Diane,
This concept of the baby as a miniature adult harkens back to the
Victorian era. I was just contemplating the connection between the
acceptance of Victorian era ethics and our current religious-cultural
interpretation of ethics, and I now think that I understand a little
better just why we have such problems with family relationships and
sexuality! The Victorian era was just horrible for acceptance of
sexuality; women were "breeders" more than anything, and yet their
sexuality was flaunted even as it was hidden. And yes, children were
viewed as miniature adults with a severity that blackened their young
psyches. To think that we actually venerate this view of life as "holy,
chaste and pure" is amazing consider all that went along with it! It was
hypocrisy at his highest, and yet in hindsight we fail to see this. The
Ezzo philosophy of children as young adults denies their childhood
existence and reflects the Victorian era influence on Christianity (outer
appearances again win the show! But what about the white-washed
sepulchre?), which is cultural, and not Biblical!

-Lisa

*************************************************
Lisa Marasco, BA, LLLL, IBCLC
[log in to unmask]  /  [log in to unmask]

*************************************************