The problem is, they're either too afraid to admit they've left their faith, or they don't actually realise they've done so, probably because so few of them read the Bible and no preacher is going to tell them the truth, least of all a male one.
Here's a short list of what Christian women are supposed to believe. Let's see how many actually do believe it. Shout out in the comments section if you're a Christian woman and actually believe any of the following, which I've numbered for ease of reference:
- Should your husband rule over you?
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Genesis 3:16 - Is it okay to sell your daughter into slavery?
And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
Exodus 21:7 - Is it okay for a father to offer his virgin daughters to be raped instead, to prevent a homosexual gang-rape?
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
Genesis 19:5-8 - Do you believe in witches? If so, do you kill them or think someone else should?
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Exodus 22:18 - Is a woman an unclean thing? Was your mother?
Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Job 14:1-4 - Do you believe we should kill the rape victim if she's raped in a city?
If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 22:23-24 - Would you force a rape victim to marry her rapist if he pays her father for her?
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 - Do you think the soldiers of a victorious army should keep the virgin girls for themselves but kill all the other women and children?
And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts. And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.
And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Numbers 31:9-18 - Should women not be allowed to teach or have authority over any man? Should they just suffer in silence?
I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman 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. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
1 Timothy 2:8-18 - Do you submit to your husband because he is head over you?
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Ephesians 5:22–23
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Colossians 3:18 - Do you believe you defile a man when you have sex with him?
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Revelation 14:4 - Do you believe you were created in the glory of man, not in the image of god but the image of man, for men?
For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
1 Corinthians 11:7-9 - Do you believe you should keep quiet in church and ask your husbands to explain things you don't understand?
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
1 Corinthians 24:34-35
How about the teaching of the "Founding Fathers" of the Christian Church?
- Do you agree with Tertullian that you are the gateway to the devil and your body is built over a sewer?
Woman is a temple built over a sewer, the gateway to the devil. Woman, you are the devil’s doorway. You should always go in mourning and in rags.
Do you not know that you are Eve? The judgment of God upon this sex lives on in this age; therefore, necessarily the guilt should live on also. You are the gateway of the devil; you are the one who unseals the curse of that tree, and you are the first one to turn your back on the divine law; you are the one who persuaded him whom the devil was not capable of corrupting; you easily destroyed the image of God, Adam. Because of what you deserve, that is, death, even the Son of God had to die.
Turtullian, the father of Latin Christianity and founder of Western theology. - Do you agree that you are guilty of murder if you don't have as many children as physically possible?
Any woman who acts in such a way that she cannot give birth to as many children as she is capable of, makes herself guilty of that many murders.'
St Augustine of Hippo, considered to be one of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time.
How about the founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther?
- Do you agree that your purpose is to bear children and it matters not if you die in childbirth?
Women should remain at home, sit still, keep house and bear and bring up children… If a woman grows weary and at least dies from child bearing, it matters not. Let her die from bearing - she is there to do it.
Women have narrow shoulders and wide hips, therefore they ought to be domestic; their very physique is a sign from their Creator that he intended them to limit their activity to the home.
If you are a woman and call yourself a Christian but find anything in the above litany of abuse bordering in some cases on outright hatred of women, then you don't agree with the basic tenets of your faith. All you need do is gain the self-respect and confidence to declare that you will no longer be a lesser person and no longer hold the beliefs which were pinned on you by your parents.
By the way, in case you are thinking of invoking the traditional Christian disclaimer and attempting to dissociate yourself from the repugnant Old Testament by claiming Jesus changed all that, here are a few Bible references which refute that claim:
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Isaiah 40:8
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
1 Peter 1:24-25
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19
Over to you then. If you're a woman, are you a Christian and so believe all this misogyny is justified, or not?
If you're a man, do you think women are your inferiors and should do what you tell them to do, or should they not be Christians and regard themselves as your equal?
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Absolutely disgusting. I'm glad you made the point that the usual "the Old Testament doesn't count" excuse is firmly debunked in the New Testament -- but some of the worst quotes are from the New Testament anyway.
ReplyDeleteI hope some Christian women do read this and consider it.
If these were from the Koran, you can bet there would be outraged howls of protest. I suppose at least some of them are in the Koran anyway.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely fantastic post, some one I know tried the OT vs NT trick on me just the other day and I didn't buy it.
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ReplyDeleteIrrelevant preaching removed. If you fee an overwhelming need to take a dump, can you do it elsewhere, please. Christians are not granted their assumed right to be exempt from the requirement to behave in a civilised manner here, even when that's normally why they wear their badge of piety and wave it in our faces.
DeleteMale. It astonishes me that we're even thinking of having this discussion in 2013, let alone actually discussing it. Our species is doomed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this listing. It is even just a selection of texts that can be considered unfriendly to women. What about the taboo of menstruation? Or the division between a female and a male court in the temple? I must admit, all these texts annoy me. Still, I AM a christian. Because these are meant as sort of rule of regulation I think, and are not the essence of christianity. Love is the essence. If a man uses one of these texts to behave unlovingly to a woman, he is going against the grain of christianity. There are many instances in the Bible where a woman receives all the honour suitable to her. People who do not believe in God think that christians are slaves to a dominant power - but in fact it is quite the opposite. I myself find reading in the Bible and focusing on the essence of life quite liberating. It makes me free of worrying about short-term goals, free of worrying about what others can do to me, it gives me peace of mind to know there is loving, powerful God who watches over me. You may say I should find that love and power in myself. But reality has shown me that there is so much fear and worry and hatred in me. Although we all have the power of love in us, these sort of negative things will overcome us again and again, resulting in war, racism, gossip, exclusion, greed, etc. I prefer to have a fully benign God to shape my life to, than having other people guide me, including myself.
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't consider this preaching, it is just how I think about it. :-)
>I myself find reading in the Bible and focusing on the essence of life quite liberating. It makes me free of worrying about short-term goals, free of worrying about what others can do to me,< Something you could get from reading a novel, listening to music or taking part in sport, of course.
DeleteYes, certainly! Those can be good and uplifting things. They can make people aware of something greater beyond themselves. :-)
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