A Biblical Reason...
Feb. 6th, 2005 03:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
songofjoy02If my "struggle with feminism" could be over, it would be over...after reading so much from the last several hundred years that is in defense of women's rights or opposed to it, I wished I had the time and energy to delve into God's Word and spend time considering His thoughts on the matter. But I decided to go to bed early...with my two youngest siblings. They wanted to hear a story, so I turned on the World's Greatest Stories and started hearing the story of "In the Beginning." I didn't realize how much a reading of the first few chapters of Genesis could do to help me clarify things.
1. Yes, woman was created to be a help meet to man.
That was something that women didn't really like...at least those women I read. They dislike the implication that women are inferior to men and they dislike what men do with this idea. However, as people like Astell and Wollstonecraft pointed out, education is kind of important to being successful in this role. A woman need not be stupid to fulfill the role of help meet or mother; indeed, stupidity virtually disqualifies her from that role. If we talk about this from a Scriptural basis, one might conclude (especially after considering the women described in Proverbs 31, Titus 2, and other such passages) that some kind of preparation is needed for this role.
In this context, preparing educationally, spiritually, and practically (in terms of home skills as well as some job experience, in my case, which helps me develop money-making skills as well as people skills) seem essential to being successful as a woman, wife, and mother. In other words, in no way does this concept downplay the importance of what I am doing in life right now.
Of course, there is the consideration that men often abuse these "Scriptural" ideas by twisting them to sound like they mean something else, but I do think that the knowledge and understanding I [hope to] acquire will help me prevent this from happening in a relationship, even if it requires applying I Peter 3--yet with knowledge, not in ignorance or blind obedience.
2. The curse of sin means that my struggle with this may be long-term.
Perhaps that depends on what you think the passage means and how you think it applies to the lives of post-O.T. Christians. If I understand correctly, the curse of women is (in part) to want to usurp the authority of their husbands...and yet that their husbands will rule over them. And maybe, by extension, we could say that a husband's inclination (in general) to tyrannize is also part of this curse. In other words, our obsession with wanting to be in control has to do with the curse of sin, male or female. But for me as a female...to realize that this desire is part of the curse somehow helps me to see that what other people have termed "enlightenment" isn't necessarily anything more than the expression of the curse. Now, obviously, as I've said, some have abused what God says about the roles of men and women...and to correct that hardly seems wrong, but it is legitimate for me to consider that this "new" (past few hundred years) thinking isn't necessarily right, isn't necessarily 100% correct or logical.
Wow. It was all so clear in my mind last night and now I'm having a hard time expressing it. The thing I considered this morning, though, was that even if it answers how I would relate to a husband (mine, if I were married), it doesn't exactly answer what an unmarried daughter's role is. I know some of you are very convinced about Scripture indicating that, but it's hard to answer questions like that with an Enlightenment-oriented argument. They always wanted to argue from natural law, but I don't see a good argument from Adam and Eve (assuming that they would accept that they were the first people and directly created by God in an ideal form and context). That a patriarchal hierarchy has existed for a long time doesn't mean that all aspects or applications of it are necessarily Scriptural, even if what God designed is essentially patriarchal. So I'm not sure what I think about that, although it is not a super practical consideration, since my dad has me make my own decisions, anyway.
But enough of that. I've been praying about whether to go to school this fall, and I expected God to answer through finances, but I really haven't been on-the-ball enough with that to find out what might be happening financially. I'm supposed to write something that would be like a memoir (limited to 600 words), dedicating this one section of it (the part to submit/write) to a specific incident that reveals me as someone who loves to learn. I raise my eyebrows at that assignment and wonder how to fulfill it. There's not much to say about staying up all night to finish assignments or researching what a teacher said to find out if it's true...I mean, that's pretty much what I do all the time, so how would I go about describing that in terms of a specific incident? I haven't a clue how to do that. I'm thinking about going back through my journal to see if I can find something about that, though. I honestly can't think of one "incident." But that's just me.
And the great thing about this essay is that it, along with a "resume'," is supposed to be the means by which (well, in addition to a transcript and basic info. on an application) the school determines whether to award me a transfer scholarship. If only a 4.0 were good enough! LOL! Erin H., whom I've mentioned before, told me Friday that she was on her way to an interview with the SAAB to see about them paying for her schooling entirely. She has a 3.8, but is very involved in the school and various activities (like singing with the choir, etc.), stuff I haven't really had time to do, probably partly because of church involvement. Sometimes I really just don't know how to categorize my life. Do people really want to know about church activities when they ask about community involvement? I haven't done much officially. LOL! But whatever it is keeps me rather busy, somehow.
That's not what I started out to say, though (about praying for direction). I had this idea that God would answer through finances since I didn't see any other way He could (I'm a rather finite person and limited in my thinking, somehow), but it appears that He may be showing me a different way...that school this fall is not the thing to do. No, it has nothing to do with me getting married (no involvement with a guy or interest from one)...and no, my parents haven't said they think I should. But I think that home might be where I need to be, so we shall see.
A break from school would certainly be nice! I spent all day yesterday doing reading for my two literature classes. And then I have two tests to take in two other classes on Thursday; besides that, I have to get a schedule figured out with an elementary school to do observing there in the next few weeks. And, additionally, I am supposed to have an interview at one of the Chamber of Commerce offices in this area (near the school I'm attending, actually). My former boss from Just Perfect got a job there and is interviewing for some kind of part-time position, apparently. She says they don't absolutely need anyone until June (as far as she knows), and I'll be out of school mid-May, so that would possibly work for both of us. A summer and beyond job would be nice, although there's no way I can do anything else before then! I suppose that I should apply to the UofA just to see what financial considerations might come in to play for going there, but I don't know. I'll pray some more. I haven't been very motivated lately.=\ School is kind of overwhelming these days. If I don't get all A's this semester, I'll be completely bummed because I'm trying VERY hard! It doesn't matter because I doubt it will affect whether I get a transfer scholarship (at least for this fall) and I know it won't affect my graduating GPA either from the comm. college or from the university, but I like to know that work pays off.
Enough rambling for an afternoon...time to go find food and finish homework (which I really don't want to do).
1. Yes, woman was created to be a help meet to man.
That was something that women didn't really like...at least those women I read. They dislike the implication that women are inferior to men and they dislike what men do with this idea. However, as people like Astell and Wollstonecraft pointed out, education is kind of important to being successful in this role. A woman need not be stupid to fulfill the role of help meet or mother; indeed, stupidity virtually disqualifies her from that role. If we talk about this from a Scriptural basis, one might conclude (especially after considering the women described in Proverbs 31, Titus 2, and other such passages) that some kind of preparation is needed for this role.
In this context, preparing educationally, spiritually, and practically (in terms of home skills as well as some job experience, in my case, which helps me develop money-making skills as well as people skills) seem essential to being successful as a woman, wife, and mother. In other words, in no way does this concept downplay the importance of what I am doing in life right now.
Of course, there is the consideration that men often abuse these "Scriptural" ideas by twisting them to sound like they mean something else, but I do think that the knowledge and understanding I [hope to] acquire will help me prevent this from happening in a relationship, even if it requires applying I Peter 3--yet with knowledge, not in ignorance or blind obedience.
2. The curse of sin means that my struggle with this may be long-term.
Perhaps that depends on what you think the passage means and how you think it applies to the lives of post-O.T. Christians. If I understand correctly, the curse of women is (in part) to want to usurp the authority of their husbands...and yet that their husbands will rule over them. And maybe, by extension, we could say that a husband's inclination (in general) to tyrannize is also part of this curse. In other words, our obsession with wanting to be in control has to do with the curse of sin, male or female. But for me as a female...to realize that this desire is part of the curse somehow helps me to see that what other people have termed "enlightenment" isn't necessarily anything more than the expression of the curse. Now, obviously, as I've said, some have abused what God says about the roles of men and women...and to correct that hardly seems wrong, but it is legitimate for me to consider that this "new" (past few hundred years) thinking isn't necessarily right, isn't necessarily 100% correct or logical.
Wow. It was all so clear in my mind last night and now I'm having a hard time expressing it. The thing I considered this morning, though, was that even if it answers how I would relate to a husband (mine, if I were married), it doesn't exactly answer what an unmarried daughter's role is. I know some of you are very convinced about Scripture indicating that, but it's hard to answer questions like that with an Enlightenment-oriented argument. They always wanted to argue from natural law, but I don't see a good argument from Adam and Eve (assuming that they would accept that they were the first people and directly created by God in an ideal form and context). That a patriarchal hierarchy has existed for a long time doesn't mean that all aspects or applications of it are necessarily Scriptural, even if what God designed is essentially patriarchal. So I'm not sure what I think about that, although it is not a super practical consideration, since my dad has me make my own decisions, anyway.
But enough of that. I've been praying about whether to go to school this fall, and I expected God to answer through finances, but I really haven't been on-the-ball enough with that to find out what might be happening financially. I'm supposed to write something that would be like a memoir (limited to 600 words), dedicating this one section of it (the part to submit/write) to a specific incident that reveals me as someone who loves to learn. I raise my eyebrows at that assignment and wonder how to fulfill it. There's not much to say about staying up all night to finish assignments or researching what a teacher said to find out if it's true...I mean, that's pretty much what I do all the time, so how would I go about describing that in terms of a specific incident? I haven't a clue how to do that. I'm thinking about going back through my journal to see if I can find something about that, though. I honestly can't think of one "incident." But that's just me.
And the great thing about this essay is that it, along with a "resume'," is supposed to be the means by which (well, in addition to a transcript and basic info. on an application) the school determines whether to award me a transfer scholarship. If only a 4.0 were good enough! LOL! Erin H., whom I've mentioned before, told me Friday that she was on her way to an interview with the SAAB to see about them paying for her schooling entirely. She has a 3.8, but is very involved in the school and various activities (like singing with the choir, etc.), stuff I haven't really had time to do, probably partly because of church involvement. Sometimes I really just don't know how to categorize my life. Do people really want to know about church activities when they ask about community involvement? I haven't done much officially. LOL! But whatever it is keeps me rather busy, somehow.
That's not what I started out to say, though (about praying for direction). I had this idea that God would answer through finances since I didn't see any other way He could (I'm a rather finite person and limited in my thinking, somehow), but it appears that He may be showing me a different way...that school this fall is not the thing to do. No, it has nothing to do with me getting married (no involvement with a guy or interest from one)...and no, my parents haven't said they think I should. But I think that home might be where I need to be, so we shall see.
A break from school would certainly be nice! I spent all day yesterday doing reading for my two literature classes. And then I have two tests to take in two other classes on Thursday; besides that, I have to get a schedule figured out with an elementary school to do observing there in the next few weeks. And, additionally, I am supposed to have an interview at one of the Chamber of Commerce offices in this area (near the school I'm attending, actually). My former boss from Just Perfect got a job there and is interviewing for some kind of part-time position, apparently. She says they don't absolutely need anyone until June (as far as she knows), and I'll be out of school mid-May, so that would possibly work for both of us. A summer and beyond job would be nice, although there's no way I can do anything else before then! I suppose that I should apply to the UofA just to see what financial considerations might come in to play for going there, but I don't know. I'll pray some more. I haven't been very motivated lately.=\ School is kind of overwhelming these days. If I don't get all A's this semester, I'll be completely bummed because I'm trying VERY hard! It doesn't matter because I doubt it will affect whether I get a transfer scholarship (at least for this fall) and I know it won't affect my graduating GPA either from the comm. college or from the university, but I like to know that work pays off.
Enough rambling for an afternoon...time to go find food and finish homework (which I really don't want to do).
