"But refuse younger widows, for when they have grown wanton against Christ, they desire to marry;"
Author: 1 Timothy 5 Verses #: 11
Paul had instructed Timothy to instruct the church to care for "widows" who were "widows indeed" if they did not have family to care for them, but to deny support to the younger widows because they were more likely to desire to have a spouse. Biblical marriages were arranged marriages until the last 200 to 300 years. The family chose your spouse and arranged who you were to be married to. Paul is assuming and chastising and denying care to younger widows because they were likely to desire to marry. This is cruel treatment and this is a cruel view against young widows, who no doubt have children that they were struggling to feed and clothe and house. It is natural to desire to pass through life with someone who will share and care for you and your children. Paul, again, shows a lack of tenderness and compassion to young widows who may need help and may desire companionship. Paul views a desire to marry as something sinful. He instructs Timothy and other single believers to remain single as he was. A desire to marry was a desire to give into "fleshly desires". Women desired children in hopes that when they grew older the children would take care of them. The teachings of Paul that instructed single believers to remain single was not a jewish teaching and tradition, but eventually became a way to be "godly". It became a prerequistite to priesthood. Through Paul's teachings godliness was attributed to a single and celibate lifestyle. This was a unique New Testament concept fostered by the teachings of Paul, who never met Jesus, nor heard Jesus speak. The very earliest 1st century jewish believers rejected Paul's teachings and status as an apostle. It was nearly a hundred years after Paul's writing that certain groups vied for Paul's doctrines and teachings to be taught. In the 2nd and 3rd century the followers of Paul began to dominate christianity by calling themselves "Pauline" christians. The earliest christians did not have Paul's teachings and did not follow Paul's teachings and no doubt viewed all widows in a more compassionate light.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
OK to sell your daughter
""If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do."
Author: Exodus 21 Verses #: 7
The bible condones slavery in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. This chapter in Exodus puts forth "tribal" law as it pertains to the buying and selling of slaves both within the family, the tribe and neighboring tribal clans. Polygamy, slavery and genocide are repeat themes in the bible.
When american multi-national corporations move to Mexico so they can "buy" cheap labor at .40 cents per hour they prefer to "buy" young females. These females are replaced when they marry, become pregnant or become ill with a newer and younger female. The world still allows "slave labor", we just call it NAFTA, CAFTA or multi-national globalization. When these very same corporations discover they can "buy" labor at .10 cents per hour in China they leave Mexico and set up shop in China where again, they overwhelmingly prefer young female labor. The happy meal toys made in China are our way of saying we condone "slave labor" at the cheapest price. The only question is "Do you want a boy happy meal or a girl happy meal"?
Author: Exodus 21 Verses #: 7
The bible condones slavery in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. This chapter in Exodus puts forth "tribal" law as it pertains to the buying and selling of slaves both within the family, the tribe and neighboring tribal clans. Polygamy, slavery and genocide are repeat themes in the bible.
When american multi-national corporations move to Mexico so they can "buy" cheap labor at .40 cents per hour they prefer to "buy" young females. These females are replaced when they marry, become pregnant or become ill with a newer and younger female. The world still allows "slave labor", we just call it NAFTA, CAFTA or multi-national globalization. When these very same corporations discover they can "buy" labor at .10 cents per hour in China they leave Mexico and set up shop in China where again, they overwhelmingly prefer young female labor. The happy meal toys made in China are our way of saying we condone "slave labor" at the cheapest price. The only question is "Do you want a boy happy meal or a girl happy meal"?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Silent Women
"But I don't permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness."
Author: 1 Timothy 2 Verses #: 12
It took 2,000 years before women were allowed to go to college. I am sure that this verse is responsible for the fact that it took christian society 2,000 years to advance the cause of equality for women and move on past this verse. Eventually even a judeo/christian society came to see the value of educated women. Because america wanted/ needed children who could read the bible and america had to allow women access to the teaching profession out of convenience. Because americans wanted their children to be able to read the bible we allowed women who were not married and did not have children to become school teachers. Each generation made some progress toward liberation In 1920 women were given the freedom to vote. That struggle lasted through 70 years of protests on the part of women. Most professions other than teaching and nursing are still dominated by men. It has only been in the last two decades that a few women have broken the glass ceiling and become doctors, professors, and lawyers and politicians and CEO's, but women and minorities are still a minority in almost all professions.
Christian sects that adhere to "literalism" still keep women strictly in the home and cleaning the church. The men are the prophets and preachers and priests. Out of convenience, the women run the day care programs and the bible schools, but are not the elders, deacons and ministers.
The apostle Paul, who is attributed to be the author of this bible verse never met Jesus and wrote in a time up to 30 years after the death of Jesus. The validity of Paul's teaching is a debate I will not even enter into, but many of his teachings are clearly designed to keep "women in their place" and in total submission to men and the church. Timothy, the young wanna be minister is living with his mother and grandmother who shared their faith with him. Timothy at the time of this writing was a very young man. Paul is instucting him on how to start a church. A desire to return to "literalism" is a desire to roll the clock back on equality to the last century and the century before that, and none of us would want that for ourselves, our "sisters" or our daughters. The catholic church and many protestant churches is still a place of silence for women. Women are discriminated against for being women and are made to feel like it is their purpose to be submissive and have babies for Jesus. Michelle Duggar truly believes her eggs and her husband's sperm are sacred and must be allowed to procreate no matter what the cost to her, her family and her babies. Biblical "literalism" is exposed for the lack of logic and insanity that it is.
Author: 1 Timothy 2 Verses #: 12
It took 2,000 years before women were allowed to go to college. I am sure that this verse is responsible for the fact that it took christian society 2,000 years to advance the cause of equality for women and move on past this verse. Eventually even a judeo/christian society came to see the value of educated women. Because america wanted/ needed children who could read the bible and america had to allow women access to the teaching profession out of convenience. Because americans wanted their children to be able to read the bible we allowed women who were not married and did not have children to become school teachers. Each generation made some progress toward liberation In 1920 women were given the freedom to vote. That struggle lasted through 70 years of protests on the part of women. Most professions other than teaching and nursing are still dominated by men. It has only been in the last two decades that a few women have broken the glass ceiling and become doctors, professors, and lawyers and politicians and CEO's, but women and minorities are still a minority in almost all professions.
Christian sects that adhere to "literalism" still keep women strictly in the home and cleaning the church. The men are the prophets and preachers and priests. Out of convenience, the women run the day care programs and the bible schools, but are not the elders, deacons and ministers.
The apostle Paul, who is attributed to be the author of this bible verse never met Jesus and wrote in a time up to 30 years after the death of Jesus. The validity of Paul's teaching is a debate I will not even enter into, but many of his teachings are clearly designed to keep "women in their place" and in total submission to men and the church. Timothy, the young wanna be minister is living with his mother and grandmother who shared their faith with him. Timothy at the time of this writing was a very young man. Paul is instucting him on how to start a church. A desire to return to "literalism" is a desire to roll the clock back on equality to the last century and the century before that, and none of us would want that for ourselves, our "sisters" or our daughters. The catholic church and many protestant churches is still a place of silence for women. Women are discriminated against for being women and are made to feel like it is their purpose to be submissive and have babies for Jesus. Michelle Duggar truly believes her eggs and her husband's sperm are sacred and must be allowed to procreate no matter what the cost to her, her family and her babies. Biblical "literalism" is exposed for the lack of logic and insanity that it is.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Menstruation and levitical law
""'If a woman has a discharge, and her discharge in her flesh is blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days: and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening."
Author: Leviticus 15 Verses #: 19
A normal and natural part of being a women is shedding the lining of the uterus once per month in a discharge of blood. A creator would know this and acknowledge this as fact, and would declare that there is nothing unnatural about the occurence. The holy bible, on the other hand makes menstruation something that makes a woman an untouchable. I would assume that this included little children and breast feeding infants that absolutely require the "touch" of their mother whether she in having her monthly period or not. To refer to a biologic norm as an "impurity" which renders a woman an untouchable and impure speaks to an author and a biblical authority that does not understand biology and implies that Yahweh was completely out of touch with "his" own creation. Clearly, the bible was written by male priests 4,000 years ago who had no knowledge of science and biology and apparently little actual direct revelation from an all knowing "creator" who saw women as lesser beings who were impure and untouchable once per month.
Author: Leviticus 15 Verses #: 19
A normal and natural part of being a women is shedding the lining of the uterus once per month in a discharge of blood. A creator would know this and acknowledge this as fact, and would declare that there is nothing unnatural about the occurence. The holy bible, on the other hand makes menstruation something that makes a woman an untouchable. I would assume that this included little children and breast feeding infants that absolutely require the "touch" of their mother whether she in having her monthly period or not. To refer to a biologic norm as an "impurity" which renders a woman an untouchable and impure speaks to an author and a biblical authority that does not understand biology and implies that Yahweh was completely out of touch with "his" own creation. Clearly, the bible was written by male priests 4,000 years ago who had no knowledge of science and biology and apparently little actual direct revelation from an all knowing "creator" who saw women as lesser beings who were impure and untouchable once per month.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Women twice as unclean after having a female child
"But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her period; and she shall continue in the blood of purification sixty-six days."
Author: Leviticus 12 Verses #: 5
In Leviticus 12:2 the bible states that when a woman bears a son she is unclean one week. In the above verse if she bears a female she is unclean two weeks and then she is declared unclean twice as long as if she had had a son. As modern man knows the length of time that a woman bleeds after having a baby has nothing to do with the sex of the child she delivered. The length of time a woman bleeds just depends on how quickly her body recovers from the delivery. Ancient biblical men saw women as less desirable and unclean. The bible strictly forbid women to be touched during their menstrual cycle or after childbirth and demanded that the woman present a lamb as an offering at the temple after her purification of 33 days for a boy child and 66 days if she had a female child. Women were isolated as untouchables after childbirth rather than embraced and helped and comforted. Only evil men would make such cruel rules for women to live under. Childbirth in the desert is hard enough, but when you are declared unclean and untouchable after delivery life was made very harsh for mother and child. Modern society sees a picture of the care of women and girls in the traditions of muslim societies today and the world is aghast. We forget that this same treatment of women was our heritage as well. It is only with centuries of struggle were christian women able to advance as well, and only after ancient and absurd and horrifying laws were discarded.
Author: Leviticus 12 Verses #: 5
In Leviticus 12:2 the bible states that when a woman bears a son she is unclean one week. In the above verse if she bears a female she is unclean two weeks and then she is declared unclean twice as long as if she had had a son. As modern man knows the length of time that a woman bleeds after having a baby has nothing to do with the sex of the child she delivered. The length of time a woman bleeds just depends on how quickly her body recovers from the delivery. Ancient biblical men saw women as less desirable and unclean. The bible strictly forbid women to be touched during their menstrual cycle or after childbirth and demanded that the woman present a lamb as an offering at the temple after her purification of 33 days for a boy child and 66 days if she had a female child. Women were isolated as untouchables after childbirth rather than embraced and helped and comforted. Only evil men would make such cruel rules for women to live under. Childbirth in the desert is hard enough, but when you are declared unclean and untouchable after delivery life was made very harsh for mother and child. Modern society sees a picture of the care of women and girls in the traditions of muslim societies today and the world is aghast. We forget that this same treatment of women was our heritage as well. It is only with centuries of struggle were christian women able to advance as well, and only after ancient and absurd and horrifying laws were discarded.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Ordering the death of your daughter-in-law
Bring her forth, and let her be burnt." Genesis 38:13-18
Judah has sex with his daughter-in-law and then orders her to be burned to death. (verse 24)
This whole chapter is full of God killing people, but in this part of the story, Tamar, his daughter- in -law tricks Judah into sleeping with her so she can have children since she is his son's widow. Tamar followed Judah to where he was shearing sheep. She covered herself with a veil so Judah could not recognize her. Judah sees her and thinks that she is a prostitute because her face was covered. He proposes to pay her to have sex with him and asks how much it would cost to buy sex. She wanted his ring and his staff and bracelets as a pledge and she agrees to have sex for a baby lamb. Judah agrees to the price and sleeps with her. Tamar gets pregnant from this whole episode. She puts back on her garments of widowhood and goes back home and about her business. When Judah goes back to find her to pay her and give her a sheep from his flock he could not find "the harlot". He wants his property back that he left in pledge. He began to ask, "Where is the harlot?" The sheep shearers replied that there was no harlot. According to the story, three months passes and Judah finds out that Tamar tricked him into sleeping with her and finds out she was pregnant. In verse 24 upon hearing what Tamar had done Judah orders her to be brought forth in order to be burned to death. He eventually relents and let's her have her babies and leaves her alone, but it got pretty tense for Tamar, his widowed daughter-in-law for he was going to kill her by burning her to death.
In this story several glaring truths come out. It is OK for Judah to sleep with a prostitute, but it is not OK to take matters into your own hands in you are a widow. For Tamar, it meant death. Secondly, Judah, as the head of the patriarchal tribe of sheep herders has the right to pronounce judgement and have Tamar killed in a violent death for tricking him. In the old testment the stories are told from the man's perspective and the tribal leader makes up his laws as he goes along. Women are worth less than the animals and have no more rights than a slave. The rights of women are irrelevant and not considered. They are invisible. Patriarchal societies, religions and church organizations always make women invisible and without value.
Eventually, in the story, when Tamar showed that Judah was the one who impregnated her by bringing him his ring, staff and bracelets, Judah relents and lets her live and bear his children. The Bible stories always end with the women having male offspring to carry on the family line. Female offspring were just as disregarded as their mother's. The pressure was always on a woman to have male babies. Tamar was lucky to have her life spared by the patriarch of the family who should have allowed her to remarry anyway. Females in the bible are just vessels to propagate your tribe. In male dominated societies women are excluded and disregarded. Patriarchy brings women universal violence and despair. All patriarchal religions sap female energy and all patriarchal religions hold to books authored by men and for men and hold to every view from a man's point of view. Women have suffered under Judaism, Islam and Chrisitanity long enough. Our creative vital force has been silenced for 4,000 years. Man made religion breaks the heart of all wise women everywhere simply seeking a right to exist.
Judah has sex with his daughter-in-law and then orders her to be burned to death. (verse 24)
This whole chapter is full of God killing people, but in this part of the story, Tamar, his daughter- in -law tricks Judah into sleeping with her so she can have children since she is his son's widow. Tamar followed Judah to where he was shearing sheep. She covered herself with a veil so Judah could not recognize her. Judah sees her and thinks that she is a prostitute because her face was covered. He proposes to pay her to have sex with him and asks how much it would cost to buy sex. She wanted his ring and his staff and bracelets as a pledge and she agrees to have sex for a baby lamb. Judah agrees to the price and sleeps with her. Tamar gets pregnant from this whole episode. She puts back on her garments of widowhood and goes back home and about her business. When Judah goes back to find her to pay her and give her a sheep from his flock he could not find "the harlot". He wants his property back that he left in pledge. He began to ask, "Where is the harlot?" The sheep shearers replied that there was no harlot. According to the story, three months passes and Judah finds out that Tamar tricked him into sleeping with her and finds out she was pregnant. In verse 24 upon hearing what Tamar had done Judah orders her to be brought forth in order to be burned to death. He eventually relents and let's her have her babies and leaves her alone, but it got pretty tense for Tamar, his widowed daughter-in-law for he was going to kill her by burning her to death.
In this story several glaring truths come out. It is OK for Judah to sleep with a prostitute, but it is not OK to take matters into your own hands in you are a widow. For Tamar, it meant death. Secondly, Judah, as the head of the patriarchal tribe of sheep herders has the right to pronounce judgement and have Tamar killed in a violent death for tricking him. In the old testment the stories are told from the man's perspective and the tribal leader makes up his laws as he goes along. Women are worth less than the animals and have no more rights than a slave. The rights of women are irrelevant and not considered. They are invisible. Patriarchal societies, religions and church organizations always make women invisible and without value.
Eventually, in the story, when Tamar showed that Judah was the one who impregnated her by bringing him his ring, staff and bracelets, Judah relents and lets her live and bear his children. The Bible stories always end with the women having male offspring to carry on the family line. Female offspring were just as disregarded as their mother's. The pressure was always on a woman to have male babies. Tamar was lucky to have her life spared by the patriarch of the family who should have allowed her to remarry anyway. Females in the bible are just vessels to propagate your tribe. In male dominated societies women are excluded and disregarded. Patriarchy brings women universal violence and despair. All patriarchal religions sap female energy and all patriarchal religions hold to books authored by men and for men and hold to every view from a man's point of view. Women have suffered under Judaism, Islam and Chrisitanity long enough. Our creative vital force has been silenced for 4,000 years. Man made religion breaks the heart of all wise women everywhere simply seeking a right to exist.
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