"Women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says." (1 Corinthians 14:34)
Why in the world would that be?
If the Bible really is the word of God, why would he say such arrogant and discriminatory things against women?
"If any man takes a wife, and goes in on her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, 'I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin..." (Deuteronomy 22:13,14)
"But if ... evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones..." (Deuteronomy 22:20,21)
So, God tells us to murder women who don't obey us?
How is that ethical?
Is this really the true words of God?
If they are, how come people are selective and only chose some parts of the Bible to listen to...?
2007-12-13 08:51:42 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
If my words really are out of context, show me the wrong that I have caused and paste your entire quotes of those passages.
I doubt it will make it seem any better.
2007-12-13 09:01:04 · update #1
It's called "cherry-picking"... it's something priests, pastors, and preachers are excellent at. They only read the parts they want us to believe and leave the nasty parts out.
And atheists are considered "ignorant" for not being able to "understand" what the bible is saying, even though someone very studiously translated it into the language we are currently using.
What rubbish. We understand it better than they do.
2007-12-13 08:56:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 10⤊ 2⤋
The Bible is the word of God impressed by Him, but written by very human writers. Paul who made the first statements, was speaking from the culture at his time.
God does care about women, and their plights: I love the story of Queen Esther, being used to save an entire nation in the face of duplicity and death decrees.
And He used Deborah (a judge) to lead an army---she gave the general the option, and he backed down even tho' she warned him that victory will be that of a 'woman', which was a hard thing for the oriental 'machismo' of the time. And in that battle, the opposing general was killed by the woman Jael, using a tent peg to hammer into his head. So the victory was a woman's.
He used Rahab who was probably a madam of a house of prostitution in Jericho, to save the spies, and she is mentioned in the line of Jesus...of all things. Usually mens names are mentioned in the Geneology of the time, but Rahab is listed.
God cared about Hannah who was childless, and having to endure the ridicule of the other wife. Thats what delights me about our God--He uses the last, the least and the lost, among those sometimes are WOMEN.
Jesus' best friends were Mary and Martha, and their brother of course. With His feminine side very intact (He learned from the Father about kindness and gentleness) He appreciated women for the loveliness and contrast to mens roughness, and the strength that they can possess!
And when He created Eve, He did not make her of the leg bone or the head bone, or anything but the rib of Adam---signifying that they were to walk side by side, in equality.
Those verses in Deuteronomy were laws set up for a Godly nation that had just come out of bondage in a pagan country, and they needed specific guidelines to deal with the possible issues that may come up. Those punishments like now, were meant to be deterrants to bad behaviour. And adultery is one of the 10 commandments. But you know, a loving God also provided for peoples change of hearts (even tho' one doing the crime has to do the time) and situated the cities of refuge. From what I have read and experienced, He is a compassionate God, and not wanting that any should suffer!
2007-12-13 09:13:58 · answer #2 · answered by Jeanne babe 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is said Men and Women have taken turns being in power on our world. The same with all the Races. But due to the nature of our material world, we can only do it one at a time. This is to teach us to learn to use power wisely. But of course, many don't.
In Paul's day, there may have been a reason for what he said. Some Karmic, making up for past wrongs thing. As it is said there was once an Amazon Society of Women. And they killed the male children, and only kept enough for breeders and slaves.
Many of the struggles we go through TODAY are Karmic in nature. But we also make choices in the HERE and NOW. What will We choose. To hate over the past. Or build a better future!
2007-12-13 09:01:04 · answer #3 · answered by THE NEXT LEVEL 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
These are words written by men. The bible is a book written by men in a time when women were seen as nothing but property. It really scares me that there are people that believe these words are the "true words of god"! You're trying to make sense of a book of nonsense. People will always use this book to justify things like war, death, and judgment.
2007-12-13 09:11:57 · answer #4 · answered by Tongue-fu 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The Bible is merely a collection of Bronze age and Iron age, documents, recording the myths, legends and laws of an obscure desert people. It is certainly not the word of God whatever anyone means by God.
More over it is completely barbarous and misogynistic and most of it flies in the face of common sense..
Before anyone accuses me of not having read the said book. I taught Sunday school for three years and I have a BA in Ancient history and a Masters in Ancient Philosophy and Myth. believe me I have read the book several times and studied it at academic level.
2007-12-13 09:08:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Gee. Christians would have me believe that 'stoning' is an Islamic thing.
Glad we don't live under religious law.
elain30.... I like that you are a nice person and like most good people abhor things like stoning. Never-the-less, the OT is still God's word. It is a part of the Christian world.
2007-12-13 08:59:42 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
The Old Testament views of women are not valid any longer. Jesus's coming negated all those laws.
In Timothy, men are told to love and cherish women as Christ did the church. Christians are further told to take care of widows and single women.
2007-12-13 09:12:56 · answer #7 · answered by batgirl2good 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Go back to the garden of Eden in Genesis where God says that men and women have different roles. He called Eve a suitable helper, in that he was saying that in marriage men and women have different roles, and that is what Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians. He was using God's marital example in Genesis to tell the Corinthians how to run their church. I now that a humans we often think that different roles make you less of a person, but that's not true. God gave us different roles for his purpose, I have to admit sometimes I don't get it. But that is what makes God so wondrous.
2007-12-13 09:02:22 · answer #8 · answered by Scribe63 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Most religions have been written by men, and have been geared to show women in a subserviant roll..
Nothing to do with god just mans idea..!!
2007-12-13 09:00:24 · answer #9 · answered by Terry M 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
That's a Lie
He cared about Esther, Mary, and Ruth. There are plenty of many other women in the Bible that He cared about and they did great things.
2007-12-13 08:59:35 · answer #10 · answered by Andi 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋