It has
been some time since I’ve blogged here, but I recently read an opinion piece in
the
Malay Mail Online on atheism, and it calls to question a few issues that I
have wrestled with in the past. In a world where death threats have been issued
over puppies, I’ve wondered if I should share my two cents worth, and finally
decided to write this, because once upon a time not too long ago, I shared the
concerns of the author of that opinion piece.
Despite
being born in a Christian family, I am a firm believer in the notion that
religion should never be inherited, but understood and personally sought after
by each individual concerned. Having said that, I went through a season when I
started questioning the existence of God, the purpose of church, the validity
of the Bible. It has taken me a while to grasp the iceberg of what it means to be
a practicing Christian, but allow me to address a few of the issues raised.
Wives submitting to husbands ( Ephesians
5:22 )
To
be honest, as a rebellious, opinionated teenager, I found reconciling my
notions of independence and feminism with this verse close to impossible.
Submit to my husband? A mere man ?? A mortal ?? What about never ! Unfortunately, as with many other
instructions in the Bible, we tend to have these knee-jerk reflexes when it
comes to sensitive issues such as these and forget to look at the verse in it’s
entirety, in context. For instance, when we talk about women submitting to
their husbands, many tend to gloss over the following verses :
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the
church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her
holy, cleansing her by the washing with
water through the word, 27 and to present her to
himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but
holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands
ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves
himself. – Ephesians 5:25 – 28
There
are a few standouts here :
- Husbands are asked to love their wives, just as
Christ loved the church. Just as Christ
loved the church. If you’re unfamiliar with Christianity, Christ endured
torture, mockery, abuse, denial, and still DIED for the church. And after all
of that, husbands are asked to love their wives in the same manner.
- I am aware of how often men (and sometimes the
church) misquote the Bible when trying to manipulate their wives, an instance
in which I’m afraid reflects the sheer lack of understanding he has in the Word. “Husbands ought to love their wives as their
own bodies. He who loves his wife, loves himself.” Basically meaning : do unto
your wives only what you would do unto yourself. Men who hurl verbal, emotional
or physical abuse on their spouses are not obeying this verse, and thus are not
accurate representations of what the Bible actually expects of them.
In
essence, the Bible is asking husbands to reflect to their wives the love that
Christ has for us and further binds them to the promise of loving their wives
as much as they love themselves. Now, I’m not too sure about you, but I
wouldn’t mind being loved by my husband in the same selfless manner that God
does. On addressing submission, submission in this context is very different
from the submission of a slave to his master. It is important for a household
to have a leader as that familiar saying about two queens never ruling one
kingdom goes…but the Bible also binds husbands to submit to God as the leader
of the household, thus effectively making Christ the center of a relationship
and the head of one’s household. Not man, Christ.
Women as quiet, gentle spirits ( 1 Peter 3:
2-4)
Wives,
in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if
any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by
the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the
purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty
should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the
wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather,
it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and
quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
In a
world that prides material possessions, superficial beauty, and temporary
success, there is really very little wrong in priding values that lead to inner
beauty. Perhaps one might argue that this only applies to women, but then you’d
be ignoring the countless many other commandments that apply to men too, in
regards to righteousness.
Lot offering his daughters to be gang-raped (Genesis
19:8)
I
once had a long discussion with someone over instances in the Bible such as
these, and received a pretty enlightening answer. The Bible documents everything
that happened in the history of Christianity, and it does not censor. Thus
said, what Lot and many others have done may not always be right, or pleasing
to God. Just like David’s infamous adulterous murder of Bathsheba’s husband, it
is definitely not an instruction for fellow believers to do the same. Free
will, and the freedom to choose allows us to make our own decisions, bearing in
mind that all actions lead to certain repercussions, which is why it is
important to remember this verse :
“ I have the right to do anything, but not
everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything, but not everything
is constructive – 1 Corinthians 10:23 “
The Bible and the oppression of women’s
right
Quite
the contrary actually. The position of women in the Bible has always been
questioned, but critics often overlook the many positive positions that women
have been given, bearing in mind the cultural and historical timeframe of when
these incidences unfold. The Bible documents the acts of numerous faithful
women like Esther, Ruth, Elizabeth, the Samaritan woman at the well, also the fact that God chose
a woman (Mary) to mother his son, and upon his resurrection, Jesus appears
first to the women. Regardless of what men of that era thought, contrary to
being second class, God placed women first.
It
is important to follow the Bible in chronological order, (or one would argue
that slavery, live sacrifices, and polygamy are still valid today). Jesus
demonstrated perfectly the position of women in God’s eyes. Despite objections
from his disciples, Jesus was insistent on ministering to prostitutes, widows,
adulteresses, persons of whom were amongst the lowest in society at the time.
In doing so, He showed by example how each and every person is precious in the
sight of God. Women were the center of many miracles Jesus performed, which further cemented the fact that He did not judge women based on their sex, or position in
society, but more in terms of their relationship to God, and their faith in the
living word. To quote Philip Yancey
“For women and other
oppressed people, Jesus turned upside down the accepted wisdom of his day....
Jesus violated the mores of his time in every single encounter with women
recorded in the four Gospels."
People who know me well would know I'm a proud feminist. And as one, I do not agree that the Bible is anti-feminism, quite rightly the opposite too. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's definition of a feminist recently went viral, in which she defines a feminist as :
" A person who believes in the social, political and economical equality of the sexes ".
Now, if I may be so bold as to say, if one were to go by that definition, then Jesus, would fit the profile of a feminist.
By
reading the Bible in chronological order, one should realize that the coming
and living sacrifice of Christ has obliterated all known laws that were used to
oppress the oppressed. It was the start of a new chapter in Christianity, a
renewal of the relationship that the church now enjoys with God. In fact, there
are about 100 passages in the Bible that stresses on caring for the needy, the
widow, and the orphans. It is a call to action for all Christians to truly
practice the essence of Christianity, a relationship with God that prioritizes
love as it’s most important commandment. The word ‘love’ appears 310 times in
280 verses of the Bible. To raise arms against Christianity over laws that no longer apply, would be to ignore the selfless nature of Christ's sacrifice.
I do
not argue that throughout history, religion has been misinterpreted, misused,
and abused as a means of manipulation for evil men. Indeed, there is no one
religion that does not have blood on its hands, but the one common denominator
in all these, is men. Men, religion, and the existence of an all powerful,
loving God are 3 very separate entities. Interlinked, but separate.
Ultimately,
it is the not knowing of all the answers that makes it necessary for me to know
Christ. I need God not because I am perfect, but because I am imperfect, because
He is the champion of the broken, the outcasts, the weak and the ones in need
of salvation. Perhaps you’ll tell me that I have been brainwashed, and so
indoctrinated in religious dogma that I have lost all sense of independent
thought, but though I may not have found all the answers to the many questions
I have, I have found the one answer that matters : The grace of God, and the
peace of knowing that a strong relationship with Christ is one that endures all
storms.
*
All opinions expressed are my own, I am not a pastor, or a theologian, but I
feel the need to stand up for what I believe simply because I have been in the
position of the critics, the confused and the wondering wanderers. I share
these thoughts not to judge, or victimize someone else’s freedom for
expression, but from a position of one who has walked through the same
uncertainties, I know personally what it feels like.