|
|
57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Controversial but convincing viewpoint, April 11, 2000
In this era of the Women's Movement within the Church, feminists are fighting for everything from the right to be ordained to a gender-inclusive translation of the Bible. Annie Laurie Gaylor's Woe to the Women, the Bible Tells Me So is a refreshing look at the opposite Feminist viewpoint of Christianity: it is harmful to women, and they should stay as far way from it as possible.This is a very harsh and controversial position to take, but Gaylor backs it up well in her book. Each chapter addresses a topic of interest to women and explains how the Bible treats the issue. For instance, the "Creation" chapter explains how the Bible shows women as the cause of the downfall of the human race, "Rape" shows alarming views featured in the Old and New Testament about this awful violition of women, and "The Strange Woman" shows how the Bible continually insults women and makes them metaphors for all kinds of evil things. Apparantly, the Christian god apparantly sees no problem in men ravaging women for their own pleasure, and he even sees exposing women's genitals as suitable punishment for their pride. Gaylor shows this in the book when she quotes from Isaiah 3:16-17: "Moreover the Lord sayeth, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts." If nothing else, Woe to the Women should be read by those who feel that there is nothing sexist about Christianity or the Bible, so that they can discover shocking verses such as this, which Gaylor proves shows a very negative view of women. Mothers who would not let their children hear this kind of violence and insulting language toward women on TV are also convinced that the Bible is a good, moral guide. Woe to the Women provides startling and convincing evidence to the contrary. Gaylor, who is Co-Founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, current Editor of Freethought Now newsletter, and former Editor of the Feminist Connection, also does a good job of relating the Biblical position on women to problems that women are facing today. She makes a convincing statement for women's skepticism, and provides a strong challenging voice for those feminists who feel that Christianity is a good thing for women. What does she think about the current women's movement within Christianity? In a recent email, Gaylor told me that she agrees with "with (ex-communicated Mormon) Sonia Johnson's remark that her favorite fantasy is that next Sunday no woman would go to church and they will collapse. They depend on women's devotion for their very existence. Even if they (Feminist Bible Scholars and Apoligists) try to make 'god' unisex they haven't deleted and will not be able to delete the patriarchal set-up of Catholicism and organized religion." She says that "women who would never think of asking for male permission or male approval think nothing of seeking 'divine' approval. You can't argue Feminism by authority. By playing patriarchy's game, women lose." The only problem with Woe to the Women is its briefness, and it would be much better if it would go more in depth instead of skimming over all the different areas of sexism found in the Bible. However, it is a quick and easy reference to use in the future, and it makes for a fast and fascinating read. In the age of Christian Feminism and religious self-help books for women, Gaylor brings us back to suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton's original points made in her book The Woman's Bible: Christianity is and always has been a patriarchal and sexist religion, and women would be best to stay uninvolved. Although not the viewpoint of every feminist, it is certainly backed up by Annie Laurie Gaylor, and deserves to be read if only to get a good understanding of the opposing side's opinion.
|
See all Editorial Reviews
