This article worries me. It posits a negative definition of feminism, along the lines of "feminaziism". The author seems to think that feminism, in demanding equality with men, somehow is demanding more than men have or is pushing women to be arrogant, aggressive and against God's law. As a Christian, I fully believe that we need to be servants to God and work His good will on the world. However, as a feminist I believe that both women and men should so subserviate themselves to God's will, not just women. And that our roles in following God's word are similar, even identical.
This article is much more to my liking. I especially liked the quote: "Even disabled men, she argued, have a chance to recover, 'but womanhood is an infirmity from which women rarely, if ever, recover.'" However, I find that its thesis that the Bible is anti-feminist to not be compeltely true, if one goes back to the text itself.
Looking in the Bible, one finds that there is a mirror image of woman's duties to man in man's duties to women. For instance, "The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife." (1 Corinthians 7:3-4)
These words, of course, do not come from the Word of Christ, who is considered God by Christians. Instead, the words come from merely a believer of Christ, writing down his own interpretation of Christianity so as to aid his fellow believers in their practice of the new religion. Thus, even the very few passages that Paul writes where he indicates that women should be subservient to men should be taken with a grain of salt. Nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus himself ever say that women should subserviate themselves to their husbands. All that is guiding in the Bible about marriage is found in Paul's writings in the New Testament, save perhaps for a passage where Jesus condemns divorce. Mark 10:11.
Therefore, although realizing that a blog post this short can barely scratch the surface of the issue, I conclude that Christianity and feminism can, indeed, coexist. There is much textual support in the Bible as well as in sermons and religious teachings of the ages for this.
I agree with you Naomi! But I should premise this comment with the disclaimer that I am not a terribly devout Christian (long story involving a pastor who rejected openly gay deacons). Hopefully you can excuse my religious ignorance.
ReplyDeleteIt infuriates me when people cobble together excepts from a larger text to pervert its overarching message. One of Christianity's central teachings is that people ought to treat others the way they want to be treated ("Do unto others..."). I'm assuming that "others" includes women, gay people, and whoever else Christians have subjugated or persecuted in the name of religion.
Thanks for the post, Naomi. You are right that this is a huge subject for a single blog post. Many books have been written about it--and I've read some of them. What I call my feminist epiphany came long after my childhood embrace of feminism, but as I was immersing myself in academic feminism while studying for my PhD, I also studied this issue of whether feminism can co-exist or be consistent with Christianity. I concluded that it can and have found myself over the intervening years seeking more progressive congregations that are deliberately inclusive--and that use gender neutral language in hymns and liturgy. I am confident that God is not male.
ReplyDeleteLast fall, an extraordinarily gifted guest minister at my church said this as part of her sermon: "Treat every human heart as if it's breaking because it probably is." She may understand this better than many because she is gay and has experienced hate and discrimination. In any event, I've tried to remember her words and live by them--to be more compassionate on a day to day basis; I think they are a more vivid expression of what Anne Kildare notes, "Do unto others ..."
I, too, can get bogged down by all the evil that has been done in the name of Christianity, but I know that a great deal of good has also been done.
What is enduring about Christianity and religion in general is the potential for interpretation. With different generations, geographic areas, various denominations and a multitude of other factors, Christianity can meld into either a radically inclusive or an absolutely intolerant world view. That is where the power (power as a spectrum from abusive to liberating) of Christianity lies, in my eyes. The ability of Christian leaders to read and divine what the Bible says according to their own religious faith and life experience has, as previous comments have noted, given us a wide array of Christian thought and action on a host of issues.
ReplyDeleteWhatever your religious belief (or lack thereof), Jesus was a radical man who I think included everyone under his tent. This means feminists, and LGBT folks, and people who commit crime; the whole host of humanity. In this way, Christianity leaves open the option for tolerance and respect. even if there has been horrible strife created and committed in the name of Christianity. Jesus remains as the model, and Christians remain free to adopt his radical inclusivity despite the urging of many denominations to close their doors to those on the fringe.
(For further thought on radical inclusivity, please click here: http://www.sfrefuge.org/) This is a congregation in San Francisco this is intentional in their acceptance of every single person, regardless of life or personal circumstance.
Anne, I would never prosceletize (sp?) to a person who is not interested, but I urge you to give church a second chance with a different pastor. As B points out, there are many, many churches along the spectrum, and some are just as liberal, open and accepting as others are conservative and judgmental. My church, the Lutheran church, just made the historic choice to allow "practicing" gays to become ministers. If you were able to find one of their churches, I am positive that you would feel accepted and feel God's love in that congregation. That said, people are often stupid and judgmental and I cannot promise you that any other church would be better than what you have already experienced. I apologize for using this forum to preach a little, as that is not its purpose. But it would be sad if you could not experience God's love merely because of a hateful, ignorant person in your past.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Naomi. You are right that this is a huge subject for a single blog post. Many books have been written about it--and I've read some of them. What I call my feminist epiphany came long after my childhood embrace of Christianity, but as I was immersing myself in academic feminism while studying for my PhD, I also studied this issue of whether feminism can co-exist or be consistent with Christianity. I concluded that it can, and I have found myself over the intervening years seeking more progressive congregations that are deliberately inclusive--and that use gender neutral language in hymns and liturgy. I am confident that God is not male.
ReplyDeleteLast fall, an extraordinarily gifted guest minister at my church said this as part of her sermon: "Treat every human heart as if it's breaking because it probably is." She may understand this better than many because she is gay and has experienced hate and discrimination. In any event, I've tried to remember her words and live by them--to be more compassionate on a day to day basis; I think they are a more vivid expression of what Anne Kildare notes, "Do unto others ..."
I, too, can get bogged down by all the evil that has been done in the name of Christianity, but I know that a great deal of good has also been done.