Feminsism and the Bible
Tonight I got into a conversation in which I was discussing my Issues with Paul. I had gone to a prayer meeting with my Elycia so we could hear one of our other friends this absolute little doll of a girl sing. After the meeting we went out to eat and we were discussing a ton of stuff including sexuality and orgasms and religion all together at once and we started talking about feminism and religion and of course if you're talking about feminism you have to talk about Paul it's like an unwritten rule. I was ranting about him and Cassie (the little doll) very sweetly says that what she had been taught was that Paul didn't want women to speak in church because they didn't know as much and would ask stupid questions. This defense of Paul has been spoken to me before and I was never able to really articulate my rage as well as I did this evening.
I quite calmly said that was no excuse because really . Christ said let the little children come to me to be taught. Did he mean only the male children? What Paul should have said was teach your women so that they may be knowledgeable and teach others. Teach them to read and write so that they may spread the word to other women. Because who are we more likely to listen too? Some man preaching at us to trust God with all adversity or another woman who can be compassionate and loving. If you lose a baby who do you want to speak to a man who has no idea of your pain or a woman who has dealt with pregnancy and the pain of losing a child the fear of being pregnant the fear of not being pregnant. If you are sexually assaulted who is going to understand the man who has no concept of the pain and helplessness? Or a woman who even if she hasn't been assaulted deals with the fear of it every day?
As a child I was taught that Men preached and that women should stay silent in the church I couldn't understand that because at home my Mom was our religious head of house. Possibly it was because she was better educated and had stronger religious foundation than my Dad? I don't really know. When you asked her why though she would deny it telling us that our Father was the head of our house. I hate that my Mother denied that she had a stronger influence on us than him when it's not true.
I hate that there are all new girls being raised to believe that they shouldn't be able to speak in the church because they don't know as much as their male peers. It infuriates me and it hurts me that my religion has been hijacked by men since its origin. In no place in the New Testament does Jesus say only men may teach my words. I firmly believe that Mary Magdalene got the shaft by the early church and was denied her place as an apostle because the early church feared her impact on women. After all we can't have women uprising and causing a fuss. I think it's time for a feminist rebellion in the churches we need to cast off our male oppressors and reclaim our religion for ourselves and our daughters. It's my religion too!