Kaliwanagan Kay Kristo (June 20, 2017): Christianity Oppresses Women || John Pesebre

Question 1: What is the brief statement of the doubt? 

I regularly visit yung isang global atheist group sa facebook to look for objections na pwedeng pag isipan. Isa sa mga nagka interes ako ay etong post nila na ito, “I can’t respect religion. I have too much respect for women.” We will tweak this conversation a bit to answer a similar objection na nasa context natin dito sa Pilipinas lalong lala na sa mga self-proclaimed Christians pa mismo at mga skeptics na “Christianity oppresses women.” Yan po ang objection nating sasagutin sa episode na ito.

Question 2: Where did this doubt come from?

Si Seth Andrews ay ang producer at host ng podcast na The Thinking Atheist. Isa sa mga sinabi niya nitong nakaraan ay ang sumusunod, “I continue to be amazed when I see Christian women defending the Bible that denigrates women.”  Wika naman ni Elizabeth Cady Stanton, “I have endeavored to dissipate these religious superstitions from the minds of women, and base their faith on science and reason, where I found for myself at last that peace and comfort I could never find in the Bible and the church.” A typical doubt arises in the minds of many believers that the Bible does not look at male and female as equals.

Si Elizabeth Cady Stanton na rin mismo nagsabi sa essay nya kung saan nakuha natin yung maanghang niyang salita sa taas na may magagandang pundasyon na makukuha sa Bible patungkol sa babae,

• He gave them dominion over everything. Here the equality of the sexes is recognized, and this idea is echoed back from the New Testament. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, bond nor free, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." We not only have this broad principle of equality enunciated, but we have some grand types of women presented for our admiration. Deborah for her courage and military prowess. Huldah for her learning, prophetic insight, and statesmanship, seated in the college in Jerusalem, where Josiah the king sends his cabinet ministers to consult her as to the policy of his government. Esther, who ruled as well as reigned with Ahasuerus the king.

 Moreover, the Bible daw refers to women as “helper” suggesting na meron silang inferior na status compared sa mga kalalakihan.
Nauunawaan ko kung bakit isang importanteng iissue o problema ito sa Christianty kasi nga if totoo na anti women ang Christianity at marami pa ring mga Christian na babae dito, magtataka ka talaga tulad ng sinabi ni Seth Andrews na dini-defend ng mga Christian women yung Bible na dini-denigrate ang mga babae.

Question 3: What is wrong about this doubt?

Hindi po totoo na “Christianity oppresses women” if we will look deeply into what the Christian teaching is.

Question 4: How is it wrong?

Let us affirm po muna ang commitment ng Christianity sa mga kababaihan as explained sa scripture. Most of the Bible's teachings about women are based upon the foundation laid in Genesis . . . God's intentions for men and women are spelled out clearly. God created the woman as a "helper" for the man: “The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." However, being a "helper" does not imply that the woman was inferior or subservient to the man; the same Hebrew word, `ezer, translated as "helper," is used to describe God, Himself, in Psalms 33:20, 70:5, 115:9-11. In fact, God created both men and women in His own image and made them equal custodians of all His creation:

• So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (NRSV, Genesis 2:27-28) 

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man." (NIV, Genesis 5:1-2)
Compared to other cultures of the time, Jewish women enjoyed great liberty and esteem, and many women distinguished themselves as prophetesses and leaders in Jewish society. Women such as Deborah, Esther, Hannah, Huldah, Jochebed, Miriam, Noadiah, Rachel, Rebekah, Rahab, Ruth and Sarah played important and decisive roles in Israel's history.

As evidence of the equality of men and women, the Ten Commandments require children to honor both their father and mother: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. (NAS, Exodus 20:12)

Jesus' attitude toward women was radically different from what was customary at the time. Women normally stayed home and attended to domestic duties. But Jesus allowed women to travel with Him and His twelve disciples (Luke 8:1-3). "Proper" Jews did not speak to Samaritans, and certainly not to Samaritan women. But Jesus had a long conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well that led to her conversion (John 4:4-30, 39-42). Jewish women were generally not educated or allowed any active role in the affairs of religion. But Martha's sister, Mary, sat at Jesus' feet in the role of a disciple while Jesus taught her. Jesus suggested that Martha do the same (Luke 10:38-42).

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, Salome, Joanna, Susanna and other women were prominent among Jesus' devoted followers. Some remained with Jesus to comfort Him at His crucifixion when all His apostles had fled in terror (Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40-41). Mary Magdalene and other women were privileged to be the first to discover that Jesus had risen from the dead (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-11).

It is frequently pointed out that Jesus appointed only men as His twelve apostles, and this is taken as a sign of women's secondary status. But Jesus sent His apostles out to spread the gospel to the world, seeking food and shelter where they could find it, facing great danger and ultimately martyrdom. That would not have been considered an appropriate role for a woman in Biblical times just as it would not be considered appropriate today. The early churches apparently followed Jesus' example. Women were treated as at least near-equals and allowed to hold positions of responsibility. Many women, including Jesus' mother, Mary, as well as Dorcas, Julia, Lydia, Persis, Priscilla, Phoebe, Tryphena and Tryphosa were important in the early Christian Church (Acts 1:12-14, 9:36, 16:14, 18:24-26, 21:7-9, Romans 16:1-16).

Itutuloy po natin ang discussion nito sa next episode most importantly yung refutation ng Question 4 and itutuloy natn sa Question 8.

(citation forthcoming)