The Inferiority of Women


Snow
 Share

Recommended Posts

Many parts of the Bible clearly teach that, in many ways, the woman is inferior to man. It starts at the beginning of Genesis and continues up through the New Testament. That is not to say that there are not also passages that show women as equal to men but this thread will focus on the passages that show the female species derogatorily. This is not an exhaustive list, merely a sampling. I know this there is a thread about poster’s opinions of men and women but this thread is an examination of the biblical record or part of the biblical record on women, and grows out of another thread where women's status in the bible was discussed.

It starts with Genesis where woman was created out of man - that is - woman’s creation is dependent upon the man. This does not explicitly say that woman is inferior to man but immediately sets up the pecking order. (Gen 2)

Then we learn that woman comes the story of the serpent and Eve is portrayed as the one who was deceived and that God would multiply woman’s sorrow and from then on man would rule over her (Gen 3)

Stories in Genesis relate woman’s status of property of men and such is sanctioned by God. For example, when the men of Sodom as going to rape Lot’s visitors, he eagerly offers his virgin daughters up to be raped instead. Unmarried young women were the property of the father until they became the property of a husband. Even after Lot’s outrageous and evil behavior, Lot is still considered righteous. (Gen 19)

Leviticus shows women’s natural cycles as unclean and unholy (Lev 20)

After a woman has given birth, she is unclean. If the baby is female, she is unclean for twice as long than if the infant were male. (Lev 12)

If a woman came to the defense of her husband who was fighting with another man but in aiding her husband by grabbing the genitals of the other man, she was to have her hand cut off. (Deut 12:11-12)

Man is the head of the woman and woman was created for the man’s glory ( 1 Cor 11)

If a woman is represented to be a virgin but upon marriage consummation she does not bleed, then the woman is to be taken outside and the other men of the city are to throw rocks at the woman until she is so injured that she dies.

Women are to be silent in Church and if they want to know something, they are to ask their husbands at home, (1 Tim 2)

Women are the weaker vessel (1 Peter 3:7)

11. Women are to be trained to be subservient or subject to their husbands. (Titus 2:4)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 128
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

A quote by President Hinckley. In it he mentions that women are NOT inferior to men. Snow I'm doing some research on your scriptures. But this is the first thing I came across.

“I want to say to young women here today, do not ever have any inferiority complex about your place in this world in which you live. You are a daughter of God, and I am satisfied that our Father in Heaven loves His daughters as much as He loves His sons. You hold up your heads and stand tall and walk in righteousness and faith and virtue and truth, and do not let anybody put you down or sell you short. You are daughters of God. Live worthy of your divine inheritance, my beloved young women. You are not inferior in any sense. Under the gospel plan you are daughters of God. Each of us has our place in the great divine plan, and we ought to magnify the calling and the field and the assignment and the qualities of good which we have within us” (Ricks College regional conference, Rexburg, Idaho, 29 Oct. 1995).

Obviously there are changes as to how modern day Prophets see the role of women in today's world.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many of the things written in these scriptures were due to the Law of Moses because of the rebellious nature of the children of Israel during the time of Moses.

Do we still follow the Law of Moses or do we follow modern day prophetic laws? I hope that question makes sense. I like things that make me search for answers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A quote by President Hinckley. In it he mentions that women are NOT inferior to men. Snow I'm doing some research on your scriptures. But this is the first thing I came across.

“I want to say to young women here today, do not ever have any inferiority complex about your place in this world in which you live. You are a daughter of God, and I am satisfied that our Father in Heaven loves His daughters as much as He loves His sons. You hold up your heads and stand tall and walk in righteousness and faith and virtue and truth, and do not let anybody put you down or sell you short. You are daughters of God. Live worthy of your divine inheritance, my beloved young women. You are not inferior in any sense. Under the gospel plan you are daughters of God. Each of us has our place in the great divine plan, and we ought to magnify the calling and the field and the assignment and the qualities of good which we have within us” (Ricks College regional conference, Rexburg, Idaho, 29 Oct. 1995).

I'd say that what modern prophets have said, matters most.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would not be able to answer your question, and I have wondered the same thing at times. Clearly women are not less than man in an eternal perspective, or who would fill eternity with only women, or only men. There is nothing if that is all. But I notice even Nephi leaving Jerusalem kept this custom. The begats are always men, except the note of Beth Sheba in Jesus' geneaology of all people to mention by name. The only thing I can suggest is I find it difficult at best to find the only way to take this as women being disrespected directly. If it's the way things are, it's kind of the way things are for that time, and we come along later with different conditioning and different eyes, and not knowing why assume it must be because they are less? I won't offer an answer, but I hesitate to agree immediately that it had anything to do with disrespect. The snippets I do get when women ARE mentioned, which isn't often, gives no flavor of disrespect at all, when they are about doing their business, and Jesus with the woman taken in adultery, he GAVE the law. Sarai, Abish, Ruth, Bath Sheba, Mary, Mary Magdalene, I'm straining, but when you mention the punishments, I see where you are coming from, but when I see the day to day life, what little is recorded, I don't see disrespect, but hey, I'm a guy. I might have a skewered point of view on that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would it be fair to say that women have always gotten short shrift from patriarchal societies?

:confused:

No, I believe that would be UNfair. Enoch was a prophet and the City of Enoch was patriarchal. I believe that if women had been treated as inferiors the City of Enoch wouldn't have been translated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Snow, we have the Bible and the Book of Mormon so that we can learn from the mistakes of our predecessors.

Eve was not treated as an inferior. Adam and Eve received the consequences of their actions, which defined different yet equal roles for them.

I believe Men over the centuries have twisted scripture to justify unrighteous dominion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 aWe believe in being bhonest, true, cchaste, dbenevolent, virtuous, and in doing egood to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we fhope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to gendure all things. If there is anything hvirtuous, ilovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

what exactly is the point of this thread? how exactly is it uplifting... or rather virtuous, lovely, or of good report?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If any man thinks he is better than any woman may want to think his position within the kingdom of GOD. To be whole or 100 percent perfect, it requires a faithful woman by your side.

Yet, I will state, Paul may of written something that seemed out of content but it had a purpose for those members [saints] who seek to lead the congregation than allowing the priesthood to function. It is matter of placing ourselves in that period to observe what transpired to make Paul write it.

A good source for Paul's remarks is the work done by Keith Norman, "The Writings of Paul about Women".

Edited by Hemidakota
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 aWe believe in being bhonest, true, cchaste, dbenevolent, virtuous, and in doing egood to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we fhope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to gendure all things. If there is anything hvirtuous, ilovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

what exactly is the point of this thread? how exactly is it uplifting... or rather virtuous, lovely, or of good report?

Snow specified the purpose of the thread at the beginning:

"this thread will focus on the passages that show the female species derogatorily. This is not an exhaustive list, merely a sampling."

Sounds like an interesting thread, one I would like to read and even participate in. However, given that Snow is the originator and has stated, "to study the scriptures, I look for a way to do it that makes it interesting - like finding stuff that other's [sic] ignore and then challenging them on it", you have to wonder if this is an honest attempt to study the meaning of scripture or only yet another of Snow's attempts to maintain interest in his/her personal scripture study. The former is interesting and potentially valuable; the latter, with all due respect to Snow and his/her scripture study difficulties, is a waste of time at best and a way to stir up division, resentment, and hurt feelings at worst.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stories in Genesis relate woman’s status of property of men and such is sanctioned by God. For example, when the men of Sodom as going to rape Lot’s visitors, he eagerly offers his virgin daughters up to be raped instead. Unmarried young women were the property of the father until they became the property of a husband. Even after Lot’s outrageous and evil behavior, Lot is still considered righteous. (Gen 19)

If we look at the Joseph Smith Translation of this chapter in Genesis we see something completely different.

GENESIS 19: 9-15

(Lot resisted the wickedness of Sodom. Compare Genesis 19: 5-10)

9 And they said unto him, Stand back. And they were angry with him.

10 And they said among themselves, This one man came in to sojourn among us, and he will needs now make himself to be a judge; now we will deal worse with him than with them.

11 Wherefore they said unto the man, We will have the men, and thy daughters also; and we will do with them as seemeth us good.

12 Now this was after the wickedness of Sodom.

13 And Lot said, Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, plead with my brethren that I may not bring them out unto you; and ye shall not do unto them as seemeth good in your eyes;

14 For God will not justify his servant in this thing; wherefore, let me plead with my brethren, this once only, that unto these men ye do nothing, that they may have peace in my house; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

15 And they were angry with Lot and came near to break the door, but the angels of God, which were holy men, put forth their hand and pulled Lot into the house unto them, and shut the door.

This comes from lds.org: Joseph Smith Translation: Gen. 19: 9-15

Lot does not offer his daughters, in fact he tells the men they can have neither his daughters or the "angels" who have come to visit him. This is why he is still considered righteous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, there were not angels as we look at that term today as those across the veil but great men of righteousness. It is suspected they were part of the City of Salem where Melchizedek ruled.

Hey, Hemi. Can we get source on that? I'm a little wary of accepting this piece of knowledge, since John the Baptist was called 'Angelos', or messenger. I'm also pretty sure Haggai was(But don't quote me on that). John The Baptist, we know exactly where he lived and it wasn't the City of Salem(Well, it was Judea).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, there were not angels as we look at that term today as those across the veil but great men of righteousness. It is suspected they were part of the City of Salem where Melchizedek ruled.

This is why I placed the word angels in quotes. Though they were called angels in the bible, that is not exactly what they were.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although the scriptures posted reflect the attitudes of that day and the doctrine of that time ... we know that they are not the case from modern revelation. HF loves His daughters ... we were born with our priesthood (the ability to be mothers) and are intrusted with His most precious new spirits to raise and nurture and teach. Men must come to earth to be ordained with their priesthood and their authority in the home is only valid when it is in righteousness. Marrigae is a partnership not a dictatorship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do we still follow the Law of Moses or do we follow modern day prophetic laws? I hope that question makes sense. I like things that make me search for answers.

To that end, I would be interested to hear whether Snow agrees with the gender roles as outlined in the Proclamation on the Family?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

we were born with our priesthood (the ability to be mothers)

This is not the meaning of the word "priesthood". If you accept this idea, then men, too, are born "with their priesthood (the ability to be fathers)".

Men must come to earth to be ordained with their priesthood

Not so. Joseph Smith taught that a man ordained to any priesthood office was ordained to that office premortally. As Orson F. Whitney wrote:

"...if no man without the Melchizedek Priesthood can see the face of God the Father and live, and Joseph Smith, nine years before he received the Priesthoods from those heavenly messengers, looked upon the faces of both the Father and the Son and survived, it indicates...that he himself held the Melchizedek Priesthood when he saw the face of God at the opening of the last gospel dispensation." (Orson F. Whitney, Gospel Themes: A Treatise on Salient Features of Mormonism, p. 78)

and their authority in the home is only valid when it is in righteousness.

This is true with any divine authority, not just that of men.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not so. Joseph Smith taught that a man ordained to any priesthood office was ordained to that office premortally.

QUOTE]

Per a disscussion in the HP clas my father was in ... if they are already ordained why do they have to be ordained again? Ordination is an earthly ordinance or it would not be done in the temples for the dead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Priesthood may not be the right word when it pretains to women but this says it very clearly.

President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that “God planted within women something divine.” That something is the gift and the gifts of motherhood. Elder Matthew Cowley taught that “men have to have something given to them [in mortality] to make them saviors of men, but not mothers, not women. [They] are born with an inherent right, an inherent authority, to be the saviors of human souls … and the regenerating force in the lives of God’s children.” (from a talk by Sister Shari Dew)

Edited by Madriglace
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share