My Interview with Cass Midgely

I recently had the privilege of doing an interview with Cass Midgely for his podcast Everyone's Agnostic! You can listen to that interview here:

https://www.facebook.com/338989696249404/posts/1124864564328576/

In the Beginning God Created… Misogyny (And men saw that it was good)

"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."

~Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

Misogyny is a painfully reoccurring theme throughout the bible - both the old and new testaments, and it doesn’t take long for it to manifest.

It’s interesting to note that this theme is prevalent not just in the holy book of christianity, but also in other holy books, such as the book of Mormon and the Koran. An underlying theme in much of religion seems to be a superior view of men – one which considers women less-than, second-class citizens, whose purposes at times are merely to serve man’s purposes and desires.

We see this in the very beginning of the bible in the creation account. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.’ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.” Genesis 2.18, 21-22. Here, we see Adam as one of god’s finest creations, while Eve on the other hand, is more of an afterthought - an “addition” created solely for Adam’s purpose and with his best interest in mind. We see Eve as Adam’s “helpmate”, his property. Eve would later be described as the scapegoat for sin in the new testament. “For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.” 1 Timothy 2.13-14

This “women-as-property” theme is seen in the ten commandments as well. The tenth commandment states a list of things which men must not covet (extreme longing or desire for that which is not already yours). Included in that list – which is written as a list of properties or belongings, are houses, servants (slaves – definitely property), farm animals - and wives. No distinction is made between a neighbor’s donkey and his wife, or between a slave and a wife, for that matter.    

As much as christians may deny it, the misogyny theme continues throughout much of the bible. Let’s first look at a few examples from the old testament. Woman are seen as property and are considered to be for the man and for his glory; the fact that a woman is ordered to be stoned to death if she dishonors her husband should serve to be all the proof needed to see this is the case.

Deuteronomy 22.13-14, 20-21: “Suppose a man marries a woman, but after sleeping with her, he turns against her and publicly accuses her of shameful conduct, saying, ‘When I married this woman, I discovered she was not a virgin.’ …suppose the man’s accusations are true, and he can show that she was not a virgin. The woman must be taken to the door of her father’s home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death…”

So, there it is…a woman who is not a virgin, ordered to be stoned to death for dishonoring her husband – his honor is more valuable than her life. The woman was clearly the property of her husband, and it brought him great shame for her to have had sex with anyone else, even prior to marriage. Notice, there are no other, or lesser repercussions – the punishment for “not being a virgin” is death by stoning.  

Again in Deuteronomy, we see the repercussions of sexual “sins” – this time in the context of rape. In this case, a woman’s screams will save her life. Deuteronomy 22.23-24: “If this (sexual intercourse between a man and a married woman) happens within a town, you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help.” In this situation, the man, or rapist is to be stoned to death for violating his victim’s husband, not for violating his victim. From Deuteronomy 22, regarding why both the woman and the man should be stoned, “…the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help (therefore, she was a willing participant), and the man because he violated another man’s wife.”

She is to be spared only if she screamed. The assumption here is that if she had truly been a victim, she would have screamed; therefore, no scream establishes her guilt as a willing sex partner. However, in the case of rape outside of the city, the rape victim is spared, as there is no evidence that she screamed. Vs 27: “Since the man raped her out in the country, it must be assumed that she screamed…”

Another noteworthy example is found again in Deuteronomy 22.28-29: “Suppose a man is caught raping a young woman who is not engaged. He is to pay her father the bride price of fifty pieces of silver, and she is to become his wife, because he forced her to have intercourse with him. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.”

There are many other incidents of misogyny and women being seen as second-class throughout the old testament, but for the sake of brevity (If that ship hasn’t already sailed), I will allow these examples to suffice.  

In an attempt to explain away some of the atrocities within the old testament, apologetics will say things like:

·         “You are taking that scripture out of context.”

·         “You have to read chapters – and even books surrounding those scriptures to get the proper context to understand why god did or allowed those things.”  

·         “That was just the culture at that time.”

None of which actually justify or satisfactorily explain those atrocities; in fact, their attempts to justify only serve to amplify the horrific nature of such things. I have yet to hear an explanation of atrocities in the old testament which caused me to think “Oh, I get it. God really is good and loving, and (in the theme of this article) women really are equals. Not once – and not for lack of explanations or justifications. Just none that justify any of the atrocities. No matter how many apologists give their best explanations, at the end of the day, they cannot explain away the fact that their god is misogynist and that the bible propagates and endorses such.

When it comes to things in the old testament that seem to present a god who is anything but loving and good, i.e., vindictive, angry, infanticidal, genocidal, and misogynistic, christian apologists will often turn to the new testament and to Jesus, in an attempt to match their claims about their deity with their reality.

In the case of misogyny, however, any attempts to use the new testament as proof that misogyny is not encouraged by their holy book are soon dashed – by the bible itself. Once again, even in the new testament, the bible is rife with examples of misogyny.  

I Corinthians 14.34-35: “Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.”  

I Timothy 2.11-12: “Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.”

And my “favorite” - Ephesians 5.22-23: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands… For the husband is the head of the wife…”

The theme (or more accurately, the practice of) misogyny is woven throughout the entire bible – old and new testament alike. And the real horror of this practice is that it is not limited to the pages of their holy book – it leaps off the pages right into their churches and into their homes where real women become real victims - victims of practices done “in the name of god” or in accordance with “god’s will.”      

There is very little about religion in general and christianity in particular that angers me more so than that last scripture – the one that admonishes wives to submit. I find it interesting that the bible employs that same language and gives the same orders to slaves. Titus 2.9: “Slaves are to be submissive to their masters in everything…” The bible orders both slaves and wives to submit – both are treated like and considered to be property.

Misogyny in the name of god. I’ve heard the arguments, the “explanations”, the justifications - they are all BS. This mentality leads to men who abuse, who dominate, who control. Men who do not see women as equals. Men who think women are “lesser-than.” Insecure men hiding behind misogynistic words in a misogynistic “holy book.”

I realize my above statements may seem harsh and severe and may offend some - I don’t care! I have seen firsthand the devastation that these teachings can bring about. I personally know women who have suffered, who have been held captive in abusive relationships as a result of the misogyny that is alive and well in their homes because of the misogyny that is alive and well in their holy book.     

In my time as a pastor at a drug and alcohol treatment center, I counseled hundreds of women. Women of faith. Women who had been, or who still were living by the command in scripture, "Wives, submit to your husband." The effects were at times devastating. Women in abusive relationships, yet they refused to leave or even seek help, because it would “go against god’s will.” To make matters worse, it was at times that very relationship which was the reason they were drinking in the first place. One woman refused to participate in any treatment programs without first running it by her husband and getting his permission. According to scripture, she was being a good wife – she was submitting. In reality, she was jeopardizing her sobriety and humiliating herself instead of being independent and standing up for herself and her needs.

Truth be told...I needn't have worked at the treatment center to witness this misogyny. I grew up watching it transpire right under my nose. My own mother. A woman who before marrying my father was a strong, independent career-minded woman. An English major who went on to become a teacher who taught both mentally and physically handicapped children. A woman who was happy and carefree. A woman who loved life, who was vibrant and glowing.

This “wives submit” mentality was taken to an extreme by the church I grew up in, and unfortunately, there are many more churches peddling the same beliefs. Through the lens of that scripture, this means that the wife is impotent in most decision-making processes and serves certain specific purposes, beyond which she is to be quiet and remain in line. The god of their “understanding” is a misogynist, women have their place, and they better not cross any lines. True to form, my mom was a “good christian woman”, and remained within the confines of the structures that their religious system both decreed and created.  

Her opinion rarely counted – rarely was even considered. There were certain expectations placed on her – as to what she was both expected to do and not to do. She eventually became a shell of a woman, living out a miserable existence as my dad’s wife. Religion stripped her of who she was – of her identity. A strong, independent woman became a meek, “order-taking” shell of who she had been prior to getting married. Both my father and the church stripped her of herself, and in their wake, left behind a sad, depressed, and miserable woman.

There are countless examples of women being treated as anything but equals, as less-than - as property, by insecure, controlling men who are hiding behind a holy book which encourages their mistreatment of women. It has been happening since the dawning of religion. Where there have been men in charge of religion, there have been women who have suffered.

It is here where I would like to make idealistic statements such as “Enough is enough” or “It must end” or some equally emotion-provoking statement. However, I must be realistic; no blog entry or article is going to end the misogyny. The thought itself seems ridiculous as I type it. While we cannot end it entirely, we can certainly make a positive difference in the lives of some women who are suffering. So, what can we do? What can you do? Great questions – questions I pose to you, the reader. What suggestions do you have to help counter this misogyny and mistreatment of women? What would you like to see happen? What are you willing to do?   

If you have something you’d like to share, I welcome your comments - please leave them below. I would also like to hear from you if you are a man – whether you think this post is bullshit and that wives should submit, as if submitting to god as taught in churches, or if you are a man who has come to realize how wrong and harmful this biblical view of women and wives is and no longer engage in its harmful practices.

I will be posting stories of women who have suffered through harmful relationships and family dynamics wherein they were the victim of misogyny. Look for those soon; if you are or have been a victim of misogyny, I am interested in hearing your story. If you would like to use this blog as a platform to tell your story, please send it to me at jameswexline@yahoo.com, and I will publish it here. You may do so anonymously, if you prefer.  

Thank you, and let’s make a difference together!