(November 3, 2008 at 10:34 am)jules96 Wrote: I don't know how many of you are women in this forum, but I really get angry about the way that religion has blamed women for various things (Eve caused Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, so from then on, all women would pay for this sin by having menstrual periods and giving birth to babies - definitely severe punishment!) and the way women are supposed to behave and are treated because of religion. Mary Magadeline was a prostitue, etc.
First of all let me just say that it is, more often than not, true that religion abuses and misrepresents its position in order to keep women down. It also will tend to do this with race, sexuality and children. There should be a distinction between this abuse and religion itself, and the Bible's having been misrepresented itself regarding the matter due to that abuse.
The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil, not that money itself is evil. Religion is like that. As much as I personally loath religion I know that people screws religion up more than religion screws people up.
Mary Magdalene wasn't a prostitute, and I suppose that is what you meant by including her in examples of women being treated poorly over time by religion?
Lets just consider women in the Bible. The Hebrew term for woman is ishshah which literally means a female man and it can also be rendered as wife. The Greek gyneis is the same. Eve wasn't created to be simply a helpmate, but a compliment and companion to Adam.
They were prophetesses like Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Noadiah Nehemiah 4:16), Anna (Luke 2:36), as well as prophetess and Judge like Deborah (Judges 4:4) and teachers Psalm 68:11 / Titus 2:3 - 5).
Women were crucial in spreading the good news as disciples, though some belittle women and their part because the man (husband) is head of the woman (wife) but this is primarily due to abuse and misrepresentation mentioned earlier.
Here is the way it works. Jehovah is the head of Christ, and Christ is head over the man (of the congregation), husband is head of the wife. This doesn't mean beneath one or the other in an abusive or disrespectful way. (1 Corinthians 11:3 / Ephesians 5:33)
