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Is religion responsible for gender inequality
Is religion responsible for gender inequality
Compare women role in different religion
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Jesus, Gender and The Bible
Sunday evening I attended my weekly Ecumenical Christians of Oberlin meeting. This is a group of generally open-minded individuals that get together on Sundays to have dinner and discuss topics related to Christianity. Topics range from "What is the Kingdom of God?" to "Pacifism: Turning the Other Cheek." Our topic this Sunday was "Women and the Bible."
At first I thought that we might be studying Esther or one of the many Marys - prominent women in the Bible that are always mentioned whenever the subject is brought up. I was partly correct: we did mention most if not all of the Marys, although we did not mention Esther. Being primarily a non-fundamentalist Christian group, we tend focus on the New Testament. I also thought that this might end up being a discussion on the women who were important to Jesus and why they were important. Once again, I was partly correct: we did discuss them, but we ended up discussing much more.
The first of two questions we considered was "How does my being male or female affect my spirituality?" I thought for a while and could not think of a single way in which it did. I often ponder how my being male affects my relationships with my biological father, the opposite sex, and society. But, before this meeting, I had never pondered how being male affected my spirituality. Most of the men in the room seemed to be in a similar state of confusion at the question. The women, however, had a more varied response. Some felt the same way I did - they had never really thought about it. A couple mentioned how being able to give birth to another human brought them closer to God, the creator of life. Several more mentioned sexism in the church and how it interfered with their spirituality. This got the discussion rolling, although in a slightly different direction from what the discussion leader had planned. We talked about how sexism in the church had affected our lives. The church often seems to push men and women into specific roles. Women are not always taken seriously, and their spiritual gifts and needs are sometimes ignored. These shortcomings, caused by members of the church as well as tradition, are harmful to members of both genders because they can distort people's views of the world, the Bible, and God.
Kraemer, Ross Shepard, and Mary Rose D'Angelo. Women and Christian Origins. New York: oxford University press Inc., 1999.
The stories about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Women were slaves, concubines, and child bearers; they were also wives, matriarchs, and prophets. Although, some women had less important titles than others each served a purpose. Even if the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates the love and dedication women had for Him. The scriptures describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
Regardless of its weaknesses, the book Women, Church, God, by Rosado, is a great socio-biblical study on how women were treated in a patriarchal society, how Jesus lovingly treated them, and reading it is a great way to learn more about who God is. This book is written for the average Christian, or Seventh-day Adventist, as well as for Biblical scholars; it will help these audiences better understand these topics, and help them form an opinion about many controversial topics in Christian society today, such as women’s ordination and the church. This book provides a satisfying journey, full of many Biblical examples of Christ’s love for His Church, and treatment of women; it is an excellent book worth reading.
They were women of God, and they were very important in the development of Gods image, and well as playing significant roles in Jesus’ life and mission. Women contributed to the movement, and the experienced belonging to his community just as much as the men. However, some may view the presence of women in the bible as a negative thing. Elizabeth Cady Scanton said that the bible can be used to exclude women from the public sphere. The Bible promotes marriage and childbirth as the most important things for a woman to do, as these things would make the woman stay home and create a better environment for her husband. The images of women in the bible, however, can help women connect to God more intimately and see themselves as an image of God. Women were included in the first followers of Jesus, and he treated them as equals.Women were seen as ministers, opened their home to the less fortunate, and even witnessed Jesus’ resurrection. Since it’s beginning, women had roles of power in Christianity. Women gave birth to the men of the Lord, but only if they were women of the
Joletha Cobb, a minister and an NCCA licensed clinical pastoral counselor, explained the expectations of genders in accordance with past centuries with an emphasis on the bible. Women “were expected to bear children, stay home, cook and clean, and take care of the children” (Cobb 29). They were expected to be weak, timid, domestic, emotional,...
After experiencing the sermon and interviewing Rabbi Neely, I noticed some similarities to what we read about in Living Religions. In our book, there is an entire section dedicated to women in Judaism. In recent history “women’s participation in synagogue worship have become quite common in contemporary Judaism,” (Fisher 296). When I attended the sermon, I noticed that women were the majority there. Even Rabbi Neely emphasized how his institution “affords women equal opportunities and responsibilities,” (Neely, Email). Actually witnessing this, shows me that the book is accurate about how Judaism is revolutionizing and incorporating more women in its religion. In Living Religions, we are taught that the main goal in Judaism is to live for
While some view religion and the Bible as a form of liberation, many others think otherwise. In fact, Elizabeth Cady - Stanton, a women's rights leader once said, "The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women’s emancipation."
Today, women share the same equal rights and opportunities as men; nevertheless, that has not invariably been the case. Before the Jazz Age era, gender discrimination between men and women in society was considerably popular. Women were seen as inferior to men. Their jobs were to care for the home, children, and other domesticated duties while men were able to work, get an education, and become doctors or lawyers. Many women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Zora Hurston, to mention a few, seen the unfairness in women's rights and fought for equal rights for women through different movements, efforts, protests, and even marches to abolish women’s rights. As a consequence, women now pursue not only higher education and higher paid jobs/ businesses, but their rights. One of the world’s most controversial issues among churches of today is the role of a woman. Many people are confused about the duty of a woman and how she is supposed to serve God because of history. History taught us to never deny someone of gender, race, or even diversity since he or she has human rights. However, this issue should not be viewed as men versus women because this is not a political issue; instead, it should be viewed as the structural of a church. Women should not be priests, pastors, or even rabbis for God condone women for being priests, pastors, and rabbis as well as proscribed.
and even the King. The second impression of him that we gain is of his
Grudhem, Wayne. "But What Should Woman Do In Church?" The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood (Fall 1995). Accessed at http://www.cbmw.org/Journal/Vol-1-No-2/But-What-Should-Women-Do-In-The-Church
Higgs, Liz Curtis Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them. Colorado Springs, Colorado: WaterBrook Press, 1999.
At this point in time Macbeth thinks he sees a dagger floating in the air and
Russell, L. M. (1985). ‘Authority and the Challenge of Feminist Interpretation’. In: Russell, L. (ed.). Feminist Interpretation of the Bible. Oxford. Basil Blackwell. pp.137-146.
Here Macbeth’s imagination precedes his rational thought, he is stolen in the grip of his fantastical imagination. It is as if the dagger is actually pulling him towards his desires to murder Duncan, rather than being persuaded by an actual inner passion for that motive. Shakespeare uses this scene to demonstrate to the audience that Macbeth’s conscious act of knowing that his desires are immoral and still acting upon them proves him quite the villain. This symbolism brings the audience to savor the play’s hidden meanings and also allows for leeway in the interpretation of the plot.
Kelley, Rhonda H., “Communication between Men and Women in the Context of the Christian Community”. Retrieved on October 4, 2004 from http://www.cbmw.org/resources/articles/gender_communication.php