You know it is almost as if the entire religion was formed simply to oppress women and give men an unhealthy feeling of superiority over them.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Why yes, yes it does.
You know it is almost as if the entire religion was formed simply to oppress women and give men an unhealthy feeling of superiority over them.
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Like crabs in a bucket, religious women like to pull each other down, thinking it will make them rise.
ReplyDeleteGreat metaphor!
DeleteMore specifically, it's a simile, and a bad one, and not just because of its revolting imagery. It's misogynistic in that it broadly condemns a huge and varied group, as if all "religious women" think alike.
DeleteWisdom is personified in several books of the Hebrew Bible as a female--a female who already existed before most of creation. The Bible is filled with strong women, some in positions of power and others of humble rank, but who were still portrayed as courageous and independent.
I think much of the Bible goes over the heads of the commentors who say they've read it, including the blogger himself. It's kind of amazing. People who would read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and admit they had trouble understanding it without guidance, will confidently and cluelessly bash the much older and more complex set of books we call the Bible.
@3:59.
DeleteYou are one condescending and pedantic fool for writing such a pointless post.
Why not head over to C4pee or Hot air and enjoy the rabid Teaparty rhetoric instead of spewing puerile idiocy
But, but, but it's those evil muslims that oppress wimen not us devinely-inspired freedom-lovin' Christians!
ReplyDeleteIf she loves that book because "it puts [her] in [her] place" then she is either a dishrag of a woman or she hasn't really READ it.
ReplyDeleteHave you actually read it?
DeleteMany in the evangelical Christian sects believe that women are 2nd class citizens, really just chattel, and are effectively the property of their father, and then their "husband" later on.
DeleteThe chief offender that started most of this was Paul of Tarsus, who wrote nearly all the slut shaming women hating verses in the New Testament.
For the religious crowd, that bible trumps every human right or civil right or rational thought that anyone might have.
Paul's boss Jesus never said women should submit to a despotic tyrant father, be home schooled, refrain from working outside the home, and stay around to raise mom's brood instead of college and career pursuit.
Jesus never said anything about the 3rd class position that Paul of Tarsus puts women in, where women are to only raise kids, tend house, cover their heads, keep their mouths shut, and don't teach or have authority over men.
Paul's writings have cause countless millions of women and girls to endure abuse, denigration, and the suffering of being seen as nothing but brood mares and house slaves.
And yes, I have read the Bible, at least 6 times cover to cover, and I am appalled at the mythology it propagates, and the archaic behavior codes that get spewn from pulpits every Sunday.
Answer me this: If the bible is infallible, and is absolutely at face value "god's will", then why does it condone and actually support slavery in the New Testament, in THREE different places:
Ephesians 6:5
Colossians 3:22
1 Peter 2:18
You can't explain that away by saying it's part of the old Covenant with Moses.
I'm quite sure their pastors tell them that the only way to a long and happy marriage is to be subservient to one's husband. Staying at home having multiple children, thus being totally dependent upon the breadwinner -- well, you get the picture.
ReplyDeleteThat would be Saul, who was never an apostle and never met Jesus. But he did espouse the company line of the many patriarchs picking and choosing which parts of the Bible to make official. And we all know what their agenda was.
ReplyDeleteJust my 2 cents. I read it once,including the Apocrypha cover to cover. Learned about the metaphors and customs of the times in RCC school, and wasn't impressed. But look on the bright side, without it, we'd never have had the smash hit "Jesus Christ Superstar".
ReplyDeleteI'm fine with people who want to read it and believe it, just as long as they don't try to change, convert, hand out pamphlets on the "Evils of Atheism" and bible tracts. Or make statements about my morality and where I'm spending my afterlife.
We have RCC's. Jehovah's Witnesses, and mega church evangelicals in our family and friends and we all somehow get along.
HS study of Biblical metaphor and culture are a good start, but not exhaustive. High schoolers are not impressed with much anyway. Bible study calls for a good edition with extensive notes, and ideally, scholarly profs who are grounded in hermeneutics and classical languages. Otherwise, it requires a whole lot more digging into reference books than most people are willing to do. So comments show up like the one at 9:17 am, from someone who seems to think that Paul's writings comprise some kind of Christian law.
DeletePeople who read the Bible and "believe it" is vague. Some people believe it's great literature, for example, as in the Song of Solomon, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes. Others think it's a fount of real wisdom, never intended as a history book. Some scholars think Shakespeare was inspired to write King Lear in response to the exploration of suffering contained in the Book of Job. Then there's that relatively new group of Christians who buy the whole Bible-is-the-inerrant-word-of-God piece. It's great that you're tolerant of all, as long as they're tolerant themselves.
Gryphen's premise that the entire religion was formed to "oppress women" made me chuckle. A Christian woman may run for President in a couple of years. A Christian woman is our First Lady right now. They're in good company with other oppressed women, as diverse as the likes of Susan Hill, Maya Angelou, Joan of Arc, Hildegard of Bingen, and the countless women ordained in various Christian faith traditions.
Gryphen has written about his own unhappy relationships with Christian women which seem to have soured him on the whole faith. There's a hint of misogyny there that darkens the tone of the whole blog.
@9:34 by anonymous
DeleteDid you read my post?
FYI, I DO NOT quote "think that Paul's writings comprise some kind of Christian law."
It's that millions of others think it, and believe it, and force their women and girls to live a life of virtual slavery by shaming all females into "submission"
Either you are incredibly naive, or you haven't been exposed to the harshness with which many sects treat women and girls
Go read the stories at www.nolongerquivering.com
I lost a friend to suicide because of her abusive pastor husband who treated his wife as a possession, not a person.
And for your information, I happen to read Hebrew, have studied Koine Greek, and Aramaic languages,
and have done exactly the kind of "digging into" reference books you refer to.
The bible is a huge collection of ancient mythology, allegory, and outright prejudicial bloviation, along with some historical and factual stories.
You can keep your sky fairy "Christian faith traditions", and the rest of us can keep our science, logic, rational thought, critical thinking, and observable truth.
Darkening "The tone of the blog" is done by Palin trolls, and people who think women are not oppressed by Christian religious traditions.
Another one is when folks assume I'm speaking of a high school class when I mention I read the book cover to cover. It's not unusual to assume that. The classes I spoke of where post Secondary School, in a Jesuit run University. I can't speak for Gryphen's experience, but my "religion experience" ended with formal excommunication for the unforgivable act of escorting a friend to an abortion clinic.
DeleteHow many men have been excommunicated for having vasectomies or going along with another for support?
When I first saw the photo of a woman holding a book, I though that this would be a post about Bristol's book club. The book clubs that I am familiar are groups of people who meet to discuss a book that they just read. They are part social get together and part learning something new, an exchange of ideas. Members take turns picking the books that will be read. It's a good way to read some books that you might not read, and sometimes, meet and interact with some people you might not meet under different circumstances.
ReplyDeleteBristol's book club seems to be run differently. She or Nancy French post a summary of the book they have chosen, "The Given," since it will be a movie next month, with Taylor Swift. The book was written 20 years ago, and it is meant for 8-12 years old. Yes, Bristol's book club is reading a middle school book.
As for discussion, Bristol posts some standard study guide questions, rewritten in her folksy voice, asking people to email her their answers or send photos of their favorite animal (if animals were not allowed). At least when Oprah had a TV book club, she interviewed the author and had people discussing the book. When there are literally thousands of people reading one of Oprah's books, it's hard to get everyone together in one big discussion group.
Bristol's blog seems to be collecting email addresses and twitter handles. I can't imagine why. The first round of photos showed people holding the book, a selfie with a book instead of a fish. My grandchild did that for a 3rd grade project that was meant to encourage reading extra credit books.
One more thing about Bristol, who is so proud to post a photo of Tripp ready to take part in football. Today, California has passed laws limited the amount of practice time for students as the first step in avoiding the traumatic injuries that NFL and college players have been experiencing as a result on football injuries. Some of the brain damage doesn't show itself for years. When interviewed, professional football players say that they wouldn't let their own sons play football.
I would like to suggest that Bristol spend a little time reading some actual news every day, no, not at the Pee Pond, not at Breitbart, but a reliable news source.That's how I learned about football injuries. I know what her family thinks about the media. But, there are plenty of standard newspapers and magazines that one can read on line since you obviously don't get news way up there in Alaska, thanks to Sarah's answer to Katie Couric. Maybe if Bristol actually kept up with the news, she might read about communities which have a leash law. Yes, the government is already regulating animals. Isn't that awful?