Why does the Bible talk badly about women?

Question

1-Right of Education and free speech:
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 "let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law, and if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for woman to speak in the church."

2-Right to inherit: (Can't they both inherit?)
Numbers 27:8 "Say to the Israelites, 'If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter...'"

3- Polygamy is allowed: (So that makes it same as Islam, except no specific number was set)
Deuteronomy 21:15"If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son be hers that was hated: then it shall be, when he maketh..."

4-Divorce is not allowed?
Mark 10:11-12 "...Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.

5- Widows have no righr in marriage?
Leviticus 21:13-4 "'The woman he (the priest) marries must be a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people.'"

6- When you curse your parents, your punishment is death!
Mark 7:10 "For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death."

Women are bad!
Ecclesiastes 7:26-28 "I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare." "Look," says the Teacher, "this is what I have discovered: "Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things-while I was still searching but not finding- I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all."

Females are "Dirtier" than males:
Leviticus 12:2-5 "...if a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days...but if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks..."

Answer 1

That was society at the time. I'm an atheist (just for your info) and I think the Bible has a lot of good advice in it (don't kill etc), but you have to take it as something that was written a very long time ago. Your quotes are cultural, and of the time, more than religious, word-of-God and so on. That doesn't mean they're right though.

Answer 2

You are much mistaken and unfamiliar with the scriptures. 1 Corinthians does not preclude women’s right to education and free speech. The scripture clearly teaches that women were not to take the lead “in the church.” Women were teachers outside the congregation. They even taught men. Compare Acts 18:24-26: Priscilla was Aquila’s wife. They both taught Apollos. Women preached, taught and made disciples, in obedience to the command of Christ.

Women did inherit. Compare Numbers 36:7.

Polygamy was not instituted by God’s law – it was regulated by God’s law. Polygamy, apart from brother-in-law marriage, was man’s idea, not God’s.

Divorce is allowed for women. Jesus made no reference to gender. Your reference of Mark 10:11-12 shows that both men and women sought divorce. Matthew 5:31-32 says that “anyone” who got divorced on grounds other than adultery, committed adultery if they remarried.

Widows did have marriage rights. Your reference to Leviticus 21 deals with priests only. Widows did not have to marry priests. Both Ruth and Abigail were widows and they married the men of their choice.

Your reference to Ecclesiastes does not describe all women – it clearly references a conniving, manipulative woman – perhaps in this context, a prostitute – but certainly not women in general.

There is nothing in Leviticus 12:2-5 that suggests females are dirtier than males just because the period of uncleanness differed. Lots of situations made men and women unclean for the same amount of time. To illustrate: Numbers 19:11 says anyone touching a corpse is unclean seven days. Men or women.

Answer 3

1. As mothers are the first teachers of man's children, isn't this a bit ridiculous? But then again consider the source.

2. Until the 1950s the law in one of the Provinces of Canada stated woman could not inherit and were considered property.

3. polygamy only allowed to the male.

The bible is a history book of the man's world that existed in the middle east at the time. Control and abuse of woman was rampant and encouraged by such texts. To follow it today is to eliminate all the work that has happened since. (We've come a long way, baby!)

Answer 4

it simply soesn't talk bad about us women, u mis interpeted many of these.

e.g.
1 corinthians 14:34-35: we do have a right to education- misinterpertation, it may be easier if you see them in a different version. 34Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. 35If they have any questions to ask, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings. it just means that we can't make major desisions in the church because man are the dead of the household and church

2- i think this one is about tradition

3- polygamy is not allowed. god meant for marrige to be between one man and one wife.

4- no, divorce is not allowed, except if there is adultry. this by the way does not talk badly about women.

5-13"The high priest must marry a virgin. 14He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan, 15that he may not dishonor his descendants among the members of his clan, because I, the LORD, have made him holy." talking about the HIGH priest. u did sneakily leave out verse 15 tho, which makes it clear that this is because the h.p. is holy.

6- Matthew 15:4 (New International Version)-For God said, 'Honor your father and mother'[a] and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'[b] this is god's rule. and because he is god, his rules go.

7- 26 I discovered that a seductive woman is more bitter than death. Her passion is a trap, and her soft hands will bind you. Those who please God will escape from her, but sinners will be caught in her snare. it's talking about the seductive woman, not all woman.

8- i sorta agree with you, but i don't think this is talking about women badly. it says she is unclean- and i think dirty has a worse connotation. o- and it doesn't compare them to men in this.

well... i guess that's it. i used all (or most) of my examples from a new living translation.

hope i cleared some stuff up

Answer 5

The verses you quote are not putting women down, rather it is insstruction and protection for women.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35: Paul is instructing men & women how to be assembled together in one place for worship. before christians women have always been seperated from men during worship. Paul was instructing the church on how to behave druing service. See also examples of women who were annointed to preach & minister in the Church. If women were censored they could not preach or teach or minister.
2-Right to inherit: Here also is an example of how to protect you women in the ancient world. not that we all understand from our modern westernized privaliged society. But Men were a womans protection and ancient cultures passed all rights to men. The jewish culture however reconized that if no male heir was present then the Female heir should receive the birth right. By the way it was no different for the 2nd, 3rd, or subsiquent sons either. The birth right always went by male-birth order. 1st, 2nd, & so on. then to the female by birth order.
3- Polygamy Deuteronomy 21:15: While multiple wives were common in the ancient world God established Marriage between 1-man & 1-Woman. Marriage is the word God uses to refer to the covenant & the sexual relationship between that couple. for a man to have sex with a woman it meant he take responsiblity for her protection, welfare, & provision. also these customs were permitted not the design of God. God also permits divorce under very strict guidelines because of the hardness of man's heart. not because women are 2nd class. also the aposltes established that for one to hold church office you must be a man of one wife. not multiple wives.
Jesus was the 1st born. this is why on the cross he made provision for his mother while nailed to the cross. John was to provide for mary as the eldest son.

study the whole word & the customs, you will understand a great deal more.

Glad to help you better understand the Bible. Blessings!

Answer 6

most of the context you wrote came from old testament. In corinthians, some say Paul was asking a question. If you continue to read 1Corinthians 14:36 he says or did the word of GOD come originally from you. Or was it you only that it reached? this is my belief.He is not saying that in that way. People take that verse out of context. He is saying GOD has no respect of person and can use anyone. GOD can use a woman just as good as a man. then read verses 1Corinthians:37-40

Answer 7

Have you ever heard of the satanic verses?I was surprised to find out that they weren't satanic.Mohammad ,when he wrote the Koran ,stated that people can also pray to three goddesses named after his daughters.later he said that Satan had inspired him to write those verses and removed them from the Koran.I personally believe that Mohammad was being a diplomatic politician,trying to please the male dominating majority.I'm sure something happen w/ the Bible the same way. the older Nag Hammadi scripture speaks more of the trinity being Father ,Mother, and the Son.It seems the mother goddess in our bible today is replaced with Holy Spirit .When I see Holy Spirit to me it is the Goddess Mother..Seeing that the Bible has so many contradictions,it leads me to believe the book has been tweaked .But it does have wisdom about how to live in harmony.For harmony to exist in society, there has to be equal rights and justice between not only the different races ,but most importantly the man and wife ,the basic unit in society.So I have to agree with EPONA.

Answer 8

About 6,000-years ago God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit created Adam in Their own image. A short time later they created Eve out of one of Adam's ribs so that Adam would have a companion. God created Eve and made her subservient to Adam. All women everywhere should be subservient men.

Answer 9

Christian liberty in scripture is for both male and female.

We are to submit to the law of the land. Polygamy is not not legal in America.

God created an order to all life. I challenge anyone that thinks scripture is too harsh on women to study how some of the other religions treat their women. I guarantee that you will thank God for the liberty that He gives woman in which to serve Christ.


http://www.biblebelievers.com/SimpleSalvation.html

Answer 10

Take a look at Proverbs 31:10 A capable wife who can find? Her value is far more than that of corals.

Keep reading and you will see just how valuable she is in God's eyes as well as to her wise decision making that is a blessing to the family.

I don't think you really care, though.