems to have become a rite of passage for educated women to agonize over the mix of parenting and career choices in their lives.

Someone in another journal read a short version of that story, and claimed that the subtext was, "Women can't be good mothers and good professionals at the same time." Now, I'm sure there are people who think that, and I'm sure there are many women who feel pressured to give up on their professional lives in order to raise their children. I'm not denying that. But that subtext is not present in my story. I chose what I did for many reasons, but the ability to do both things took a back seat, always, to my willingness to do them. I didn't want that PhD badly enough to delay or deny myself the other things I had set as goals. I chose not to go into law because the extreme workload of many lawyers didn't appeal to me, in part because it would make family life more stressful. And, as I pointed out to her, I AM a good mother and a good professional, at the same time.

So, friends list: tell me your stories. Are you delaying children in order to get that grad degree? Did you have children while working on higher education? Have you experienced that subtext?

And, while we're at it: it occurs to me that universities have it backwards. The most expensive years are usually the last years. Medical school costs a lot more than a B.Sc. Tuition on undergrad degrees is regulated in Canada; tuition on graduate and professional degrees is not. It would seem more logical to do exactly the opposite. School should force students to prove academic ability before continuing beyond a B.A., but the financial obstacles should be removed as the academic ones become more stringent. Discuss. :)

I'm not sure what I think of this.

The U.S. denying passports to many of its own citizens, thereby limiting their ability to leave their homeland?