Bishop's Wife--Part 3

[_cafe crema]

Am I the only one uncomfortable with the dynamic between Consig and the Bishop's wife?

Sorry, Consig. You know I really like and admire you, but if I were your wife, I would have a problem with you having such blatantly personal talks with another woman. I also think it would strain the marriage between the bishop and his wife. How comfortable is he with another man giving his wife books and talking about things that are so personal?

I don't consider talking about religious misgivings or the giving of a book to be personal, they just strike me as the kind of things friends talk about. Friends not people you only see because you go to church with them but people who you have things in common with people you spend time with just because you like them.. It also seems that these discussions have taken place either in the presence of the bishop and his wife along with Consig's wife at the bishop's home or at church. The conversation at the bishops house included everyone it was not some huddled conversation between Consig and Mrs. Bishop. The other conversations at church were in full view of everyone there, a church is a public space, one I don't see as conducive to emotional bonding. And as to books being too personal, that is really a WTF thought to me, I can't tell you how many books I've received, borrowed, given or loaned. Honestly I find it hard to believe anyone who reads hasn't given a book to or received a book from someone because they thought it would be helpful in someway. All in all I don't see an uncomfortable dynamic here, they all seem to be friends, though I guess some people just can not believe men and women can be nothing more that good friends.

[_sock puppet]

a church is a public space, one I don't see as conducive to emotional bonding.

Ain't that the truth?

[_why me]

Geezus.

Well, consig, you are one of my favorites but it looks like you forgot to ask this woman's owner if you could talk to her and look at her. You see, she can't make decisions for herself, nor can she have conversations with those of the penis persuasion.

I wonder if she is allowed to have lesbian friends...

I can't believe you gave her a book. OMG! That's foreplay.

It not the book that matters but the discussion. It doesn't sound like a friendship to me at all. But it does seem like consig is moving in on the bishop's wife with his touchy feely discussions. We are not dealing with a talk but something more if the description in the OP is correct. Now is consig moving in on the bishop's wife? No. But many affairs have started with a man having a touchy feely talk with a woman.

[_why me]

e]

Strange how you always something like this when I'm not talking about Mormonism.

But you are on a Mormon board that it is not exactly in love with the lds church. And to my knowledge you have never been Mormon. And you seem to relish in being critical of Mormonism.

[_why me]

a church is a public space, one I don't see as conducive to emotional bonding. .

You obviously do not know what exactly is the lds church. There are classrooms, a kitchen, a foyer, a basketball court, a social space etc.

[_just me]

Geezus.

Well, consig, you are one of my favorites but it looks like you forgot to ask this woman's owner if you could talk to her and look at her. You see, she can't make decisions for herself, nor can she have conversations with those of the penis persuasion.

I wonder if she is allowed to have lesbian friends...

I can't believe you gave her a book. OMG! That's foreplay.

It not the book that matters but the discussion. It doesn't sound like a friendship to me at all. But it does seem like consig is moving in on the bishop's wife with his touchy feely discussions. We are not dealing with a talk but something more if the description in the OP is correct. Now is consig moving in on the bishop's wife? No. But many affairs have started with a man having a touchy feely talk with a woman.

This reveals so much about you. I'm not sure if that was intended.

I talk about waaaaaay more intimate topics with my friends...friends that I don't have sexual relations with.

[_zeezrom]

What if Consig was female, recommending a book to the bishop? Would we worry the bishop might become emotionally bonded with Consig?

[_just me]

What if Consig was female, recommending a book to the bishop?

Well, men are visual, so it depends on what she is wearing while she does it.

[_Uther]

She said she felt much better after our chat.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

And does her husband appreciate your chats with his wife? They seem to be getting quite personal and emotional....

For surely the wife is a weak and vulnerable property, that should not interface on the pathriarcs behalf with the outside world. She might become immoral and have inappropriate sex or something as the weak specie often falls when left unwatched over...

[_Tim the Enchanter]

Come, let us reason together...

1. A faith crisis like the bishop's wife seems to be experiencing is an emotional matter.
2. Emotional discussions can (but don't always) lead to intimacy between people.
3. When people are intimate with each other, sometimes (but not always) this intimacy manifests itself physically.
4. When the people involved are married but not to each other, at some point in all of this, a line is crossed from an appropriate relationship to an inappropriate one.
5. In these relationships, responsible people know what these lines are and maintain appropriate boundaries.
6. If at any time Consig or the bishop's wife feels uncomfortable with the direction the relationship is heading, it's up to them to change that direction and there are myriad ways to do this.

The big question: Was a line crossed here? To people sensitive to any non-superficial relationship between adults of the opposite sex not married to each other, I'd say yes. Personally, based on the description, I don't think the line was crossed here. Had Consig invited her to discuss the matter further over lunch, perhaps. If they begin having phone conversations about it long into the night, perhaps. If they start texting back and forth about it and hiding these texts from their respective spouses (I'm assuming Consig is married, I have no idea), perhaps.

But a few conversations, even that get somewhat emotional, in a church building and giving a book? To me that is not across the line. In this case, I think both Consig and the bishop's wife should feel at ease discussing the conversation with their respective spouses. If that is true, I don't think a line was crossed.

For example, Consig should feel at ease saying to his spouse, "Hey honey, I was talking to the bishop's wife today. She was talking more about her questions about the patriarchy in the church. I gave her that book I finished."

And the bishop's wife would hopefully feel at ease saying to her husband: "Hey honey, you know how I've been thinking about the patriarchy in the church? Well, I mentioned it to Consig and he gave me this book by Joanna Brooks to look at."

And that there is my 3 cents.