The Bible Promotes inequality? Bible being unfair to women?

[Kofi]

I don't know but i think the Bible is being somehow unfair to women. the Bible promotes supremacy of man to the point that a woman has no say. I remember i asked this question in a Sunday school lesson but i did not get any good answer. do you think the Bible is being unfair to women? for example when the Bible says that Jesus fed 5000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fishes, the Bible is just referring to 5000 men excluding women. when the Bible says 10000 children of Israel died, the Bible is just referring to 10000 men excluding women and children. I think the Bible is not the only holy book doing this to women. I think the holy Quran is somehow worse. A Muslim man can marry as many wives as he wish but a Muslim woman can have just one husband and will remain a widow when the husband dies. Even at the mosque, women are not supposed to worship together with men. A woman cannot become "Imam" in Islam and a woman cannot perform "Azan" do you think these holy books are being somehow unfair to women?

The Bible and the Quran were written by men and so don't expect to find no errors. the Bible and the Quran to me are just guidelines to enable us follow what is right but since they were written by men, i don't take them to be perfect since no man is perfect. they Both make mistakes and a reader has to be careful when reading these books. You must always use your common sense where the Bible and the Quran tend to make things rather difficult. I am not saying that the Bible and the Quran are not good books but calling them "Holy" is rather exageration. they are good but just watch out anytime you begin reading them.

[trekjunkie]

I think you would be interested in watching some of the documentaries on the History channel (if you have it) about the Bible and its perceptions of women. The Bible was written during a time where men ruled the world and women were totally submissive. Any women that stepped out of these lines were deemed a prostitute or jezebel and no other woman would stand up for her for fear of being called the same things and disgracing her family.

Sometimes I wondered if times have truly changed.

I don't think the Bible promotes inequality on purpose, but as BBen stated, it was written by men and therefore will put women in the dark or in roles that are only suited for them. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't read the Bible or the Quran or any other religious text for that matter, but perhaps not to take every word literally and only take the message from it which is to love one another, do good deeds and all that jazz hehe.

[cognitive]

The Bible offers an explication what for women are not given the same position as it is given to men , because Eve was the one who was tempted in Eden and not Adam .I think that what has really happened there in Eden is a mystery which we 're not going to completely understand ever in this life.
Then, in the Bible is written that because of their weaknesses were men given the right to have more than one wife in the past , so that favor actually make them to look bad .

[DigESource]

The Bible, originally, was a collection of initiatory rights for students of higher truths.

These initiatory rights were the property of ancient schools of higher thought that guarded knowledge of CREATION MANAGEMENT. Students of these schools were BOTH men and women throughout history. These students would travel the world, after they were initiated with the knowledge, and then impart the knowledge to those that they could discern would wisely use it, and then pass it on as they did. Those with this knowledge, and having little wisdom, could do great harm to civilization. So the knowledge was hidden as secrets in these great schools of higher thought, and passed on to only a handful of people with genuine hearts.

The Male/Female references in the Bible are the Masculine/Feminine principles of creation taught in these higher schools. You can learn more about these principles by studying the Kybalion (THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER). Simply do a search for the word "Kybalion" and you will find the book that explains the principle.

Only men have foolishly interpreted the Bible's reference to Male/Female to mean that Men are somehow superior to Women. In truth, no such reality exists, except in the minds of foolish men AND women. I say Women also, because many Women throughout history were very comfortable in the roles that protected them and provided for them. So there were many benefits that women enjoyed than men did not, such as the closeness with children that women have come know well, and the security of staying at home in a safe place away from the dangers of the world, and not having to do many of the very difficult hard labors that men endure, including building houses, hunting for food, negotiating deals and situations with other people away from home, and sacrificing their lives to keep the family safe.

This is NOT to say that women did not earn their way, or their right to have these benefits, because they DID EARN it. It has simply been a cultural trade off that men and women did for each other in order to enjoy the kinds of lives they had. Since women have desired to change their role around a bit and get into the other affairs of life, men have also had to change to accommodate that. All of this is ok because it is an equal exchange of roles with a variety if different roles now in this day and age.

Now Men are starting to see the wonder and beauty of their precious little children like women have known for so long. Personally for me, it has been truly the greatest experience I know to date, to look into a child's eye's and see the light of God. To see that innocent little being looking out onto the new world they find themselves in, and their adorable movements and antics of play as they start learning about life. It has moved me very deeply as a Father. There is no greater experience I know than to hold a precious little baby in my arms. NONE! Many Men have missed out on this for a long time, but notice I did not say ALL men. Just like certain independent women throughout history struggling for equality, likewise there have been men who enjoyed the more meaning full parts of family lives like women have.

It's always been some kind of a tradeoff.

[Kofi]

great post DigEsource. "In truth, no such reality exists, except in the minds of foolish men AND women" that is very true. We are all images of God so God could be a female too. We consider God a male figure because of what society teaches us. God is omnipotent because He is not bounded by anything. God is not bounded by gender nor color. If we are the images of God then where from that gender barrier? society planted that barrier and sometimes we transfer that barrier into the Bible which is very sad.

[loveafrica]

I enjoyed this great thread for learning something new, especially DGE's post. Will look up Kybalion. Wondering whether the jealous god of Old testament is the God of Moses? Is it Abraham or YHWY (not sure I am spelling right)?

I am a Buddhist and it is one of the most liberal religion, if it could be called that. Yet many Buddhist traditions until recently did not acknowledge women's right to ordain as nuns and teach. Also I am not sure while Knowledge needed to be gaurded from unwise. Wonder how much power, control over others and politics played into this under patriarchy? Equating father with heaven and mother with earth led to degradation of both women and earth ecology. Never understood why eve was banished from eden and was responsible for downfall of adam for eating the forbidden fruit of 'knowledge'?

Peace