Lady Wisdom : The Power Of God

Throughout history men have been leading the battles, conquering worlds, discovering new lands, but behind every good man is a good woman! So, as I read this week, I learned an enormous amount of information about the diversity of the different roles women play according to where they might live or what era they grew up in. I will address the rights that women had, how they are viewed in society, the comparison between these women and the ones from the New Testament, the evidence to support my claim.

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

“Origins have therefore become important to some feminist scholars, especially those of faith, in a rather distinctive way, as they have sought to bring to light—and , in some cases, discover—evidence for the ways in which the Christian tradition has in at least some of its roots an equal place for women” (Shaw, 2004). The place of women—and, indeed, men—in the early Churches is a historical subject which is seen to have relevance to individuals and the Churches today: while Churches are still debating the validity of the ordination of women, and even the extent to which laywomen can participate in the worship and ministry of the Church, it is not possible to shy away from this.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. - Matthew 6:9. The idea of “God the father” is one that is rooted deep in our society predominantly the ways in which it rejoices men. The almighty all and powerful God is outlined as a male figure in the bible, constructed using almost entirely masculine language. This simple fact has provoked men to assume the position of authority, to oversee over his family. This simple fact leads to an imbalance of power between men and women subconsciously oppressing women within our society. In Mary Daly’s “After the Death of God the Father,” Mary explains how the Judeo-Christian culture has served to bring structure to a sexually imbalanced man driven culture." This male-controlled society has its establishments in the most discernible parts of Christianity.” Mary’s work is a continuation of what is known as “The women's liberation movement” furthering the conversation of societies hold on a woman and bringing change. In this critical evaluation of Mary Daly's work, I will discuss the thesis and argument of the reading, along with an analysis of its assumptions and implications.

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

As there is much debate about the role of women in the church, I believe that we should, as in all circumstances, rely on the Word of God to instruct us as to God 's will. In many religious circles, this is a hot-button subject and everyone will not easily accept this teaching. Nevertheless, because it has become a church dividing issue, it demands an appropriate review.

In Saiving’s article, The Human Situation: A Feminist View, she exemplifies the issues of viewing religion through a male-only lens. Saiving brings to light what oversights are made to women’s issues when theology is only focused on the male perspective. In Plaskow’s article, Setting the Problem, Laying the Ground, she similarly points out problems she finds in the male perspective of theology and how we should fix them. Both authors focus a great deal on unearthing women’s experiences and valuing women has fully human, rather than simple objects in men’ narratives.

Thousands of years ago, the Goddess was viewed as an autonomous entity worthy of respect from men and women alike. Because of societal changes caused by Eastern influence, a patriarchical system conquered all aspects of life including religion. Today, the loss of a strong female presence in Judeo-Christian beliefs has prompted believers to look to other sources that celebrate the role of women. Goddess religion and feminist spirituality have increasingly been embraced by men and women as an alternative to the patriarchy found in traditional biblical religion.

Since the dawn of the Patriarchy there has been a very apparent attack on women and what it means to be a woman (Daly 44-45). This popular theory of misogyny in the Western world first surfaced in 1973 when radical feminist Mary Daly published “Beyond God and the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation (Daly 44-45).” Within the pages of Daly’s book lies controversial attacks of biblical text, more specifically the story of Adam of Eve alongside a call for action for women and men to undo the brainwashing that years of conditioning has caused them (Daly 44-45).

According to Christian Scripture, women are presented as equal to men. This essay will show that the Christian Scriptures routinely outline parallel expectations for both genders, that the content of these expectations fail to promote one gender as superior to the other, and that the equality of men and women is made possible because of a common identity in Jesus Christ.

This class taught me through the Bible that women are not inferior to men, but have a different role to play in the churches, household, and in the society, thus making them equal and complementary to men. Throughout this essay, I’ll provide personal bias concerning the women in the Bible, analyze two women and compare their backgrounds. Then, I’ll link their lives and stories to modern issues and examine them. II/ Personal Bias Prior to this course, I believed that the Bible was anti - female. As a reader at church, I noticed that the scripture often uses the gender male to refer to God.

Gender roles, and the mere existence of a gender binary, has been a recent topic of conversation for many churches, theologians, and individual believers. As the cultural pressure to remove gender-specific limitations builds, many of those aforementioned have turned to scripture for answers. Seldom are women’s roles in the Old Testament characterized by decision making or personal merits. Rather, a woman’s capacity to produce an heir for their husband complements his dominance and responsible faithfulness and allows God’s plan to be fulfilled through their combined efforts. In the New Testament, through the transformative power of Christ, prominent women became less of an anomaly, but were still held to a different set of standards and expectations than men and were usually still praised according to their actions and their faith. The Pauline epistles, written in the context in which the Church still exists today: the age to come, provide a basis for today’s understanding of women’s roles in marriage and in church leadership. Although there are many instances of women fulfilling God’s plans and proving their worth among the community of Christians, the biblically normative role of women is to avoid authoritative church leadership positions and remain submissive in situations of teaching and interpreting the Word.

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)

of god when they are mothers but this is used to control them and they

According to Proverb 31, the qualities of a woman is “one who her husband trust, does good not evil, seeks wool and flax, works with her hands, rises while it is night, seeks food from afar, provide food for the household, plants a vineyard from her profits, her lamps does not go out by night, help others, her household is clothed, helps the poor, her husband is known in the gates, her clothing is fine lining and purple, makes garments and sell them, strength and honor are her clothing, her tongue is the law of kindness, opens her mouth with wisdom, does not eat the bread of idleness, her children call her blessed, excel in everything and fears the Lord”. In comparison to both women perspectives on the book of proverb, they both agree that women can help others, give advices from a parent to a son or target audiences who are young, foolish, ignorant and in need of instruction and teaching, proverb is an acrostic poem that draws a portrait of a virtuous wife who works round the clock, keeps her family, commercially active and wise, charitable, a source of praise and comfort for her sons and husband, and it elaborates the roles of a legitimate wife and mother over against illicit sexual ties. In contrast, Melanie Chitwood is saying that the book of proverb shows an example of a Godly woman. A woman who appreciates the fact that women are not just unattainable ideal but a worthy goal. She said that the book of proverb “provides us with an example of the kind of Godly