Have you heard of the term, religious misogynists?

Question

I came to this article...I know, I should be working instead of reading articles (lol). I need a hammer...thanks :-)

The article says:

"Christian men who hate women (religious misogynists) are in some ways more dangerous and destructive in their behavior than their non-Christian counterparts. Secular misogynists do not have the powerful, additional arsenal of church doctrines, God-talk, and the sanctioning of male authority, which comes with the idea of Christian marriage. Christian women are often taught in the church or at home that they should "submit" to men "no matter what" because men are the "spiritual head" over women."

More in:

http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/xtian2.html

I know a man, like this. He went to another country to find a young wife that would "fear God" and be submissive and do what he says (his words!). Therefore this article interested me.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

I've not heard the term, but it makes sense. However, I'm not going down the path of slagging religion because it, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. Like everything, it's interpretation that gets everyone in trouble. I have known people like this, and they're not even necessarily religious, or even have a clue about religion. They select certain texts that confirm their pre-existing beliefs about women. Anyone with half a brain knows that religion is not meant to be a justification for hatred of anyone. But, many people who are deeply involved in organized religion do just that. The Mormon "church" is one example of this.

Xians often come under the gun, though, and they are not the only group guilty of this. I won't elucidate upon the many numbers of "religions" that enforce the old testament version of womanhood. As for xians having a powerful arsenal at their disposal, so does every misogynist, many of whom claim no religious affiliation. I don't see xians being more dangerous and destructive than non-xians because the influence of the church is minimal in today's society when compared to the past. There are enough of other types of weapons out there that have nothing to do with religion to enforce female submission. In my view, the media has a far more insidious, long-term, and influential role to play in the way women feel about themselves and in how others view women.

Clearly, religious misogynists do exist, and they make life hell for the women being dominated, but I believe secular misogynists also have a lot of weapons at their disposal to "prove" women's inferiority--including selectively chosen religious passages. So, while they may not be religious, they use religion as a justification for their beliefs. This is the same as selectively quoting stats that are flawed, and that seek to prove women's lower place in society. I just think it's important to recognize that xians don't have a monopoly on that, that many people in religion dismiss this way of thinking, and that other religions are far more corrupt in their view on women than is xianity. I'm not dismissing this connection--I just don't feel it's as influential as many other justifications for hating women.

EDIT: ohwhatafeeling (what a rush...)
hatred and religion are not mutually exclusive terms. There's an awful lot of discussion about hatred in religious texts, and religion is the source of a great many social problems and hatreds.

Robinson: I've been using xian for years now. I started because people have no problem with xmas, so it's an acceptable short form, in my view.

CRK: You suggest that feminists and religious groups should work together. In fact, many do. The issue here is that feminism is not one entity--it is a whole bunch of entities, all of them with different approaches and points of focus. Not all feminist groups are against porn, and not all feminist groups are against religion. There are any number of feminisms that have splintered from the original feminist movements. Religious groups are the same. So, some groups can align, while some will never agree. When things like gay marriage are being discussed, there is likely to be dissention between the groups--but that depends on the kinds of feminists, and the kinds of religions being discussed.

Answer 2

Yes. That's the way I was raised and what I tried to escape and what I'm surrounded with. They are not affected by feminism at all. In fact I think they secretly like it. It gives them a fake enemy to rally against. It helps them in their cause to turn women against each other with terminology. I wonder what would happen if those women actually read the Bible or had to live exactly like it says? If they could stop denying their property status under religion? I also wonder what would happen if religious causes and feminist causes were combined. For example, both are against porn. Wouldn't that be a powerful force? A combined task force of feminists and religious people to wipe out porn.
I digress. Your term is new but the people are what I have to live with every day. And the progress we've made as Americans gets rolled back with huge waves of very traditional Mexican (Catholic) immigration. It's not against them as a race. I'm just noticing that the general surrounding community that was very progressive seems to be getting more sexist again.

Answer 3

Haven't heard the term, but the man is easily recognised - quotes the bible and dominates his family. The character is almost single-handedly responsible for all the intellectual feminists*. The only method of beating this specimen in argument is to study Theology and read the old testament carefully. The CofEs are often daughter molesters; the RCs molest altar boys.

Answer 4

What the hell is up with all this "Xian" ****?!

Can't you just say "Christian?" Or is that the word of the devil or something?

In any event, yes, I have seen/heard people who act in that manner. I have also seen/heard supposed feminists who act in that matter.

Let's face it- both feminism and Christianity have some pretty high standards to adhere to, and very few people can successfully pull them off. Like Girly said, it's the people, not the doctrine, that is the problem.

Answer 5

I'm very familiar with this concept. This is a true threat to women who date men who are very religious. Fundies are certainly not all this way, and some of them are still kind to their wives, even though they have these beliefs. But, fundies have the bible backing them up, so there's no discussion.

Answer 6

This article only dictates the same hypocrisies I notice among some modern feminists.

Why do the actions of some dictate ideology for all?

Just as misandry is anti-feminist in nature, as is benevolent sexism, so is misogyny and superiority inherently anti-christian.

Please everyone, study the ideologies, not the people who practice them, people are not infallible.

EDIT: the same way some women attempt to pass off double standards and misandry as feminism, this man is attempting to pass off his superiority complex as christian.

Remember it is the man who is wrong, not the faith, just as it is the woman who is wrong who commits these absurdities not feminism.

Side note: Christ was a liberal.

Thumbs down me all you like, but you are focusing on the atrocities of people, not the doctrines themselves

Edit to teeleecee: actually many Christians are offended by the term "x-mas" it's an attempt to secularize a holy holiday, (well aware of the gross irony of yule)

Answer 7

Yes, I've heard the term since I've read the article previously about religious misogynists. I grew up in a fundy-christian family. My father was the minister of the church I was forced to attend. He was a real fire and brimstone type of guy. He was type IV, he was violent, sexist, homophobic, racist and anti-Semitic. He used the church community and the bible to try to force his family to do what he demanded of them. Everyone thought he was such a "great" guy, since he visited shut-in's, the ill, the dying, etc. The community thought he was a saint. Back home he beat the crap out of his kids whenever he felt like it, there didn't have to be a reason. He told his kids we were stupid, worthless, and wouldn't amount to anything. A real sweetheart. It's taken me years not to totally despise christians and to separate the believers; from the church institution itself, the bible and from the crazy, hateful christians who use their faith and church as a weapon to abuse their families and communities.

After I recovered from some of the child abuse, I realized I had a great deal of rage towards the fundy church that had backed up my father's abuse of his family--he often had religious leaders in his church "counsel" anyone who disagreed with him. I was counseled quite a few times until I learned to keep my mouth shut until I could get away from him.

A book that was helpful to me was "When God Becomes A Drug", Breaking the Chains of Religious Addiction & Abuse, by Father Leo Booth. It's old (1991), but it was quite a validation at the time, since it was still hard to believe at that time that religious leaders would ever abuse their own families. Guess who you're usually told to talk to when you have a serious personal problem? I have a couple of other friends who grew up in the same fundy church, and it took a long time for them to recover from the brain-washing.

Answer 8

Men who hate women because they are religious or whatever and probably becoz they couldn't get the girls to love them, seduce them. And maybe also bcoz, they think sex is a sin, probably bcoz they didn't know how to deal with sex So they take the name of god and express hate for anything that is women, anything that is glamour, anything that is sex & excitment of any form,They hate all genre, except religion.Hate seems to be the foundation.How can denial of everything even without the mental ability to understand them or deal with them be called as religious.And whatever better word than a complex one like this religious misogynists, probably the term is used so that the misogynists don't understand its full meaning and will refrain from their religious anger & hate.

Hate & religion its like intelligent ignorance, a contradiction in terms. Either call them religious or call them misogynists and save our kids from being confused with these terms..
Where there is hate there is no religion, where there is religion there cannot be misogynists,A religious misogynist is not a possibility as a matter of fact.He's not religious anymore.I wonder any man who does not realise the greatness of a mother,a woman, is fit to be called as religious. Maybe he thinks women is nothing more than a sex symbol and its unfortunate that we think the mind which is so shallow forgetting the great source of affection that this woman is and the infinite possibiltiies that she is, that he himself does not exist withoutr, this man in such ignorance can in the first place be called religious.I think even an unreligious man who knows nothing but sex & wealth is more religious than him.The term itself is contradictory.

Answer 9

I've never heard the term, but I've met many. The polygamous families you read about practice this to the Nth degree. They believe just as God is the Head of His Church, so should the man be the absolute head of the family. In many cases this resulted in the abuse of wife (wives) and children. Eww.

Gotta love the patriarchy, right?

Answer 10

Not only in Christianity, but in almost all religions and especially the larger ones misogyny is one of the foundations in which belief is constructed..when women and nature are feared...men get creative...


~ Mantis only part troll