Sexism in the Bible

[Rose]

Sexism in the Bible

The topic of sexism in the Bible is one that needs to be explored from an angle that I think has been neglected to a large degree. Most of the focus seems to be on trying to justify, or reason away the bias and sexism that is rampant throughout the Bible in order to try and give women equal standing. As I have done in many of my articles on biblical male bias, I am going to once again explore how Scripture is written from the mentality of the primitive male mindset that is focused on domination and control, and expose how that 'thought pattern' is mapped onto the biblegod, Yahweh. My objective is not to slander the Christian religion, but rather to accurately show that the Bible is a book written from the minds of men who thought they were inspired by a masculine god they created and named Yahweh. This male-biased structure of the Bible becomes very apparent upon close inspection.

In most primitive societies male domination was a common form of rule, this was no different in the Bronze Age culture of the Bible as is made clear by the composition of its pages. From the very first book of the Bible, sexism rears its ugly head; in the second chapter of Genesis we read how the woman is made from man and for the man, then blamed for introducing sin into the human race, and consequently punished by the biblegod with the declaration that the man will rule over her…this all happens within the span of two chapters, and sets the stage for the entire Bible. Taking a careful look at what transpires in chapters two and three of Genesis one can easily see where the subsequent bias against women was conceived. As one progresses through the Bible, women’s human rights are quickly eroded away to the point of her becoming no more than a man’s property.
In the Bible:

1. Women were considered the property of the man.
2. Women were ruled over by men solely based on their gender.
3. Women do not share equal rights with men.
4. Women are considered inferior to men.
5. Progeny is carried through the loins of the male.
6. The biblegod is portrayed with 'male' attributes.

These six points reveal an overarching sexism in Scripture that should not be ignored or reasoned away. My purpose in exposing this overwhelming male-bias is to bring attention to the negative affect the Bible has had on the lives of countless women and men throughout history. There is no need to reject the Bible completely, only to realize that this ancient book was conceived in the minds of men who thought they were inspired by a male-god they called Yahweh. From the perspective of primitive minds and ancient cultural traditions, men mapped their own misogynistic qualities onto the god they created in their own minds.

The sexism manifest in the Bible has been a huge detriment to the progression of women’s human rights in the world, and has in fact done nothing but hinder the cause of equality. Given all the blatant sexism that the Bible contains along with the many scientific errors, contradictions, immoralities, and outright falsehoods, one begins to wonder what positive use this book could possibly have. One will often hear that Christianity offers equality of gender and race in Christ, but fail to realize exactly what that equality really means. Verses like Galations 3:28 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.' have nothing to do with equality between the genders, but rather are referring to all humans being able to equally participate in salvation. The biblegod clearly lays out the roles that males and females are to have and there is definitely no equality of human rights between those roles. Until each individual realizes the freedom they have to pursue truth outside of the pages of the Bible they will remain trapped in its sexist dogma.


Rose

[CWH]

Rose and her male bias obsession again! Have you taken your medicine Rose?

Come challenge me any passage on male bias and I can tell you that there is no male bias; just your false interpretation. Many of the passages of the presumed male bias have been debated before but fall on deaf ears.

All these are false assumptions which are created by men, it has nothing to do with male bias:

Women were considered the property of the man.
Women were ruled over by men solely based on their gender.
Women do not share equal rights with men.
Women are considered inferior to men.
Progeny is carried through the loins of the male.
The biblegod is portrayed with 'male' attributes.

God Blessed.

[Rose]

Rose and her male bias obsession again! Have you taken your medicine Rose?

Come challenge me any passage on male bias and I can tell you that there is no male bias; just your false interpretation. Many of the passages of the presumed male bias have been debated before but fall on deaf ears.

All these are false assumptions which are created by men, it has nothing to do with male bias:



God Blessed.

Your degrading words only show your ignorance when it comes to sexism in the Bible. I have presented and excellent case for my claim of Male bias in the Bible but you refuse to accept it because you are unwilling to see that the misogynistic biblegod you believe in was made up by Bronze Age men. Over and over again I have told you that the reason we know that the biblegod is made up by men is because this masculine tribal god perfectly matches the mentality of the men who lived in that period of time and wrote the Scriptures.

Rose

[CWH]

Your degrading words only show your ignorance when it comes to sexism in the Bible. I have presented and excellent case for my claim of Male bias in the Bible but you refuse to accept it because you are unwilling to see that the misogynistic biblegod you believe in was made up by Bronze Age men. Over and over again I have told you that the reason we know that the biblegod is made up by men is because this masculine tribal god perfectly matches the mentality of the men who lived in that period of time and wrote the Scriptures.

Rose

if you are game enough to meet my challenge, I will come up with a thread call "CWH Challenge: What Male Bias?" in which I will input my stand that there are no male bias in all these biblical passages. You may refute or support as you like and all are welcome to participate in the discussions. If the passages were already discussed before, I may just skipped them with a reference link to the old discussions. And if the topic has been deviated, I will abruptly put in a new passage regarding the supposed male bias in question. Of course, you may come up with your perceived male bias passages for discussion as well. Are you game or you want to cow out?

May God Bless Everybody.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

if you are game enough to meet my challenge, I will come up with a thread call "CWH Challenge: What Male Bias?" in which I will input my stand that there are no male bias in all these biblical passages. You may refute or support as you like and all are welcome to participate in the discussions. If the passages were already discussed before, I may just skipped them with a reference link to the old discussions. And if the topic has been deviated, I will abruptly put in a new passage regarding the supposed male bias in question. Of course, you may come up with your perceived male bias passages for discussion as well. Are you game or you want to cow out?

May God Bless Everybody.

Wouldn't it be better if you just gave your responses to the claims Rose has made? You don't need to make yet another thread on this topic.

For example, the Bible explicitly places the monetary value of females as one half that of males. How is that not biased?

Leviticus 27:5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

Likewise, a women was "unclean" twice as long when giving birth to a female rather than a male child:

Leviticus 12:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. 3 'And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 'She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. 5 'But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.

Now I've noticed that you typically change the topic and then claim that you have refuted the male bias when in fact you did not. I don't understand why you do this since it is plain to anyone who reads your posts. I think it would be great if you would choose to deal with what the Bible actually states.

[CWH]

[QUOTE]

Wouldn't it be better if you just gave your responses to the claims Rose has made? You don't need to make yet another thread on this topic.

For example, the Bible explicitly places the monetary value of females as one half that of males. How is that not biased?

Leviticus 27:5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

What Male Bias? It is equal work for equal pay. A male has to do laborious work which may earn more "profits" than a female of those times whose work was mainly housewife and looking after the children. A male was also paid "risk" allowance" for the hazards that he may faced in life such as going to war.

Likewise, a women was "unclean" twice as long when giving birth to a female rather than a male child:[INDENT]Leviticus 12:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. 3 'And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 'She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. 5 'But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.

What male bias? This is to allow more post-natal care for the female infant so that there is more chance for survival.

God Blessed.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

For example, the Bible explicitly places the monetary value of females as one half that of males. How is that not biased?

Leviticus 27:5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

What Male Bias? It is equal work for equal pay. A male has to do laborious work which may earn more "profits" than a female of those times whose work was mainly housewife and looking after the children. A male was also paid "risk" allowance" for the hazards that he may faced in life such as going to war.

Why do you say such absurdities? That verse is not talking about payment for work done! The money was not given to the man as payment for work. This is so typical of your responses. They are utterly absurd and have nothing to do with the text, and there is not one commentator on the planet who would agree with you. You just make up junk and post it as if you don't care at all about truth. It blows my mind.

Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 "Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all." 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

See that? The WOMEN DOES ALL THE WORK while her husband sits among the other male elders who rule over the women.

And besides, your comment is also false because women do most of the hard labor raising the kids, cooking, washing clothes, maintaining the home and cleaning up after the husband while he "sits in the gates" all day with his fellow ruling class men.

And on top of all that, you implicitly admitted there is a male bias when you made up an reason for it!

Likewise, a women was "unclean" twice as long when giving birth to a female rather than a male child:[INDENT]Leviticus 12:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. 3 'And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 'She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. 5 'But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.

What male bias? This is to allow more post-natal care for the female infant so that there is more chance for survival.

BULLSHIT!

[CWH]

[QUOTE]

Why do you say such absurdities? That verse is not talking about payment for work done! The money was not given to the man as payment for work. This is so typical of your responses. They are utterly absurd and have nothing to do with the text, and there is not one commentator on the planet who would agree with you. You just make up junk and post it as if you don't care at all about truth. It blows my mind.
[

What Male Bias? There is no absurdities. I am just trying to prove the reason why male is worth more than female does not shows male bias at all. The age limit from 5 to 20 years is the prime of their productive life if they are for sale. If my car is worth more than Rose's car, is that male bias?

INDENT]Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 "Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all." 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates. [/INDENT]
See that? The WOMEN DOES ALL THE WORK while her husband sits among the other male elders who rule over the women.

And besides, your comment is also false because women do most of the hard labor raising the kids, cooking, washing clothes, maintaining the home and cleaning up after the husband while he "sits in the gates" all day with his fellow ruling class men.

And on top of all that, you implicitly admitted there is a male bias when you made up an reason for it!

What male bias? So male men just sat at the gate doing nothing but drinking, sex and talking cock?....Go and read the Bible to find out for yourself what they were doing at the gates. Hint: refer to Job, sitting at the gate among the elders is like sitting at the courthouse in olden days. For every sucessful women, there is a man, and for every successful man there is a woman....Now think who did the animal herding and farming? who protects her and the family? who built and maintained the house so that the wife and family can live comfortably? who provides the flax? who protects them? who care for them in their hardship? who provided the medicine? who disciplined the children? who maintained the equipments in the housewhole? who made and maintained the farming tools, cooking wares and sewing equipments? who provides for them food and money? who educates them and taught the laws? who observed the religious rituals? who maintained the vineyard and made wine? who made the lamps? who provides the firewood? who shoveled the snow? who brought the animals and crops for sale in the market? who skinned the lamb for the wool? who milked the cow? who killed the animals and chopped the meat? who made the spindle? who maintained the welfare and work of the maidservant? who did and maintain the merchandise? who did the hunting? who goes to war and fight to defend his country and family? who made the family decisions? who control sand accounts for the finances?

20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 23Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 "Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all." 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

So is a sucessful righteous man who did those things as well. What male bias?

BULLSHIT!

Bullshit is not helpful, you are better than that. What male bias?
:
God Blessed both male and females.

[David M]

Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 "Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all." 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Hello Richard

This quotation from proverbs is exalting women for all that they do and is not showing any bias toward the male; just the opposite. As for men "sitting amongst the elders", that was only one aspect of all men did in those days. Like men have different occupations today. Traditionally men have done certain jobs because of the physical strength required. Men in general have greater strength than women. Traditionally, lorry drivers were all men, but now women drive lorries because they are all power assisted and if a wheel has to be changed, the tyre service companies are called out.

In a marriage the different tasks are shared or divided by mutual agreement. Outside of marriage the woman can do whatever she is capable of doing. Most women expected to get married and have children and do what all that entails. Some women might have wanted to remain single and do what they wanted to and they would have had to compete with men which would have been difficult at any time. As women have been made queens and ruled nations, we know that the mind of the woman is equal to the mind of a man. Men did not object to being ruled by a woman.

While there is a male emphasis in the Bible, God is not discriminating against women. Everyone (man and woman) is precious to Him if they believe on Him and that belief translates into doing His will. God is far more concerned about our spiritual lives than what we do physically. There is no distinction between male and female and this is made very clear when associated with Jesus the Christ; "there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:28)

All the best,

David

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Hello Richard

This quotation from proverbs is exalting women for all that they do and is not showing any bias toward the male; just the opposite. As for men "sitting amongst the elders", that was only one aspect of all men did in those days. Like men have different occupations today. Traditionally men have done certain jobs because of the physical strength required. Men in general have greater strength than women. Traditionally, lorry drivers were all men, but now women drive lorries because they are all power assisted and if a wheel has to be changed, the tyre service companies are called out.

Good afternoon David,

I did not cite Proverbs 31 as an example of sexism, but rather to counter CHW's attempt to justify the valuation of men as twice that of women when he said "It is equal work for equal pay. A male has to do laborious work which may earn more "profits" than a female of those times whose work was mainly housewife and looking after the children."

For the record, I don't think Proverbs 31 is an example of sexism except in as much as it shows that women were excluded from leadership roles. It shows women playing a central role in managing the entire household, including providing food and buying land. In this respect, it is an anomaly from other parts of the Bible which are explicitly sexist.

In a marriage the different tasks are shared or divided by mutual agreement. Outside of marriage the woman can do whatever she is capable of doing. Most women expected to get married and have children and do what all that entails. Some women might have wanted to remain single and do what they wanted to and they would have had to compete with men which would have been difficult at any time. As women have been made queens and ruled nations, we know that the mind of the woman is equal to the mind of a man. Men did not object to being ruled by a woman.

Where did you get the idea that the different roles are "divided by mutual agreement"? That's not how it's worked for most of the 2000 years of Christian history. In America, which has been strongly influenced by the Bible and Christianity, women could not vote or have their own banking account or get any of the good jobs that were reserved for men alone. Even authors had to use a male pen name if they wanted to get any respect. Christian civilizations have been extremely and explicitly sexist, and much of it is based on the Bible.

While there is a male emphasis in the Bible, God is not discriminating against women. Everyone (man and woman) is precious to Him if they believe on Him and that belief translates into doing His will. God is far more concerned about our spiritual lives than what we do physically. There is no distinction between male and female and this is made very clear when associated with Jesus the Christ; "there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:28)

It is true that there is no distinction between male and female in Christ. But that does not mean that there is no sexism in the Bible. The same text says that there is "neither slave nor free." Does that mean that all the believing slaves were not still slaves? Of course not. So though the women were equal "in Christ" they were still enslaved as second class citizens by the sexist teachings of the Bible. And this has persisted through nearly 2000 years of Christian history, with women only beginning to gain real freedom and equality after the Bible's hold on society began to wane.

Great chatting,

Richard


The statement that there is "neither male or female" does not imply that "there is no in Christ has no more to do with sexism than the fact that there are "neither slave nor free" implies
All the best,

David[/QUOTE]