What do you think about this one? Women in the church??

Question

So I was in a debate tonight with my sister's boyfriend about women being active in the church. I have never heard this before and was very interested when he pointed out 2 references in the bible that say that women need to be silent in church and never say a word. Also that women should not be leaders in the church and that if women have a question about the church that they should ask their husband after church and in the home. What do you think about this? What side are you on?

The verses were found in the NIV bibles. They were 1 Timothy 2:14 (or close to it) and 1 Corothians 14:12 (or close to it)

I won't delete anyone answers, I am interested in hearing more than one thought on this topic. Also if you are in a religion what is it and do they practice this?

Answer 1

I think your religion is bigoted towards women, find a new one that makes sense and treats all human beings equally.

Answer 2

The authority of the church exceeds the authority of the Bible. It was the church which decided what the Christian Bible consists of, about three centuries after Jesus. So you can't use the Bible to judge the church. The church judges the Bible.

And the fact is that in the early church, women were accepted as worthy to fill the roles later reserved for men. Acceptance of women priests is just recovering early Christian practice. Even the slow-moving Roman church will eventually accept it.

Practices in the church should be based on three things: scripture, tradition and reason. Unfortunately many Protestants are deluded by Luther's fallacy of *sola scriptura*, the idea that it is enough to go by words in a book, neglecting the fact that Christ set up the church, and it is the church, not a book and not the Pope, that is the guardian of the truths of Christianity. And the early church was quite O.K. about women in leadership.

Answer 3

Well, I belong to a religion where women ARE priests (or rather priestesses), and in fact in some denominations the women are automatically considered to be higher ranking than any men present, at least as religious functionaries. So it's no surprise that I see no problem at all with women being leaders in the Christian church.

The Bible's attitude toward women is a reflection of the time in which it was written. I like to think that civilization has evolved to the point where we've both abolished slavery (which was common in Biblical times) and given women their due as equally contributing members of society. Unfortunately, it appears that some people would still be happy to be living back in that world where women were barefoot, pregnant, and forever silent.

Answer 4

As a Christian, you have to realize, that at that period in the church's history Paul [Apostle] was instructing the church on the order of operations for conducting church services. Paul was not saying that women should just "shut up" but not speak when others are speaking [preaching], that's all. God uses woman in the position of ministers or pastors, today and in no way are they to just clam up and never say anything in church. God is no MCP [male chauvinistic pig] and fully realizes that woman ARE a very important and necessary component of both, the family and His church ! When reading the Bible, remember the time setting - that is, what was for then was for THEN and what is for now [present] is for NOW. Sir Winston Churchill said it best - "The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the nation" - a woman's role IS just THAT important to a nation's future ! I'm a male Christian - just for the record !

P.S. "Cathy's" posting to your question does offer a very good response in answering it.

Answer 5

This fits right in with those who believe it is a sin for a woman to cut her hair because the Bible says a woman's hair is her crowning glory.

The fairytale Cinderella story was misinterpreted. The glass slipper was originally made of squirrel. The Bible story of Noah was written 2000 years after the flood was suppose to have happened. Maybe some of the details got mixed up along the way.

There are a lot of good Christian people and churchs that help others and try to live spiritually. No one needs a group that wants half their congregation (women) subjugated to the other half.

Answer 6

If those verses are taken in the context that your sisters boyfriend used, than Paul contradicts himself. Since he personally addressed several women leaders in various churches.

However, if you leave these verses in the context of where they were written, to whom they were written, and at the time they were written, you might understand that the Corinthian church (at this time) was extremely young and inexperienced in this "New" type of fellowship. The women of that church were often interrupting the speaker, calling across the room to their husbands, asking questions out of order.

If you do a word search using the Strong's Numbers for the words translated minister, deacon, servant, teacher, prophet, apostle, etc. You will find many female names aligned with these words.

Tell you sisters boyfriend to stop being chauvinistic. "Neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female....."

Answer 7

We have women preachers in our Churches. In Corinthians Paul was writing concerning questions that the Corinthian church had written him (1 Cor. 7:1). He was trying to answer their questions. In the part about women keeping silence and not to teach etc. he was quoting back to them what they had written to him. It was part of their Church's "constitution and bylaws." Then the next verse says "WHAT? Came the Word of God out from you only or came it unto you only?" Then he says - "but if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant." Paul was basically saying - "that is the dumbest thing I've ever heard-you're showing your ignorance and stupidity." The scripture in 1Timothy that you refer to uses the word "teach" - these women converts coming into the Ephesus Church which Timothy was pastor of, were former prostitutes, pagan worshippers etc and were loud and brazen. They had need of teaching and training in just about everything. The custom of that day was for women to sit on one side of the Church and men on the other - the women were disruptive because of lack of training and education. The usurping authority issue goes both ways - in this case directed at these disruptive women. However Paul says be subject and submissive one to another (both male and female) in Christ. The early church had women pastors and leaders. The scripture says that in Christ there is neither male nor female. God is the one who calls to ministry, places His Word in the heart & mouth, and establishes the positions of the Church. Whether man or woman, He must be obeyed.

Answer 8

I do not think there would be a Church to this day if women remained silent and took no position at all. How many women are Sunday School teachers? How many women are missionaries? Do you really think that they would be so used of God if they were doing something that was against His Will?

I believe that Paul was speaking about a specific circumstance in the Church. I do not believe that he was saying there is no position for women in the Church.

Answer 9

Well several posters, wd, guraqt2me, Cathy have sided quite well with you and I agree with them.

Acts 2:17 says :And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams"

I also like Acts 21:8-9 " 8And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

So we see that God is not sexist in his outpouring of the Holy Spirit to or even inside the church.

How else can a woman not prophesy unless she stands up and speaks out the word of God?

Answer 10

Why shouldn't women be able to be active in church? Women are just as important as men! Just think about what your question is, and you will find that your friend's boyfriend is completely wrong.
I am a mormon (LDS) and as a church we most defenately do not see people as uneaqual, just by noticing that they are a different gender.

Answer 11

That is in the Bible...
BUT you have to read that part very carafly, because none of thies verses say that a girl can not preach, profasy, sing, and do some other things in church.

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