A-Woman? So Be It Not!

It is unthinkable that in the opening session of the 117th Congress, the invocation would end with ‘Amen and A-woman”. I understand the recent push to remove male-female words from the public proceedings, but to ‘genderize’ a word that has nothing to do with the current political trend toward gender inclusivity, is beyond comprehension and frankly offensive. To add insult to injury, the phrase was uttered by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, who is an ordained Methodist minister. “Amen” is a Hebrew word that means, “so be it” and has been used by men and women clergypersons of various religious traditions to conclude a prayer. For a religious term to be dragged into the political arena, is completely unacceptable and should be repudiated. A-woman? So be it not!