It is an important piece of literature that has been a staple of European and later on American Culture, to this day. So I have taken a second to read the Bible for another time and mark all the discriminatory or degrading stuff that I have found about women (feel free to add your own findings if any) I also used dear old Google to help me find any I may have missed. As such here goes some things I did not notice were highly troubling while I was Jehovah's Witness but now rub me the worst possible way. (I am going in order in the Bible so you can easily follow, all will be indicated and refers to the Jehovah's Witnesses New World Translation) This one is a bit rambly as well because I have many a thought about these verses, so please bear with me!
GENESIS:
The story of Adam and Eve and how they got banned from Eden:
Genesis 3:13-17
So we all know that Adam was first created and God saw that he was lonely, so God took out his ribs and created Eve. Then comes the Snake tempting her into eating from the Tree Of Knowledge and the Tree of Life. She then makes Adam eat too so they both end up being punished for disobeying God. (Now, the fallacy of a benevolent, all-powerful and all-knowing God making such a mistake as to make his creation prone to sin, or create sin in the first place is for a different time. For now, I want to focus on women)
The punishment? God said he will create conflict and strife between man and woman and that they will eat the dust of the Earth until the die.
Eve has to sleep and crave for Adam then give birth to children in pain and fear.
Adam has to work the fields to provide for themselves.
You see the issue with this, is this Bible verse has been twisted into making a blanket statement about women being seductresses who cannot control themselves and men as victims to the whims of women. Also, the term used, when Eve is created has been used to keep women from jobs, and public places and discussions for millennia: Help-Meet made form his ribs. Now, I think it is unfair expectation on either gender to be submissive and dainty. I think we as people should strive to find what makes us happy and satisfied. Other than that, keeping half of the population out of the public space because they are deemed innate sinners, who ruined mankind is a stretch by all means.
The Story of Lot:
Genesis 19:4-9
We all know the story of Lot too, but to recount the verses cited in a short manner: Angels visit Lot and his family in Sodom. After some discussion between them, they agree to stay the night in Lot's house instead of the city. Hearing this the men of Sodom surrounded the house, asking Lot to hand over the angels so that they might bed them. To which Lot offers them his two virgin daughters to rape, to not have sex with men as that is a vile/evil thing. After this, a fight ensued.
So in this story, a father sees it more fit for adult men to rape his small daughters over having consensual homosexual sex. (Consensual is questionable at best, but even so... Why is it better to rape one gender over the other?)
The moral of this story as for me is protecting men over young girls and women is a priority and women getting raped is better than men getting raped. Also while at it, angels are powerful, how is that they do not defend themselves and need innocent girls being raped to get out of a sticky situation? (Okay angels are genderless as per Jehovah's witnesses doctrine, so we are gonna roll with it on this one, because of the expressions Lot uses in the situation)
Rachel, Leah and Jacob:
Genesis 30:1-10
Again recounting the story shortly before challenging it!
So Jacob and Rachel are married and Rachel cannot conceive a child for him. She sees her sister getting pregnant and giving birth to her child so she decides that another woman, her handmaid should be raped on her knees to fall pregnant and carry a child to term to be ripped away from it right after so that she can raise the baby after.
Now I say raped, because we never get a word from Bilha or Zilpa or Leah. So, to be safe let's assume these handmaids did not really have an option based on how servants/slaves were considered property back then. Other than that, exploiting women for child-rearing is not ethical, no matter which historical era we are talking about. This story to me, similarly to the amazing book by Margaret Atwood, tells that women have been always considered at stock value, and surely back in those days when lords were to raise their own army and mortality rates were high due to the lack of scientific development, I see why a big family to work the lands would be highly beneficial. But we are not in those days anymore, and infertile women exist. I am one and I have had relationships trying to force me into invasive surgery and involving other people to have kids. So to me it is personally very important to challenge the notion that women should be focused on their fertility and sexual availability over anything else. I love my career, my friends, my books, my Netflix and my sour Skittles and I am infertile and I don't ever want to change any of it.
The Story of Dinah and Shechem:
Genesis 34: 1- 17
Again, recounting the story first, then arguing against whatever the hell is happening!
So Jacob had a daughter, Dinah. Dinah made some friends and acquaintances form a town nearby. Schechem, a son of the ruler of that town Hamor liked Dinah so he raped her to force her father to give her to him in marriage. Eventually, this did happen with some conditions on Jacob's part, but it happened.
So, my take on this is that a woman's virginity is more important than her feelings, wants and needs. Because obviously Dinah's "purity" was taken by Schechem, she was forced to marry him to avoid further shame to the family. The only objection to marriage? Shechem was not circumcised. That was the men's only issue. Not that the rapist wanted to marry their daughter/sister, but that the rapist had foreskin. Again for millennia women have been expected to bleed on their wedding nights, and to consummate their marriage in front of the village because purity was valued over anything else. This is troubling because victims still get asked where they were, how much they drank or what they were wearing when they were assaulted/raped. Society needs to do better.
And with these random, and rambly angry thoughts I leave you for now until the next one!
Don't forget, curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back!
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