"But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonors her head. For it is one and the same thing as if she were shaved."
Author: 1 Corinthians 11 Verses #: 5
It is wrong for a man to pray with his head covered and wrong for a woman to pray without her head covered. Contemporary christian women ignore this verse entirely. Up until the 1960's women at least wore hats and veils in church. Modern protestant churches have completely given this edict up. It is just not popular. A head scarf is an inconvenience and a visual reminder that women and men are not equal scripturally. This is just not a popular concept and the practice of women covering their heads has been given up except for nuns in the catholic tradition. There is nothing more inconvenient that having to keep something on top of your head. The head covering is still completely required for an islamic woman to show piety. Nothing reveals inequality more. Men are free to be themselves and women must be covered. Modern christian women have chosen freedom in this aspect and have rejected the symbolism that they are "different" and must appear different than men. The whole of Paul's teaching served to keep women silent, powerless and "covered" for 2,000 years of dogma. Modern women reject this. Should we also reject that God is male and male is god. Should we also reject that Eve was "created" from Adam? Biology and evidence would tell us that Eve birthed the first human(s) and is the mother of all humans. The worship of a "male god" who devalues women and their biology has negated their right to exist for 4,000 years. At one point the first Eve birthed the first "human", and she was not wearing a veil when she did it!
Showing posts with label paul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paul. Show all posts
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The command of silence and childbearing (I Timothy 2 11-15)
I Timothy 2:11-15
"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."
Wow....Paul the Apostle has put a lot on women here. It took two thousand years of world history and over 150 years of American history to break free from these teachings for women to have a voice in their male dominated cultures.
First of all, Genesis 1:27 says God created male and female in his own image...all at once...and equally. At a later point, during a period of patriarchy, another creation story surfaced about Adam needed a "helper" and God creating Eve as an afterthought from Adam's rib for the benefit of Adam. For thousands of years men preferred to treat women as little more than a slave for his personal benefit. Women were "purchased" from the father's for a price. Women had no power and very few rights, they were born into a man's world dominated by a male religion. The struggle for equality first surfaced in 1850 in the first wave of the women's liberation movement. In addition to men, women were some of the most vocal opponents of equality. Over time the women's movement merged with the prohibition movement and although alcohol was made illegal, women still had not succeeded in securing the right to vote. The history of the women's movement and prohibition is a very interesting study of american history. A new book called LAST CALL goes into the details of prohibition in america.
Secondly, Paul the Apostle blames Eve and thus all women for the "fall of mankind" and "disobedience" to God. This is absurd. This allowed the church to insinuate for years that women just could not be trusted as leaders and the western world was forced into a male dominated and male controlled society that denied women equality, both inside the church and outside the church. Adam blamed Eve and men have been blaming women for eons. Paul picks up this rant and uses an old testament fable to insinuate that women are 1. Not equal in intellect or character to men. 2. Women are easily decieved and therefore not qualified to lead and 3.bearing children can somehow save a woman. Here is why Paul injects something totally new. Women save themselves from hell by having children. Women who are barren, or whose husband's are infertile are given no hope of saving themselves from an everlasting hell by Paul. This is just ridiculous and a new twist. The church picked up on this, as have men. Women have been forced into early motherhood and the burden of motherhood against their will. Today, the one way to assure a young woman of lifelong poverty is to force her to remain pregnant and bear children at a young age causing her development and educational opportunities to nearly cease.
Paul states that women can be saved if they have children, continue in "faith" and "give liberally" and remain "sober". I don't know if that means depressed or free from alcohol or both. This is quite a quilt trip on women. I think women would be well advised to read the teachings of Paul with caution as he is clearly not a fan of women.
"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."
Wow....Paul the Apostle has put a lot on women here. It took two thousand years of world history and over 150 years of American history to break free from these teachings for women to have a voice in their male dominated cultures.
First of all, Genesis 1:27 says God created male and female in his own image...all at once...and equally. At a later point, during a period of patriarchy, another creation story surfaced about Adam needed a "helper" and God creating Eve as an afterthought from Adam's rib for the benefit of Adam. For thousands of years men preferred to treat women as little more than a slave for his personal benefit. Women were "purchased" from the father's for a price. Women had no power and very few rights, they were born into a man's world dominated by a male religion. The struggle for equality first surfaced in 1850 in the first wave of the women's liberation movement. In addition to men, women were some of the most vocal opponents of equality. Over time the women's movement merged with the prohibition movement and although alcohol was made illegal, women still had not succeeded in securing the right to vote. The history of the women's movement and prohibition is a very interesting study of american history. A new book called LAST CALL goes into the details of prohibition in america.
Secondly, Paul the Apostle blames Eve and thus all women for the "fall of mankind" and "disobedience" to God. This is absurd. This allowed the church to insinuate for years that women just could not be trusted as leaders and the western world was forced into a male dominated and male controlled society that denied women equality, both inside the church and outside the church. Adam blamed Eve and men have been blaming women for eons. Paul picks up this rant and uses an old testament fable to insinuate that women are 1. Not equal in intellect or character to men. 2. Women are easily decieved and therefore not qualified to lead and 3.bearing children can somehow save a woman. Here is why Paul injects something totally new. Women save themselves from hell by having children. Women who are barren, or whose husband's are infertile are given no hope of saving themselves from an everlasting hell by Paul. This is just ridiculous and a new twist. The church picked up on this, as have men. Women have been forced into early motherhood and the burden of motherhood against their will. Today, the one way to assure a young woman of lifelong poverty is to force her to remain pregnant and bear children at a young age causing her development and educational opportunities to nearly cease.
Paul states that women can be saved if they have children, continue in "faith" and "give liberally" and remain "sober". I don't know if that means depressed or free from alcohol or both. This is quite a quilt trip on women. I think women would be well advised to read the teachings of Paul with caution as he is clearly not a fan of women.
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