Why is the bible so disrespectful towards women?

Question

If you need specifics, then you clearly haven't read it. It occurs the whole way through.

Do christian men still feel superior to women?

Answer 1

Does anyone else think it's funny that most of the defenders of the violence and chattel-like depictions toward women in the bible are defending that by saying that it was a long time ago, and we shouldn't look at it that way since it is so old. Why don't they feel this way about the bible when it comes to gays, and people of other religions, and people of color, etc? Why is it that it's just an outdated book now, but it's not during other arguments?

Answer 2

The Gospels are not disrespectful towards women. They start out with the story of Mary, the greatest of all the saints, and describe in detail how she was greeted by an angel and told she was to be the Mother of God. Christ meets many women in the bible, and I can't think of a single instance when he was disrespectful. He converts the water into wine when his mother asks him to, he talks to the Samaritan women, he treats prostitutes with kindness, he forgives the adulteress, he teaches Martha's sister Mary, he receives the tears and ointment with gratefulness from the woman in the Pharisee's house, he commiserates with the sister of Lazarus before raising Lazarus from the dead. These are just the episodes I can remember off the top of my head, I'm sure there are more. You also have to remember that in ancient Palestine the greatest honour and role for a women was to bear and raise a family. In the modern world the importance of family has been diminished and what is expected to make a women proud and fulfilled has changed quite a bit from the time of Jesus. Time will tell whether the modern understanding of respect makes women happier or not.

Answer 3

Haven't you been paying attention the last few centuries?

Its so "disrespectful" as you state it, because the document is (in parts) several thousand years old.

A little research into it's origins might help you understand the environment under which the most influential document in Western Culture developed.

And no, they don't generally (any more than the society as a whole does, as we still have a ways to go). They no longer (with rare exceptions) consider the Bible absolutely true and applicable to all situations any more (unlike Islam, in which their holy books are considered absolutely true and VERY disrespectful to women (I've read the Quran and other holy texts of Islam, as well as the Bible, four times for the latter Book).

These questions by people who still think Christianity lives in the Middle Ages don't make you look smart.

They make those who post them look ill-informed and so biased they don't take their heads out of their (wherever they keep them) long enough to see that Christianities attitudes toward them are more civilized than theirs toward Christianity.

Besides, we have something called, "Religious Freedom" in the United States. If you don't have it where you are, you have my sympathy. If you call yourself an American, but want to ban Christianity, reconsider your patriotism.

We don't need that kind of "patriot". It's hypocritical.

Oh, I'm not a Christian (not even religious). I have great respect for Atheist writers and have read an immense amount regarding "Free thought" and appreciated the reading of it.

At the same time, I'm a patriot, first. My ideology will never cause me to turn against the core values of my country.

Bill of Rights is a great place to start if you'd like to learn more about them.

Keep speaking up, regardless (yes, you have the right, too. I'd hope you wouldn't let little old me stop you! I LIKE backbone)!

Answer 4

Okay, I may get a few peoples dander raised here, but , here is how I see it.
The Bible has been used by many for years, it has many good lessons, but, although people claim the writers had "Divine Inspiration" The writers of the bible were still just men . During the era in which most of the Bible was written, women were subserviant to men, therefore the writers showed that in their writings.

Answer 5

Women were not to work. We are to stay at home a raise babies.

And people do not give me crap over it. A church leader ( can't remember which church) fired the women who worked there because it says it in the bible.

The bible was written 2000 and some odd years ago. Women were and still are bought with livestock. We were nothing more that possession.

Some men are and some are not. It really depends on how they were raised.

Answer 6

It's quite simple and logical--that was the feelings and actions of society at that point in time. As social orders changed, so also the feeling toward women--unfortunately, not many Religions of the Biblical area changed that much. Christianity would be one religion with the biggest changes. Christianity goes by the new testament and that reflects a change

Answer 7

From what I gather by reading the bible that back in the bible times when were not an important as men except a few exection. They were to obey their husband and the husband was to take care of them. Now days there are still some religions that say women shouldn't do certain things and they say it is in the bible. Like some religions say that a woman can't teach men in church, they can't pray in the presence of men and they are to be a housewife. But of course now days it take both the man and woman to work to help pay the bills . Because of the food etc. So the bible just wasn't much of talking about women in bible but for a few cases like Jezebel and Jesus mother to name a few. Of course there was Eve the one who sin first and men been blaming women ever since. I am glad my husband treat me good he doesn't try to tell me what to do. He let me be my own woman.

Answer 8

The Bible is not disrespectful to women, God called many women to be prophetesses and Jesus respected women and set them free and there are many women honored throughout the old and new testament~ at least that is what I read in my Bible

Answer 9

With the economy today the rich get richer and the poor very bad social skills and social ettiquette. This guy sounds like a jesus freak weardo. He sounds nuts and he needs professional help. He is just jealous and wants to be rich like them. He wants to keep up eith the Joneses. He runs to jesus, because he is poor and has nothing else better to do than obsess over religion

Answer 10

Some of the disrespectful attitude about woman are a result of man's attitudes of woman.
Notice that true spiritual people (ie Christ etc) within scriptures, raise women to an equal state, are noted as prophetesses, apostles, church leaders etc.
Just because the scriptures state that a woman is "in subjection" to her husband does not indicate disrepect of women. Children are to be in subjection to their parents, but scripture does not relegate them to inferior people because of it.
Women are to be loved, respected and treated by the man as the man would treat his own body AND and Christ treats the church.
Just because MALE religious leaders have twisted some verbage into enslaving woman doesn't mean it's right. In Genesis, God foretold woman would be mistreated when He told Eve that because of her sin, her desire would be for her husband and he would dominate her. It's true but it doesn't make it right.
And yes, many christian men feel superior to women, but it doesn't make it CHRISTLIKE.