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| On Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:51:37 -0600, Judson McClendon wrote:
> Duh! You said Christianity did not result in better status for Women,
> and I pointed out Islam as an example of what typical non Christian
> religions are like toward women. Please list any major religions that
> give higher place to women than does Biblical Christianity. There are
> None.
Having read all the Daoist books I can lay my hands on, they are entirely
consistent in their view that differences of race, sex etc are nothing. We
are all one in the Dao, they say. From about 1100 AD however this was
overtaken in actual practice in China by the increasing dominance of the
Confucian ways of thinking.
If you contrast this with what the Christian texts say, the difference is
striking.
"As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for
the active power of the male seed tends to the production of a perfect
likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of a woman comes from
defect in the active power...." Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica,Q92, art.
1
"And a man will choose...any wickedness, but the wickedness of a
woman...Sin began with a woman and thanks to her we all must die"
Ecclesiasticus, 25:18, 19 & 33.
"And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and
nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her;
but the sinner shall be taken by her." Ecclesiastes 7:26
"...Christ is the head of every man, and a husband the head of his wife,
and the head of Christ is God." 1 Corinthians 11:3
"...women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to
speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says, If they want to inquire
about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is
disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
The bible is not entirely consistent on these points, but the above was
the ruling interpretation for thousands of years.
The role of women in biblical times seems to have been not unlike that of
women in strict Islamic societies today.
Slavery also has biblical backing. Not to mention the notion of the divine
right of kings - the holy roman empire and so forth.
The emancipation of women, the abolition of slavery, democracy, science -
all these things happened only *after* the iron grip of religious zealots
on society was considerably weakened. They happened in spite of Christian
religion not because of it.
Tim
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