Analysis Of Ezer Kenegdo: Helper Or Strength

Throughout my selected text, Johnson focuses on the church along with the subsequent androcentric image of God, and how it impacts woman around the world. She explains that throughout history, with the help of the church’s patriarchal nature and society’s values as a whole, woman have been seen “as a ‘defective male’…that must live in obedience to her [male counterpart,]…[ and who are often also referred to as the] ‘second sex’” (Johnson 92). This

To begin with, she pointed out examples of how women are treated unfairly in society. She began to point out several double standards. The wife states, “about accused Lamech’s bigamy? Abraham was a holy man I know, And as I understand it Jacob also; And each of them had wives now, more than one, as many other holy men have done.” (61-65) Here, she shows that there is truly a double standard for women who behave in an exact manner as men.

“I don't see what sort of help woman was created to provide man with, if one excludes procreation. If woman is not given to man for help in bearing children, for what help could she be?” The outlook is pretty bleak for our Villanovan Brothers’ namesake. A fine example of stereotypical Christian misogyny – women solely in existence for childbearing. Our modern society would be appalled by such a critique, with _________

Some believed that God deliberately made women inferior to men, which was evident in the Bible. The General Association of Massachusetts issued a Pastoral Letter which stated, “the appropriate duties and influence of woman are clearly stated in the New Testament. Those duties are unobtrusive and private, but the source of mighty power. When the mild, dependent, softening influence of woman upon the sternness of man’s opinions if fully exercised, society feels the effects of it in a thousand forms.” Women are supposed to handle domestic affairs. God made women soft and mild to balance out the strong nature of men. This balanced relationship keeps society in check. When a woman becomes independent, “she yields the power which God has given her for protection, and her character becomes unnatural. If the vine, whose strength and beauty is to lean upon the trellis-work, and conceal its clusters, thinks to assume the independence and the overshadowing nature of the elm, it will not only cease to bear fruit, but will fall in shame and dishonor into the dust.” A woman is like a vine; a vine without support will fall and will become unfruitful. A woman who is independent will be shamed by society and will become unsuccessful. God made women to depend on man. If a woman does not comply, she will fail. Some people believed that God intentionally made women weaker

With few exceptions, our male dominated society has traditionally feared, repressed, and stymied the growth of women. As exemplified in history, man has always enjoyed a superior position. According to Genesis in the Old Testament, the fact that man was created first has led to the perception that man should rule. However, since woman was created from man’s rib, there is a strong argument that woman was meant to work along side with man as an equal partner. As James Weldon Johnson’s poem, “Behold de Rib,” clearly illustrates, if God had intended for woman to be dominated, then she would have been created from a bone in the foot, but “he

However, though Stott acknowledges the reality of female oppression he also argues that our response to the abuse to complementarianism is not too go to the other extreme but to rather determine what a faithful and biblical understanding of complementarianism is. Stott argues that Christianity from the days of the Old Testament has challenged the cultural view of women in which it has existed. With books like Esther and Ruth and heroes of Israel being women and men, the old testament unashamedly saw the equality of women. We also see the affirmation of women in Jesus ministry on earth and in Galatians 3:24 which speaks boldly to the equality of both male and female.

•Christianity: Views of women differed greatly among Christian faith, ranging from traditionalist views "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord {Ephesians 5:22}," to a more modern view, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. {Galatians 3:28}." To summarize, males and females are equal spiritually, as they are in God's eyes. Socially, they are treated differently due to different genetic and biological factors. ​

The first topic I will touch on is gender roles. Similarly, to answer one, this topic can be argued from both perspectives. For those that oppose strict gender roles, it is said that adhering to strict gender roles can cause a relationship to be bound by repression and manipulation (Evans 2016). Rachel Evans argues that if couples adhere to following strict roles, they will inhibit honest communication. Evans entire argument centers around refuting author John Piper, who believe women should be completely submissive and forbids them from saying “lets” with their husbands, out of fear of manipulation. Evans writes that we shouldn’t “try to force first century societal norms onto modern-day marriages”. The rules of the Old Testament are from a patriarchal society. Our society today is no longer like that, so it only follows that women shouldn’t be as submissive. Women today have more power than those in ancient times. Evans argues that if both parties look to the example of Jesus, decisions can be made together, with mutual humility, gentleness

Unfortunately, in this case, the Bible oppresses women by limiting them to remain in their household. Hence, Atwood is stunned that the Bible even enforces such a discriminatory idea; she refers this imposition as “evil”, evidently indicating that she defies the Bible’s principles as well as illustrating herself as a feminist.

Feminist reading of the text is an approach to the Bible that honours women’s experience as an interpretive lens. This method focuses on elements that contribute to violence toward women and their alienation, oppression, and disempowerment.

The Bible is controversial on the matter of gender equality. There are numerous contradictions about the status of women in Christian society. Historically, the most prominent interpretation has been rather negative toward women. The Christian Church, with principally male authority, emphasizes the idea that women are inferior to man. They focus on Eve’s sin leading to a punishment that “her husband will have authority over her.” (Drury, 34)

Upon losing the election to become the 45th president of the United States, Hillary Clinton gave a concession speech and told “all the little girls who are watching this...never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and to achieve your own dreams” (Clinton). While Candidate Hillary Clinton said these girls are “deserving of every chance,” our society may prove otherwise. Although women today are no longer denied basic rights such as voting, our patriarchal society still sets up barriers, which limit a woman’s ability to be considered equal to a man. Here, “equal” would be defined as being perceived in the same light for equal opportunities and outcomes. Similarly, Christian women today are not limited in the same ways they were in early Christianity; however, the Bible still presents women in subalternate roles, compared to men. In American society today, there are double standards in the way men and women are perceived that date back to “traditional” Biblical expectations of women being subservient to men.

The rigidity of gender norms and gender roles is analogous to those in the New Testament and provides insight on how the society present in the story uses religion to present women as a monolith. Due to biblical expectations, women are constrained from making autonomous decisions, thus forcing them to follow a moral code. In the bible, women are groomed to become child bearers and “pure” wives (Titus 2:4-5), an idea shared in the book. This promotes them as having no sense of self-ownership, which objectifies them as characteristics, not humans with nuanced emotions nor ideals. An example of this is Purisima del Carmen. After she got married, Purisima’s teaching career ended quickly because of

In fact, the discussion on the ordination of women in the church is a worldwide issue because there are many Protestant denominations as well as the Catholic Church which have excluded women from ordination. The opponents of the leadership demonstrated by women in the church have pointed out three representative texts in the Bible as their rationales: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, 14-34-35, and 1 Timothy 2:8-15. In this regard, some advocates of women ordination accuse the objectors of sexual discrimination. However, the dissenters’ real problem is not just their way to understand gender but their biased way to interpret and apply the Bible to our context. Thus, as a defender of women ordination, I will articulate what the scripture truly speaks to us about this issue, counteract the opponents’ criticism based on reasoned analysis of the Bible, and

One of the most debated issues in the church is whether women can be pastors or elders in the church. The egalitarian view is one in which women can lead, teach, preach, and be pastors of the local church. There is also no roles defined in the family for husband and wife according to this view. The wife can be the head of the home and is equal or superior to her husband. Aida Besancon Spencer, a minister in the Presbyterian Church writes, “God created woman to be ‘in front of’ or ‘visible’ to Adam, which would symbolize equality in all respects. Even more, one can argue that the female is the helper who rules over the one she helps!” The egalitarian view sees no distinction in roles between husband and wife, and leadership within the church for the male or female.