"The idea got around" in the medieval church, he said, "that women were supposed to be docile and obedient and willing to do whatever they were told to do by priests. Then the idea got around that being a good Christian – period – meant that you needed to be docile and obedient. ... Then these two ideas became intertwined."
This eventually affected hymns, theology, art and literature. The bottom line: It's hard for priests to tell young men – take lacrosse players at Catholic schools, for example – that they must become "brides of Christ" to find salvation.
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