Below is a section from the essay, Why The Fundamentlaist Approach to Religion Must Be Wrong by Scott Bidstrup. It's at FactNet.
I've long struggled with the JW view of women, and how they are treated in the congregations, and this part of the essay was particularly revealing to me.
See how many parallels with JWs you can come up with from this list.
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JWs Treatment of Women "Characteristically Fundamentalist"
by Seeker4 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Seeker4
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serendipity
Of course, many of these points apply to JWs. Even where the official policy doesn't apply, sexist elders can abuse their power and pressure women to stay with abusive husbands, etc. The WTS is also guilty, because it created an environment where the elders get away with such abuses because there's really no checks and balances. (I even heard of one sister who got df'd for not being submissive. The elders in that congo eventually got removed. However the sister was not automatically reinstated. )
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Shining One
Hi Seeker,
First of all, proper exegesis of the passages relating to the relationship between men and women in a Christian situation reveals that the couple are to have mutual love and respect. I take isssue with the idea that 'fundamentalists mistreat women'. Women are only prohibited from holding the office of pastor. No one is to be abused or mistreated in any way. Women are not unequal to men but men and women have different roles in NT Biblical teachings.
This idea that mean and women must be the same in all aspects regardless of biological realities is just more liberal 'political correctness' run wild. Scriptural principles take the priority over changes in society. That's part of being 'salt and light', churches having the fortitude to uphold scripture principles.
Rex -
AlmostAtheist
Rex,
You said: Women are only prohibited from holding the office of pastor.
Then you said: Women are not unequal to men
If you were to substitute "blacks" or "midgets" for "women" in those two sentences, would you see a contradiction between them?
Why can't you see that same contradiction when the word is "women"?
Whatever the Bible may say about women, it doesn't allow for creating an unequal situation and calling it equal. If it's "right" that it be unequal, then ok, whatever. But it IS unequal.
Dave
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Star Moore
I learned something exciting from Mike Satterlee. The parts in the bible where Paul says women should be silent and wear a headcovering and that men were the head of them, Paul was actually stating these misconceptions and after correcting them...read the context and you will be surprized.
I Cor. 11 and 1 Cor. 14:33 - 36 in particular..
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Shining One
AA,
How do the roles as laid out in scripture make things 'unequal'? 'Pastor, overseer, elder' is a office, a holy calling but it is makes that man no better than anyone else. All are on the same spiritual footing: it is not Jesus-pastor-flock; it is Jesus-flock! The Lord is the 'boss' because He came to earth as a servant and a man who holds the office of pastor is supposed to serve everyone in the church. He is also held accountable in a greater way.
"Headship" is also not some excuse to 'lord it over' someone. When done right it would even go to the extreme of a man dying to save his family and particularly his wife. He is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. If you acally took the time to research this you would realize that Chrsitianity freed women from being regarded as 'chattel'. I would also like to point out that they are still 'chattel' in the Islamic world.
Rex -
AlmostAtheist
You didn't answer my question, Rex. If I change "women" to "blacks" in those two quotes from you, would you see that they contradict each other?
Or how about this? What if Paul had said at 1 Corinthians 14:34, "Let the negroes keep silent in the congregation"? Would you still feel that the Bible was giving "equal footing" to blacks?
To most people racial prejudice is repugnant. Gender prejudice however is so ingrained that they don't even see it.
Dave
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beksbks
Durnit, you guys are makin' me cry again!
Dave, you are DA bomb dude!
Being a woman, I have to tell you folks, we are human too. Our brains and feelings run as deep as yours. Rex, you say "only" as if that makes it ok. Can you imagine life, where there was one thing you were not allowed to do/be/think, only because you were a man. It doesn't matter what that one thing was, the fact that you were being barred from it strictly on the basis of you being a man makes it unacceptable. It says you have some shortfall, because GOD made you a man.
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Shining One
AA,
If you bothered at all to check the facts you would see that 1 Cor. 14:34 is in dispute and doesn't fit into the text. Besides that, Paul was writing a pastoral letter dealing with specific problems that the Corinthians were having. Why don't you at least consult a good study Bible before you start judging the Book?
Rex -
Swan
What a crock of bull puckey!
First of all, proper exegesis of the passages relating to the relationship between men and women in a Christian situation reveals that the couple are to have mutual love and respect. I take isssue with the idea that 'fundamentalists mistreat women'. Women are only prohibited from holding the office of pastor. No one is to be abused or mistreated in any way. Women are not unequal to men but men and women have different roles in NT Biblical teachings.
This idea that mean and women must be the same in all aspects regardless of biological realities is just more liberal 'political correctness' run wild. Scriptural principles take the priority over changes in society. That's part of being 'salt and light', churches having the fortitude to uphold scripture principles.What biological difference prevents a woman from giving an hour talk on Sunday, or passing a microphone during a question and answer period? What biological difference requires a woman to wear a hat, scarf, or even a dishtowel on her head before conducting a meeting for field service, leading a group in prayer, or leading the family study with a teenaged son who is baptized in attendance? What biological difference makes it impossible for a woman to figure out who should ride in what car for field service? What biological difference keeps a woman from calling a man's absurd comments a crock of bull puckey?
Tammy