A collection of essays and rants, inspired and taken from a series that I have been writing for several years concerning this subject. A stirring account of how certain issues are poisoned by organized religions and why we as a society would be much...
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"There is a woman at the beginning of all great things." - Alphonse de Lamartine
An infamous phrase states that 'behind every great man, there is a good woman'. It is said by those who mean well but fail to understand it's just the same sexism that has ruled this planet for the two thousand years. Women are not meant to be behind men and that kind of thinking needs to be given the heave ho from the modern era. Some of the women I've met are not only capable of standing side by side with men, but they're fully capable and qualified to step forward and lead the way. A few years ago, we were only a few hundred delegates away from have a President named Hilary instead of Barack. The message I got from this was that seeing a lady sitting in the Oval Office is now only a matter of when rather than if. As a supporter of equal rights, I have no problem with that and hope that when it does happen, this President will fight better for the rights of women and men across the globe.
So where does the church stand on women's rights? In the dark ages unfortunately, stating that women are not equal to men. The shocking thing about this is that most if not all religions look down on women as inferior to men, which is just so archaic it's not funny. The church's position with women and their status has been rather clear from the beginning. But before we look at the alleged sexism of the Church and God, let's see the official definition of what it means to be Sexist. According to our standard dictionary, a misogynist is "One who hates women". It also defines the word "sexist" as:
"Discrimination based on gender, especially discrimination against women. Attitudes, conditions, or behaviours that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender."
So are God and the church sexist? Rather that assume and lecture about what might be, let's check the alleged 'good book' for some quotes to answer that question. Let's start with Corinthians 14:34-35:
"As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."
I'm not sure about you, but that speaks volumes to me about how women are expected to act when in church. They are not allowed to speak as God would prefer them to be seen but not heard from. And this comes from a book people claim to be the word of God Himself. And the hits just keep on coming in the book of Timothy 2:9:
"Also that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire but by good deeds, as befits women who profess religion. Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent."
I find it hard for those who claim to be Christian to get around that one. This passage's message is quite clear and extremely sexist: women are not allowed to teach or have any kind of authority over men. They are to remain silent and obedient. Next up is Ephesians 5:22-24:
