Christianity & Women's Rights

What do we think?

I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong by living the way I do gender-wise. I'm going to school right now so that I can get a good career, and I don't plan on getting married or having kids but I guess I'm open to the idea (just don't see it as very likely).

However, the Bible has a lot to say about what a woman should do with her life. Is it wrong for a woman to live independently?

I don't mean for this to sound antagonistic at all, I'm just confused because it doesn't seem like women are really that inferior to men, nor are we all the same person with the same goals. I also want to make it clear that I believe in the fulfillment of being a wife, a mother, a homemaker, or even a combination of those, whether or not a career is involved. However, I don't necessarily see that kind of future for myself. Are there restrictions on what women can and cannot, should and should not do? If so, why?

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You are the one to testify what works an what doesn't. The traditional Christian lifestyle is something that works, but we were intended to be servants of God not servants of tradition.

I'm probably going to get into trouble from my hardline Catholic brethren but if you can serve yourself at the same time you can serve God, who is to pass judgement?

That said, Jesus did have something directly to say about the role of men and women and we violate it at our peril.

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But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages of our glory. -- 1 Corintheans 2:7 NRSA

Well, what did He say? I don't want to go against Jesus, but I also don't want to marry someone I don't love just for the sake of it, and I really want to have a career. I don't necessarily feel like God is calling me away from my education or career goals.

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This may have (or may not have) a Catholic slant on things but: You should be submissive to your husband. Doesn't mean you shouldn't offer your heated opinion rolling pin in hand, just that in the end, whatever it is, it's his decision.

You shouldn't get a divorce: You should work things out,

Through Paul we learn: A wife has a duty to her husband (hint, hint). However he has one to you too.
By reason we learn: You shouldn't get an abortion, you shouldn't use birth control.

Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. There should be some good forums here that could nail it down a little further for you.

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But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages of our glory. -- 1 Corintheans 2:7 NRSA

Rereading your OP I should have added that it's not that women are inferior, just submissive. But Christ calls upon us all, man and woman, to be submissive. Not passive, submissive. To be submissive in a marriage just means somebody has to make the final decision, right or wrong, otherwise there is no finality to anything. And as someone who is a husband to a *very* opinionated and control-freak wife (who is also submissive), over time it's just not that big a deal.

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But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages of our glory. -- 1 Corintheans 2:7 NRSA

In respond to the OP:

If I'm to believe Rodney Stark's work on the early church (and in this I think there is evidence) one of the things that made the early church attractive to women was specifically that it did not force them all into marrying. The church considered virginity a perfectly legitimate, and maybe even superior calling. And apparently providing this option was not common elsewhere in that society.

While the later cult of virginity is not present in the NT, widows held a respected place in the church as described in Acts. In 1st Cent Palestine they would have been the only women who were in a position to really live independently. Younger women were either part of their father's household or their husbands. Of course Paul recommended that people not get married, though his particular reason may have been temporary

I don't think there's anything in either the Bible or Christian tradition that mandates marriage. But you need to look at motivation. I doubt anyone would object while you're in school. Later, if you hold back in order to be free to live the life of a "swinger", some might regard it as selfish. But there are plenty of other reasons. Nor would I think those reasons would be very different for men or women. I've been single for my whole life, basically because I'm too socially incompetent to date. I've tried to do useful things with my life.

What if a woman never gets married? Should she let men make the decisions, or are men and women equal in that respect?

Also, is it okay for a woman to never take a husband?

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Originally Posted by stacymay

What if a woman never gets married? Should she let men make the decisions, or are men and women equal in that respect?

Also, is it okay for a woman to never take a husband?

It's okay for a woman to be unmarried so long as she is not promiscuous and the definition of that is left up to God so be careful. If you're not going to get married, and many people don't because they'll lose their Social Security benefits, find a committed relationship and make it work. I would like to hear other opinions on that statement however.

Or you could just dispense with the hassle of relationships entirely. Nuns are a great example. So far as letting men make decisions for you I think you should honor your father but I think that's as far as it goes.

Maybe someone else could weigh in on this.

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But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages of our glory. -- 1 Corintheans 2:7 NRSA

There is nothing unbiblical or ungodly about a woman to live independently, period.

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President of the WACCAV
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For You are the Lord Most High, of great compassion, long-suffering, and very merciful, and You relent at human suffering. O Lord, according to Your great goodness You have promised repentance and forgiveness to those who have sinned against You, and in the multitude of Your mercies You have appointed repentance for sinners so that they may be saved.

-Prayer of Manasseh verse 7 (NRSV)
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Not just woman, but it is not good for man to live alone (Genesis). I interpret that generally to include some exceptions, but why do you assume that you're an exception? It just might not be that phase of life for you right now--"for every season there's a time." (Ecclesiastes). As far as career, there's nothing wrong with a woman having a job--I think conservatives as well as liberals agree on that. Conservatives don't think that women should be pastors but that's about it. Regarding family government, I don't agree with the view that men and women are equal but someone must rule so it might as well be the husband--that's nowhere in the Bible. The true conservative view is that women are generally or universally inferior to men and that's why the man should make the decisions in a marriage. I disagree with that view. I think that everyone can see that that's not the case especially nowadays. I believe there are two sets of verses in the Bible. Some of which refer to the fact that in the ancient uncivilized world, where many matters were settled via brute force, and later on in the early church, when they didn't have access to education, etc., that they were de facto less qualified but there were exceptions even back then (women who were deaconesses). But there's another set of verses which say that inherently and ultimately, there is no difference between men and women, slave and free, etc.