From Inferior to Extraordinary Pt. 1

 One of our major assignments in the BCC was to write a topical study on an issue of our choice. I chose the value of women. The paper in it's entirety is around 10 pages, so I will post it in sections over the next couple of weeks. As usual, feedback is welcomed and appreciated! Hope you enjoy.

From Inferior to Extraordinary

 A Biblical Survey on The Value of Women

I never wanted to be a feminist.

Why? Because there were only three words came to my mind when I heard that dreaded word, and they were: lesbian, liberal and lonely. I didn’t want  to be associated with the typical stereotypes, and who could blame me? Part of me was afraid I would turn into a long haired, Lilith fair attending hippie, and the other part was afraid I would turn into a hard-nosed, angry girl rocker with a hidden agenda. But more than that, I didn’t really believe women were worth special treatment, anyway. From my perspective, men probably were the stronger sex, if we’re talking of physical strength and wielding of power. That’s been obvious throughout history, with a few exceptions. And I was definitely no example, as a woman, of anything that would counteract that claim. Painfully shy, and admittedly a little chubby, my view of myself carried no grandeur, and consequently, my view of my own gender was seriously lacking as well. And it makes sense; if I didn’t believe in myself, how could I fully believe in my gender?  In conversations about women’s rights, I stayed silent, only affirming anything that my heart subconsciously believed about myself and my gender. But as I’ve gotten older and grown stronger in myself, and as God began to show me that I’m not a chubby teenager, but an intelligent and capable women with purpose and a voice, something began to grow in my heart; a deep respect for woman, and alongside of that, a desire to proclaim that each one of us has a voice. More than that, stories of injustice against women around the world began reaching my ears, from stories of gang rape to forced labor, and suddenly feminism was no longer about women having equal wages or being able to play football, it was about the suffering of real human lives, for no other reason than the fact that they were born with different anatomy. God began to radically redefine the word ‘feminist’ for me, and now I’m proud to call myself one. Because if being a feminist means that I can stand up for the life of a woman who’s husband rapes her, or who’s parents kill her if she refuses to marry who they want her to, then write the label feminist on my forehead in bright red and parade me around. The life of woman is invaluable. In any nation, in any culture, in any religion, women remain unsurpassable in courage, endurance and strength; we have endless amounts to offer. Who has the right to squelch our voice? The honor of woman demands to be defended.

Alongside of this passion that has been awakening in me, another passion has been growing as well: a passion for the Bible. The Bible is a book brimming with theological content and a myriad of stories; you could get lost in it’s pages for a lifetime and still find new things. But as I’ve been unpacking scripture, I’ve been noticing something that honestly rubs me the wrong way; injustice of women is very present in much of it. It would be easy for me to dismiss it away as a cultural misunderstanding or something of that nature, but if what I say I believe is true, that I serve a God of love and compassion, then how does so much injustice of women in His word make sense? What does God truly think of us? Why does the theme, since the beginning of creation, seem to be that women have been kicked around, abused and taken advantage of, all at the hands of perverted and prideful men? And why did God stay silent for much of it? Unfortunately, that fact hasn’t changed; in much of today’s world, things are very much the same. From polygamy to rape to honor killings, the treatment of women is jaw dropping and inhumane. It leads us to ask the question, if women have been considered second best over much of history, since the beginning, was this God’s plan for us? Did he intend for us to be second best, a scapegoat for men on a power trips, doomed to inferiority and incapability? Frankly, does God hate us? Or was his plan greater? We’ll address these questions by first exploring God’s original plan for women, and then transition to specific instances in the bible that display injustice against women, as well as sections that display the opposite, and ask how God sees each of these circumstances, in hopes of gaining a clearer picture and deeper understanding how God views women.

More coming soon.