Welcome to
the last installment in the Misogyny and Religion series.
In this
article, we shall discuss the last major religion left, that is, Christianity.
So, as
usual, gather around everyone. Time for another story.
This time,
the story is about Eve, the first woman on Earth.
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| An artist's depiction of Eve (Source: Bible Wiki) |
So, as the
legend goes, God created man in his own image. The name of the first man on
Earth was Adam.
But then
Adam got lonely, since there was no one he could send memes to, so God made a
woman as a companion for him. Eve was created from a rib of Adam, and she is
the first woman on Earth.
They both
lived in the Garden of Eden, innocent and unashamed of anything including their
nakedness. God allowed them to eat from any tree in the garden, except for one
particular tree.
This was
the Forbidden Tree.
You can
probably guess where this is going.
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| An artist's depiction of the Garden of Eden (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
A snake
tricked Eve into eating from this tree. She also shared the fruit of the tree with
Adam, therefore cursing them both with negative emotions like shame and guilt.
God then
banished both Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
Take a
moment here, and tell me: whose fault was it?
God, for
placing the forbidden fruit in their reach?
The snake,
for tricking Eve into eating the apple from the Forbidden Tree?
Or Eve, for
getting tricked by the snake?
If you
chose option A or B, congratulations, you’re right.
Except
you’re wrong.
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| (Source: Know your Meme) |
God blamed
Eve for this incident.
And what
does God do when he thinks you’re wrong?
That’s
right. He punishes you. And that he did.
"I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception;
in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy
husband, and he shall rule over thee." By this third chapter of Genesis, Eve
as well as all further women lost their rights, their standing— and even their
identity.
The act of
creating life from life, the pure act of motherhood, was actually a curse given
to Eve and women by God as a punishment from God.
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| Motherhood (Source: Ravishly) |
Think about
it.
According
to the Bible, the only reason you, me, or any one of us exists is because of a
curse, a punishment.
And that’s
not even the beginning.
The Genesis
is a goldmine of misogyny. Here’s another verse from the Genesis: To the
woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you
shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but
he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16)
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| Verses from the Bible |
From
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 that forces a woman to marry her rapist (much like the
state of Alabama) to Isiah 3:16-17 that says God rapes haughty women, a mere
glance through the Bible is enough to reveal all these verses and statements,
designed to subjugate women in the name of religion.
Women have
been named the perpetrators in almost all major crimes since the beginning of
time. Eve has been blamed for the Forbidden Fruit incident, women have been
blamed for the stoning of Christ, and they have also been blamed for
menstruating (much like every other religion).
According
to the Bible, women are possessions, much like cattle. They are made to be
traded, sold, and owned, sometimes even sacrificed. The Bible has sanctioned
rape during wartime, and has even stated that warriors should find and rape
virgin women after any victory. In Numbers 31:16, women have been referred to
as “war booties” and therefore they are considered to be the property of the
victors.
Yes, the
Bible can also be called the Dothraki Handbook of Life.
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| The Dothraki from Game of Thrones (Source: Dictionary.com) |
Perhaps the
worst is that women are scorned upon in the Bible, as is evident from the fact
that Jesus refused to bless his own mother, stating that she had become impure
during childbirth. The notion of virginity is used as an indicator of value of
a woman, thereby causing Mary to be referred to as the Virgin Mary, so that her
value not be diminished.
Here are a
few more examples and illustrations:
Church writer Tertullian said "each of you women is an
Eve . . . You are the gate of Hell, you are the temptress of the forbidden
tree; you are the first deserter of the divine law."
Martin Luther decreed: "If a woman grows weary and at
last dies from childbearing, it matters not. Let her die from bearing, she is
there to do it."
Such teachings are what led early feminist Elizabeth Stanton
to state that The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks
in the way of woman's emancipation.
The Catholic Church is notoriously famous for its stance
against anesthesia during childbirth (they have said that women ought to
suffer during childbirth), and their stance against the use of contraceptives
and protection.
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| Catholic women (Source: The Federalist) |
Now, as usual, we raise the question: Who is to blame here?
The people, the religion, or the interpretations?
As usual, there is no real answer to the question. The
religion can be blamed for being sexist, but then, isn’t every other religion
from that time period also sexist? Wasn’t that the culture of the time?
Therefore, the problem, ultimately, lies with the people.
People who refuse to change. People who wish to implement the practices of over
2000 years ago in the current modern scenario. People who refuse to change with
times.
To be honest, the people responsible for this phenomenon are
the religious clergy and figures, who wish to live in a world that is exactly
the same as it was 2000 years ago. This is simply not possible, and misguided
followers of such preachers cause problems.
Therefore, as usual, the message to take away here is what
Jesus himself said: “Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you.”
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| Jesus Christ (Source: Pinterest) |
And on this note, we conclude the Misogyny and Religion
series!
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