Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Out of the 4 200 known religions on earth, Christianity holds the title of world leader in the religious category. Containing over 2 billion followers worldwide, the faith, over the years, however, has been the subject of question. This is due to how Christians adopt certain scriptures yet avoid or dismiss others.
Considering this, what would Christians not be able to do, or have to do, if they followed the Bible to the word?
- You are, without question, as a Christian, not aloud to eat a cheeseburger or anything that mixes meat and dairy. (Exodus 23:19).
- If your brother and his wife can’t conceive, you must sleep with her to help out. (Genesis 38:8-10)
- Want to get some ink? Sorry, no tattoos at all, as you cannot mark your body (Leviticus 19:28).
- Catching a beating and your wife assists by punching the guy in his nethers? Sorry, she is losing the hand that saved your life. ( Deuteronomy 25:11-12)
- Those who have a colourful language and use blasphemous words will be killed, sorry. And people who kill will then also be killed. (Leviticus 24:16)
With many of these examples a mere Google search away, we encourage you, once done with the article, to read more about these ancients rules and scriptures, which many do not know about.
Many Christians today create a variety of explanations and ‘loopholes’ as to why they are allowed to eat cheeseburgers, don’t have to sleep with their sister-in-law or can get a tattoo. But, in reality, as per the same book, you must either be hot or cold. You cannot be lukewarm—as it is worse than being downright evil.
But apart from the rules and laws, the Bible clearly states that women are beneath men and must obey their every single word. A statement most sane men and women ignore today, considering it even offensive.
Here are a few examples of women oppression in the Bible:
- Women are not allowed to talk/teach in church (1 Corinthians 14:35)
- Women are not allowed to teach or have authority over a man (1 Timothy 2:12)
- Women are to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands (Titus 2:5).
Considering these scriptures, why has the Christian faith changed or ignored such writings to allow women the same opportunities as men? Or, with these teaching at the heart of the belief system, how do women in 2021 feel about such rules and laws in a world leading faith meant to offer inclusion and no judgement?
From a Christian perspective, many appear to have explored deeper meaning in the writings to find answers to these questions for their female members.
Writing for Redeeming God, author and blogger Jeremy Myers is one such person who addresses the debate about women preaching in church and having a say. According to him, the primary problem is not found in how we understand preaching or women having authority over men, nor is it what Paul means in 1 Timothy 2:12 or 1 Corinthians 14:34. Instead, he says, the problem can be found in how we define the term church.
He highlights that this issue, which has caused division among many, is based almost entirely on a faulty definition and understanding of “the church.” In his article, he explains, “Once we understand what the church is, this debate about whether or not women can preach in church completely disappears and becomes a non-issue.”
He believes women can speak and teach in church because he understands the church to be the people of God who follow Jesus into the world.
Unfortunately, as gallant and honourable as this all sounds, we must not lose sight of the original issue, which is once again occurring in Myers’ writings—changing the meaning to suit.
But there are denominations of the religion that take a more rigid approach to the scriptures. Thomas Beneke says that Eve once preached to Adam, and this resulted in the fall of man.
If not from one of the Abrahamic religions, such as Christianity, a statement like this is powerful and not in the way a person of the said faith would agree with.
However, the local minister does say the fault is not Eve’s alone. “Adam did not take responsibility for his actions, and many men still do not take responsibility for their actions today and this leaves women having to take the lead.”
In conclusion, as highlighted throughout the article, each minister tries their best to uplift and keep the religion alive, resulting in bending the rules. Is this right? Does this question the integrity of the system? And if it keeps changing, where will it be in 100 years? Questions we hope to hear back from you on in the comment section below.
Bearing in mind, Christianity and other religions now have to try and exist in a world saturated in knowledge. A few minutes spent on Google reveals the history, truths, changes and realities according to educated people, a challenge never before dealt with in the faith’s existence.
With all this in mind, what are your thoughts?
Share your views in the comment section below.
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