Hi there. I have a kind-of odd question for the Christian women on this forum...
My best friend, Ingrid, and I were discussing the issue of women in the Bible the other day, and we ended up with a question. We both grew up in a church environment that was very unfriendly to women, that treated us as inferior because we are female. Of course, that kind of teaching was caustic and damaging to us emotionally, and to every other woman involved in it. Both of us, as children and young adults, often heard women express feelings of shame and frustration with their "inferior" position.
As adults, we have both become more aware of women's issues and begun attending a church that is much more in line with mainstream Christianity. This church allows women in some leadership roles, and the women have a much more visible place in the worship. However, the women (and men too!) never discuss the issue of women in the Bible, either positively or negatively. At this more progressive church, it's as though women's issues don't even exist. There is no mention, either positively or negatively, of women in submission or authority, or Eve being the originator of sin for the world, or women being created as a "helpmate" for man.
Although Ingrid and I are relieved to be free of the blatently patriarichal system we grew up in, it has left us wondering -- how do mainstream Christian women really view themselves in light of the Bible? We both realize that we are carrying a lot of emotional baggage into our adult lives because of our pasts. But what about the average woman who wasn't raised in such a stifling environment? Do certain Bible verses make you feel inferior to men? Do you feel you need to be constantly justifying and explaining away certain Bible passages?
What I'm looking for here is not an exegesis of difficult Bible verses. And I'm not looking to rant against the Bible in any way. What we're asking is this: When we read a Bible verse and feel frustrated by its treatment of women, is that just our childhoods talking? Do lots of other women feel this way? If you were raised in an average Christian home, where women were not denegrated, do you still have trouble with some Bible passages? How do your sisters, mothers, or daughters feel about it?
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for anyone who responds to me to be brutally honest. If this really is an issue solely rooted in our childhoods, then we need to deal with it in that way. If however, this is an issue that all adult Christian women deal with, then we need to approach it in a radically different way.
We would love some feedback. Thanks.
My best friend, Ingrid, and I were discussing the issue of women in the Bible the other day, and we ended up with a question. We both grew up in a church environment that was very unfriendly to women, that treated us as inferior because we are female. Of course, that kind of teaching was caustic and damaging to us emotionally, and to every other woman involved in it. Both of us, as children and young adults, often heard women express feelings of shame and frustration with their "inferior" position.
As adults, we have both become more aware of women's issues and begun attending a church that is much more in line with mainstream Christianity. This church allows women in some leadership roles, and the women have a much more visible place in the worship. However, the women (and men too!) never discuss the issue of women in the Bible, either positively or negatively. At this more progressive church, it's as though women's issues don't even exist. There is no mention, either positively or negatively, of women in submission or authority, or Eve being the originator of sin for the world, or women being created as a "helpmate" for man.
Although Ingrid and I are relieved to be free of the blatently patriarichal system we grew up in, it has left us wondering -- how do mainstream Christian women really view themselves in light of the Bible? We both realize that we are carrying a lot of emotional baggage into our adult lives because of our pasts. But what about the average woman who wasn't raised in such a stifling environment? Do certain Bible verses make you feel inferior to men? Do you feel you need to be constantly justifying and explaining away certain Bible passages?
What I'm looking for here is not an exegesis of difficult Bible verses. And I'm not looking to rant against the Bible in any way. What we're asking is this: When we read a Bible verse and feel frustrated by its treatment of women, is that just our childhoods talking? Do lots of other women feel this way? If you were raised in an average Christian home, where women were not denegrated, do you still have trouble with some Bible passages? How do your sisters, mothers, or daughters feel about it?
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for anyone who responds to me to be brutally honest. If this really is an issue solely rooted in our childhoods, then we need to deal with it in that way. If however, this is an issue that all adult Christian women deal with, then we need to approach it in a radically different way.
We would love some feedback. Thanks.