Skip to main content

Does the Bible say women are lesser than men?

 


Does the Bible say women are lesser than men? It is a very controversial topic and it's essence can often be lost amidst toxic masculinity and pseudo feminism. People tend to think that the Bible portrays a picture where women are lesser than men, especially in a marriage.

 The verse usually quoted for this is 1 Peter 3:7, where a woman is referred to as a 'weaker vessel'. Two things are failed to be noticed here. One, people don't consider the whole verse - the few words before 'weaker vessel' are literally '...giving honour unto the wife...", so it does not give a husband or a man to mistreat his wife or a woman respectively. Two, weaker does not necessarily mean lesser. It shows the physical ability in which man and women were created, and it could also refer to Eve when she gave into temptation first. 

Even when it comes to physical ability, one can't say one is better and stronger than the other, be it a man or a woman. Biologically speaking, women have a lot of pain receptors and high pain endurance than men. In other words, even a small pain for a man can be very sharp for a woman. Whereas long term pain like menstrual cramps and labour pain, can be handled by women better. 

When men are not given the right to mistreat women, it goes likewise in the case of women as well. Yes, a wife is asked to submit to her husband. Now submission doesn't go to show being a slave. 
As Matthew Henry, explains, "Women were created from the rib of man to be beside him, not from his head to top him, nor from his feet to be trampled by him, but from under his arm to be protected by him, near to his heart to be loved by him..." 
Moreover we read in Galatians 3:28 of the Bible,
 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is *neither male nor female*: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

This can be taken for any matter, not just among men and women. Be it a friendship or marriage, generally, mutual respect, and consideration for the other is needed from both sides. 

Equality is different from equity, which is something one needs to remember. We have different roles and abilities however it does not mean anyone is less valuable. We humans are codependent beings and respecting one another, being affectionate and empathetic leads to a better and peaceful society, no matter what  situation it may be.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cultural Tapestry of Food

 Food, clothing and shelter are needed for man's survival, among which food takes the first place. Food comes from the late Old English word 'fōda' of Germanic origin, relating to the word fodder. Apart from filling us up, food plays a major role in the culture of a country, society, etc. The ingredients of a country's national dish tell us more about the country than the dish itself.  Each dish holds a story, the heritage of the place it's from. The ingredients of a dish tell us, what the place it's from is best known for. For example, India has a extremely diverse cuisine. However most of it's dishes have a flavour explosion and lots of spices related to them, thus showing India's excellency in spice  production.   In literature food can indicate status or milieu; we see references to eating tend to be symbolic; even in fiction and fantasy. The author involves scenes where the main character, enters into the fantasy world, gets to try let's say for...
1 comment
Read more

Thrills and Chills of Commuting Solo

  Hi there! Welcome to my blog. Here I sprinkle my thoughts on various, random topics. Today, I wanted to write on commuting solo.  Commuting alone, for the first time that too for quite a long distance was a very exciting adventure for me. I remember the very first day of college when I caught the bus and took my seat. The bus started moving and there was this head rush I felt. The places I had seen before in that route when I travelled with my parents seemed so different. Commuting solo unveils a new perspective of the place one lives in. Be it the sky painted in changing hues of purple,pink, blue and yellow, or spotting  rainbows and uniquely shaped clouds, or just taking a power nap, all these add to the allure of solo commuting. I would be lying if I say, even today I feel the same enthusiasm and excitement as I did on the very first day of this experience. This whole thing can become mundane and a bit boring as time elapses, particularly when traversing the exact sa...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Nerves to Cheers: A Reflection on our 'Animal Farm' Adventure.

 Recently, in my college, my class had its  'Animal Farm' day. This basically is a day when the whole class, divided into teams, performs each chapter of the novel 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell, which is a part of the syllabus. It has sort of become a tradition in our college, as we heard from our seniors that they performed it in their first year as well. The day begun with most of us being a bag of nerves, worrying about how we were going to perform. The first four teams had to perform in front of our HOD. To add to this pressure, our class was informed that students from another college had come to watch our performances. The first four teams gave splendid performances.  Honestly, I remember sitting there, me and a few of my teammates hoping that our play wouldn't be lacking and that it turns out good. Then we shifted to our classroom after the first four plays were done. The other teams' plays that I got to watch, the level of  creativity was amazing. It wa...
Post a Comment
Read more