To my fellow Christians: do you believe that Biblical Christianity is compatible with modern feminism?

Question

This is just out of curiousity. I thought about this and I'm still not sure on the subject. Do you think Biblical Christianity can be compatible with modern feminism (or even non-modern feminist theory)?

The only thing I can come up with is that the Bible says that men are to love their wives and revere them as much as Christ loved the church.

Answer 1

Good question
I refer you to the passage in Ephesians 5:22-24 which is just before the part you mention in your question. It states that wives should submit to their husbands - - for the husband is the head of the wife. As the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands IN EVERYTHING.
Does that sound like modern feminism or non-modern feminist theory to anyone?
I always viewed my wife as an equal partner. So does that make me a bad Christian? I never felt the need to dominate the marriage. I also do not take the entire bible literally.
Some parts of the bible do NOT translate well into the modern era - at least in America. Women in society were more like property belonging to the men in the Eastern Mediterranean society of biblical times.
I get the impression that Paul - who wrote Ephesians - was not a great lover of women, but I'm not a bible scholar.
The Catholic Church has never treated women as equals to my knowledge. Are there any women in the Catholic priesthood? Any women cardinals or popes? The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church were the ONLY forms of Christianity for the first ~ 1500 years after Christ.

Answer 2

In response to you previous answer, I'm disgusted! As a man, I find it intolerable that the MAN'S world has so cleverly found away to blame women for his sins, while using religion as his justification. It is unfortunate that physical dominance was nature's determinate factor. If physical roles were reversed, i'm not sure how much better women would've done, but we'll never know. Does this make me a feminist? I don't think so; instead, I consider myself a humanist.

In civilized society, we no-longer need to utilize physical dominance. It's time intellectual dominance took its rightful place.

As for the family, your previous answer said: "The disintegration of the family being first and foremost the evidence of the rotten fruit that this decision has put us all under". My eyes tell me a differnent story. I've met a lot more "dead-beat dads" than absent mothers. Not to mention, many children are being raised by grandmothers and mothers. The disintegration of the nuclear family is more a result of selfishness than women's unwillingness to be subserviant to men.

To answer your question, Christianity absolutely contridicts the teaching of feminism. Many feminist will try to re-rationalize their religion. However, I'd advocate moving past man's horrible attempt to explain the unexplained. The Bible should not be read literally. Simply, the Bible cannot be forced to support what we know now; yet, it's a great history book. Use the Bible to gain a better understanding of the evolution of MAN'S thought.

Hopefully the 21st Century will allow us to include women's contribution to development. So far, we're off to a slow start. If your previous answerer has his way, we'll never enjoy the contributions of women. If I were a woman, watch out! My dear, I truely hope that one day your voice is as valued as mine.

"Tell the truth, but tell it slant"

-Emily Dickinson

Answer 3

No, I do not.

I think women are, as you point out, to be revered in their proper biblical place. I believe her curse, from the garden of Eden and beyond, has been to try to usurp the godly authority she was to be under. When God told her her curse would be to 'desire her husband', it did not mean she would walk around wanting him all the time, but that she would desire to rule over him.

God has set up order, and in fact 'disorder' is a really good definition of sin. Women, have bought the lie that the disorder of feminism is good for them, and the result has been chaos ever since. The disintegration of the family being first and foremost the evidence of the rotten fruit that this decision has put us all under.

Answer 4

I have to say that I am for the rights of women but totally against feminism. It is lesbianism in the form of a political/social movement. And in response to that guy up above who said the disintegration of family is due to deadbeat dads is quite misinformed. Men have been "let of the hook" by feminists and sexual liberation that the men don't need to take responsibility for their sexual actions since women can poison their genitals (spermicides), take chemical hormones, scrape out the offending result, or even worse raise the child herself (anything you can do, I can do better is one song I remember hearing).
I have worked in a female dominated profession for many years and witnessed infighting, backstabbing, viciousness, and lying like I had never thought possible (and I have worked many male dominated profession also, so I can make the comparison), all I can say is thank God they don't have the physical strength like buddy up above said, because things would probably be much worse. Don't get me wrong, I'm not so naive to believe that many men aren't troublemaking *******, see current US administration as an example.
Women and men are not equal, that is like comparing apples and oranges, they have different strength's, qualities, weaknesses, and the like, and they need to figure that out and come to terms with it. But I'll be damned to let or respect the feminist movement to guide them in those realizations and conclusions.
Also drop the "what are ya, from the 1950's" battle-cry, its rather tiresome and old, as most of those guys are probably dead by now.

Answer 5

The Early Church Fathers. It appears to me that the Catholic Church is continuing what the Early Church Fathers started. I would like to know if you see anything significantly different. If you are including Protestants, they rejected the priesthood, the sacraments, the doctrine and created new doctrine (sola fide, sola scriptura & eternal salvation). Maybe include the cults that take the name of Jesus Christ, but not the substance (Mormonism, etc.) (Sometime on the Hebrew side OT: Could you look into the Septuagint v. Masoretic texts? I gave someone a list of prophecies and he gave them back stating: "Hebrew texts don't say that." When I checked, it appeared that the problem were the Masoretic texts (Council of Jamnia) and how they are different from the Septuagint's prophecies of Christ. -- I was wondering if different Hebrew texts from the 2nd C forward may account for Jews not seeing Jesus as the Messiah.) --or if you have reading suggestions for me, that would be great. <)))><

Answer 6

I guess it depends on your definition of "feminism". In Christianity, all believers are equal before God.

Gal 3:28 There cannot be Jew nor Greek, there is no slave nor freeman, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

I think if you look at other belief systems and how they treat or regard women, you will see Christianity treats them with more respect and honor. And, if you look at countries which were formed based on Christian principles, they offer women the greatest amount of freedom and do not repress their rights that were given by God.

Answer 7

its hard because modern feminism tends to be little things of God b/c they are 'man' orientated

Answer 8

Sure it is. Regardless of all the Christian organizations , it is still a very personal relationship between one and God.

Answer 9

Yes.

Answer 10

No.