Okay ~ I’ve noticed that over on my “We’ve been thinking” post about the Birth Control/Abortion Connection ~ you all are already posting comments about just how “Biblical” the whole patriarchy/women’s submission/male headship-thing is …
Since I’m such an organized person, I’d really like to have that discussion under a separate post. Only I don’t have time this morning to write my thoughts down on the subject. So ~ I’ve put the summary of my thoughts in the subject title ~ and I’ll be back after a while to write the rest of it.
For now ~ don’t wait on me … go ahead and bring your thoughts and comments over here to this post. I’d love to hear from you ~ I truly appreciate the respectful tone as well as the thoughtfulness which goes into the majority of the comments which you have been contributing to this blog. You all are wonderful!
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'Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment' by Janet Heimlich
‘Quivering Daughters‘ by Hillary McFarland
‘Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement‘ by Kathryn Joyce
Michelle says, Never enough babies!
I haven’t read this entire thread yet, but certainly there is patriarchy in the Bible (just as there is patriarchy throughout the history of most major world religions). I certainly think that there are critical ways of reading most historical religious texts without being patriarchal; this would require a comfort with non-literal interpretation as well as with understanding certain injunctions (like the head-covering) in cultural context. Since those rules were used to hurt you personally, it makes complete sense to me that you may not be comfortable with that.
As for your religious and faith commitments. I say… Those are entirely up to you. Don’t put any pressure on yourself. Certainly, my experiences ruined all evangelical Christianity for me–and maybe ruined Christianity altogether.
I still resonate with various strands of Christian liberation theology–whether rooted in anti-capitalist, anti-racist, feminist, queer, and/or disability-related liberation struggles. As a woman who is both physically disabled and queer, those continue to have meaning for me. I still consider myself a “nominal Christian” because I still “do” spiritual practice in the ritual of political struggle. And, to be honest, I still find the images of Jesus as both servant to and champion of the suffering to be really powerful.
I don’t know Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I mean… The most damaging thing for me in evangelicalism was the emphasis on Personal Relationship. I never felt anything. I heard a local singer-songwriter in my hometown once perform a song called “Love Never Came to Me.” And that’s how I felt. This deep and profound love that we were supposed to feel? I never felt anything at all. I never understood what people meant about “having Jesus in their hearts.” And it always made me feel that there must be something wrong with me.
So, I stopped putting pressure on myself about the personal lord and savior business. And I’ve decided… For myself… Nothing that is even remotely similar to what I grew up in is likely to feel very safe to me. I don’t go to church now, but *if* one day I do, I’ve decided that I’ll stick with something High Church–say, Episcopalian. A denomination that, in the form of liturgical prayer and other ritualistic discipline, practices spiritual reverence instead of “personal relationship.” Where I can sit back and relax without being forced to demonstrate my love for Jesus through a show of personal emotion.
The jury’s out for me on whether or not I’m a Christian. Some days, I say yes, and some days… I’m not entirely sure. I know for one thing that I’m much more enamored with the person of Jesus than I am with, say, Paul’s misogyny or the Wrathful God of the Old Testament. I’m on board with “proclaiming liberty to the captives” and the Beattitudes, but beyond that…? Meh.
Kristin