A feminist view Eve's status

I want to share a quote from a feminist book dealing with Eve in the garden. The quote is from my textbook. I don't agree with it at all but I want to get input from everyone on it. I intend to use it as part of a research paper.

"....Order of creation in which females are deemed inferior and men not only are seen as superior to women but also closer to God. Gendered language about deity reinforces male domination of women and is supported by the creation myth....?

"A common interpretation of...creation is that Eve is created after Adam because she is to serve him and be his inferior. Later NT writers argue that a woman's secondary status is a result of Eve's role as temptress in the fall of humanity."

How you you set the record straight on this statement or even reword it vs what a particular woman has written here?

You may find this article helpful: 'The Language of Caannan"
http://www.hccentral.com/eller6/index.html
It deals with gender language in scripture, and I think, is well thought out.

Keep in mind that you are dealing with a powerful bias that colors the way Scripture is read. Also remember that the burden of proof is on the feminist position - not you.

I have seen articles in which feminists try to prove how scripture is biased against females. It's not hard to counteract the many strawmen and misinterpretations - but let's admit,there are a few tough examples.

I think that the real issue is not the Bible, but the heart. When one comes to know God through salvation and through the Spirit, then one also comes to know the nature of God - and his high view of women.

Diane

I'm not sure if I can be of much help, but one thing I read, I believe it was in Sidlow Baxter's Explore the Book, is that when Eve was created, she was given the name woMAN because she was above all other created things and was made equal to man. I'm not sure how this works out in the original language, but it makes much sense in English. So, when a feminist spells the word "womyn", they are actually lowering themselves into the category of mere animal.

As far as women being inferior, I would have to say that this may be someone's view of human history, but certainly not an acurate view of what the Bible says about women or what God thinks. If God thought women were inferior, He would have sent an angel to die for them while Jesus was busy saving men. But no, Jesus died for men and women. It is quite easy to understand that when a person's value is based on anything other than a)being created in God's image or b)being a creature valued so highly as to warrant the sacrificial death of God the Son, they will feel either very inferior to others, or feel others are inferior to them.

Women's actions today also cry out that they feel men are more valuable. Why are so many women today trying to be like men? Why are they not content in the role God has given them? All I do as a man is earn an income. My blessed wife stays home all day nurturing the next generation, raising up an army for God. If value were assigned based on the task performed, stay at home moms are far more valuable than any male, no matter what his income.

May you be a blessing in what is probably the most difficult class for a Christian to be in. Remember, most people in there are souls that have been hurt; probably by their fathers. May God give you the grace to love them sacrificially.

John, your questions challenge me...I will post a reply, only to delete it, come back to see what others have said.

I just got this email from "Revive Our Hearts" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I love her radio talks although I seldom listen because I do not have the habit of listening to the radio.

Anyhow.

Today I got this email from ROH and I thought of you...you may even want to explore her broadcast archives and you may find the answers there you are looking for. Here is the link:
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/revive-our-hearts/picture-christ-and-church-1/

Hoping all is well...ginnyrose

I know I'm going to get in trouble here (wink, wink) but here goes...

DEADn wrote:
"....Order of creation in which females are deemed inferior and men not only are seen as superior to women but also closer to God. Gendered language about deity reinforces male domination of women and is supported by the creation myth....?

DEADn wrote:
"A common interpretation of...creation is that Eve is created after Adam because she is to serve him and be his inferior. Later NT writers argue that a woman's secondary status is a result of Eve's role as temptress in the fall of humanity."

Now from living and going to church in the south, I have seen many men (in the quote above), like that and even here on sermonindex, there a minority of men can’t or won’t hold a decent ‘conversation’ with a woman because he might put himself in a place of learning from her or something to that effect. Who knows?

Please remember that I am speaking only of my experiences… I have never had Eve held over my head more than here in East Tennessee! There tends to be arrogance in some of the men because she was ‘deceived,’ but these same men do not seem to have a humbleness because through Adam, all men and women were condemned to a life of sin and death. Just making a point…

Finally, (we) men and women forget that WE HAVE A COMMON ENEMY, Satan. But once again Satan has infiltrated the church and some men believe that women are their enemy, just as some women (above quote), believe that men are their enemy. Satan fights us on EVERY LEVEL of our attitudes and compounds it.

The love of Jesus is our only answer.

Just my two cents on a very touchy issue!
God bless,
Lisa

Ginnyrose

I have to tell that Nancy Demoss is a hard person for me to listen to. When I have heard her she often times sounds as if she is trying too hard with her words. As if she is trying to take her emotions and her preaching and physically put them inside the listener instead of preaching or teaching.

However, I will take a listen to the link you took the time to post out of respect to your postings. She just might change my mind on it.

Lysa
I definately agree with your first paragraph. I have been listening to some podcasts with feminist and athiest dealing with this whole subject. I find that their reality is very skewed but sounds logical when you first hear it.

I hear and understand what you are saying in the rest of the body of your post. I think some guys are very prideful in taking advice from a lady and that really depends upon the advice that is being given.

I think people in the south are more fundamental than those in the north and that could be the reason for your experience. Usually Catholic and Lutheran in the north and baptist in the south with others sprinkled in there.

Lastly, I came across an article from a podcast in Time Magazine about how feminist raised their voice to get this power grab yet in the end it still isn't enough and how the bible has said this would be true all along. I haven't read the article as yet but I intend to this week. Hopefully I can include it in this paper. I intend to have at least half of it done by this weekend. I have 4 days off from work and right now I have 2 paragraphs done on it. yay!

Ravi Zacharias said once, if a women does not acknowledge Bible or creationism saying that she is made to feel inferior to men then what else will she acknowledge? She is left without any Choice than to acknowledge Evolution which plainly states that she was formed without any purpose and purely by random chances, which intern degrades her value much below the purpose God has for her.

Brother Zac Poonen, recently shared in one of his sermon that when God created Eve, he gave her to man as a Helper, and when Jesus referred Holy Spirit to his disciples, he used the exact term helper. So the role of an women is similar to that of Holy Spirit in man’s life.

I have another question that is similiar to what I posed here. I don't know if a feminists has ever brough this up and if they haven't I wonder why. The bible was written by prophets of God yet none of the are women. What do you suppose the reason behind this is?

THe bible believe the bible speaks of women prophesying and such but why has no woman ever written any book of the bible?

Is the reason why woman are not allowed to teach over men a result of the sin in the garden?

In essence, the reason why women are not allowed to do such a thing is what? I am looking for something beyond 'Because the bible says so' type of thing. I am looking for 'why does the bible or God say so' type of thing. Is there something within woman that makes her unworthy of such a thing? Does it have to do with role?

The question still remains why is it the man who has the authority over the woman and the woman should remain silent? Does it stem to Eve? Is it just a matter of divine order?

why is there more dissemination falling more on the man vs both male and female? I ask this only to understand the scenerio more and find reasons for it other than 'Because the bible says so' which doesn't offer up true reality, if that makes sense?