I’ve been thinking about what drives disgust, and how it reflects on respect and may lead to contempt. In doing this, I tend pull out the cognitive therapy toolkit — where an event is related to thoughts and those thoughts give the emotion. But, firstly, let’s check on definitions.

Disgust (noun): a feeling of revulsion or strong disapproval aroused by something unpleasant or offensive
Respect (noun): [mass noun] a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements; a person’s polite greetings; [informal] used to express the speaker’s approval of someone or something; due regard for the feelings, wishes, or rights of others.
Contempt [mass noun]: the feeling that a person or a thing is worthless or beneath consideration:

The first thing I note, and this is where I may have been in error yesterday, is that all these are considered by the orthographers as words describing feelings.

However, the orthographers have not considered what are meta-feelings. Respect is an attitude or meta-feeling engendered by a feeling of deep admiration, or (a feeling) elicited from their achievements or abilities. On the other side, Contempt is a meta-feeling that the person is not worth it. I would add that contempt leads to considering a person is as disgusting as that noxious growth in an unblocked sewer: contempt drove the idea of untermenschen.

This classification of some of humanity as simply not worth our consideration of their feelings, wishes and wants is simply wrong.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:28, NASB

The moral equality of all believers has been a foundational belief. Consider these commentators on Galatians.

Thomas Aquinas (I have redacted the Latin and give the English translation)
He elucidates this teaching when he says, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. As if to say: Truly have I said, that as many of you as have been baptized in Christ Jesus have put on Christ, because there is nothing in man that would exclude anyone from the sacrament of the faith of Christ and of baptism. And he mentions three differences among men to show that no one is excluded from faith in Christ by any of them: the first difference concerns one’s rite. Hence he says: There is neither Jew nor Greek. As if to say: Since you have been baptized in Christ, the rite from which you came to Christ, whether it was the Jewish or the Greek, is no ground for saying that anyone occupies a less honorable place in the faith: “Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. For there is one God that justifieth circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith” (Rom 3:29). Again: “There is no distinction of the Jew and Greek; for the same is Lord over all” (Rom 10:12).

But this seems to militate against what is said in Romans (3:1): ‘What advantage then hath the Jew? Much every way.” I answer that Jews and Greeks can be considered in two ways. First, according to the state in which they were before faith. In this way, the Jew was greater because of the benefits he derived from the Law. In another way, according to the state of grace; and in this way, the Jew is not greater. And this is the sense in which it is taken here.

The second difference is with respect to estate, when he says: there is neither bond nor free, i.e., neither slavery nor freedom, neither high estate nor low makes a difference so far as receiving the effect of baptism is concerned: “The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master” (Job 3:19); “There is no respect of persons with God” (Rom 2:11).

The third difference concerns the condition of the nature: there is neither male nor female, for sex makes no difference as far as sharing in the effect of baptism is concerned.

The underlying reason for this explanation is set forth when he says, For you are all one in Christ Jesus. As if to say: Truly, none of these things makes a difference in Christ, because all of you, i.e., believers, are one in Christ Jesus, because through baptism you have all been made members of Christ and you form one body, even though you are distinct individuals: “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another” (Rom 12:5); “One body, one Spirit, as you are called in one hope of your calling” (Eph 4:4). Now where there is unity, difference has no place. Indeed it was for this unity that Christ prayed: “That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee” (Jn 17:21).

John Calvin.
The meaning is, that there is no distinction of persons here, and therefore it is of no consequence to what nation or condition any one may belong: nor is circumcision any more regarded than sex or civil rank. And why? Because Christ makes them all one. Whatever may have been their former differences, Christ alone is able to unite them all. Ye are one: the distinction is now removed. The apostle’s object is to shew that the grace of adoption, and the hope of salvation, do not depend on the law, but are contained in Christ alone, who therefore is all. Greek is here put, as usual, for Gentile, and one department for the whole class.

Now, in our society, there is a sense that feelings are justification enough. Or, contrawise, that the facts on the ground are a justification for them — he who holds, has.

Both are wrong.

On the first, our feelings vary. From day-to-day, hour to hour. A covenant or vow that depends on feelings is going to break. Because we are human: was have to deal with the biochemical and cognitive limitations of our bodies and brains. Because there is such a science as psychopharmacology — and the illicit part of that science includes modifying our emotions and cognitive state with various substances from alcohol to methamphetamine.

And because the immediate and visceral emotions have to be surfed. We will feel disgust, hate, lust, greed, hunger, despair, joy and exaltation. But these should not drive our decisions. We should choose to love God — with our mind, our will or volition, our emotions, and our innermost being (or our heart our soul, our strength and our mind).

The emotions are human, and to deny them is to deny our humanity.

On the second, we are human. We have more akin with the most vile member our species than we do with either the angels or the apes. We are all capable of great good and great evil. And to consider some people as beneath that because of their sex or skin colour is beneath us. Particularly if we claim to be of Christ, for our baptism makes us all one: equally moral agents, equally accountable, equally damned by our actions, equally saved by the great mercy of God.

We cannot see any member of the human species as not deserving respect and consideration.

But in our society we have forgotten that. We allow our emotions make decisions for us: in particular contempt and disgust: this person does not excite us, does not make us feel romantic; is boring — let them go. Now, the old doctors of the church would have counseled a man or woman who feels that about their wife or husband to consider what is good and admirable about that person, and gain respect, for their contempt is worse than hatred.

They would have also counseled them to become more attractive: Edith Schaeffer in her wonderful autobiography “The Tapestry” talks about being asked by her husband (that great reformed theologian Francis Schaeffer) to have a very blunt talk with a wife about what to wear to bed to rekindle the fires of lust when that couple were trying to rescue their marriage.

Today we send them to the divorce lawyers.

And the contempt of one gender for the unfaithfulness and hateful behaviour the other gender has done… increases. For every woman who considers that their husband has abandoned them there is a man who wonders why his wife up and left, leaving him with an alimony bill he struggles to pay every month.

The idea, particularly among feminists, that the gender differentiation of male and female is a class struggle and men (“the patriarchy”) are to be despised and feared is thus wrong. It is as wrong as the Marxist ideology of class struggle, or the Nationalist (Fascist) idea of the struggle of the Volk to remain over the foreigners. Within the Church we should be one: we should be of the race of Christ, the colour of Christ: we should bleed Christ.

For if we do this, we show the world how much we love each other, and proclaim the gospel: words will be far less needed.