"WOMAN'S EQUALITY."

 

One of the greatest enemies of woman's rights is revealed organised religion. To treat women equally in the church, and some denominations do, then that denomination has ignored the teaching of scripture, which is after all supposed to be the word of God. Within many religious organizations women are prohibited from positions of authority. In the western world this is dominated by the religion of Western Christianity, although some areas of Christianity will tell you that they are not a religion. Ask yourself this question. Why is it that Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity will never be compatable? If you are a Christian and don’t know, then search it out.

Every denial of State education, every refusal that brings some advantage to women may be traced to the dogma of original sin.(Adam and Eve) This concept of original sin was initiated and spread with Christianity and the rise in power of the priesthood and the corruption of the early church.

Two bible verses sum up the position of women. Genesis 3:16, "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow thou shall bring forth children and the desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Here we see in the third chapter in the first book of the bible that women have lost their rights, their standing, and their identity, and that motherhood became a God inflicted curse, and that the women's social position is inferior to that of man. Christian interpreters have associated this dimension of the story of Adam and Eve with the doctrine of original sin.

In the New Testament, I Timothy 2:11-14, " Let the women learn in silence with all subjection, but I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. and Adam was not deceived , but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."

The scripture in Exodus, 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Christianity used this scripture in the past, and is responsible for the innocent deaths of ten of thousands of women whom they branded as witches.

Early church writer Tertullian (160?- 220? c.e.) Said. "Each of you women is an Eve….. You are the gate of hell, you are the temptress of the forbidden tree, you are the first deserter of divine law."

Martin Luther (leader of the reformation movement, Protestant,) decreed. "If a woman grows weary and at last dies from child bearing it matters not. Let her die from bearing, she is there to do it."

Many Christian churches have fought tooth and nail against the advancement of women's rights to speak in public, and until recent times women were not allowed to use anesthesia in childbirth, because the bible says "a woman must suffer." Even today the Churches of the world are an organised and formidable opponent of women's social, economic, and sexual rights.

Why is it that women remain 2nd class citizens? Why is there a religious war against women's rights? In my view one of the reasons is that the Christian bible is a book for the subjugation (putting into bondage) of women. The bible establishes a woman as inferior, her uncleanness, her transgression, and God ordained master / servant relationship to man.

Biblical women are possessions, likened to cattle, fathers own them, sell them into bondage. Jesus scorns his own mother, Matt. 12:48,

There are many areas in Old Testament where women are put down, raped, abused, and butchered, but as Christianity mainly focuses on New Testament lets have a brief look at what New Testament writings have to say on the subject.

1 Corinthians. 11:3-15. Read all verses but pay attention to verse 3, Man is head over women. Verse 7, and it is only man who is made in God's image, [not woman.]

Verse 9, woman was created for man.

1 Corinthians. 14:34-35. Women to keep silent, and learn only from their husband.

Ephesians. 5:22-33. Wives are to submit to their husbands.

Collossians. 3:18. Wives to submit to their own husband.

1 Timothy. 2:9, 11, 12, 14, Women adorn themselves with shamefacedness. Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Eve was Sinful, Adam was blameless.

Now let us have a brief look at some Old Testament scripture.

Exodus 21:7-11. Unfair rules for female servants, maybe sex slaves.

Exodus 38:8. Women are not to enter the tabernacle but are required to support it.

Leviticus 19:20-22. If a master has sex with a betrothed (engaged) women she shall be scourged.

Numbers 1:2. Census of people only includes males.

Numbers 5:13:31. Barbaric adultery test.

Numbers 31:16-35. 'Virgins' considered as war booty.

Deuteronomy 21:11-14. A rape manual.

Deuteronomy 22:5. Women are not to wear men's garments.

Deuteronomy 22:13-21. Barbaric virgin test.

Deuteronomy 22:23-24. If a woman is raped and does not cry out, both she and her rapist shall be stoned to death.

Deuteronomy 22: 28-29. A woman must marry her rapist.

Deuteronomy 24:1. Man can divorce a woman for uncleanness but not vice versa.

Deuteronomy 25;11-12. If a woman touches an enemy's penis in battle even accidentally her hand shall be cut off.

Judges.11:30-40. Jephthah's nameless daughter sacrificed.

Judges. 19:22-29. Concubine sacrificed to a rapist crowd to save a man.

1Kings. 11:1-4. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines.

Why should women and the men who honor women show respect and support beliefs which preach women's submission, which make women subjugation a corner stone of their theology?

Subjugation means to 'put in bondage.'

Jim Lee.

16/05/00

1