Now, I’d first like to address that I am not going to bash Christianity or convince anyone to alter their religious views, especially since I too, am strongly questioning what I believe in.
However, in the Bible there are some heavily debated issues in society which are brought up that I cannot help but notice appear to be less equalizing than society and actually promote the inequalities that individuals try to overcome. This promotion can either stem from what the text is actually trying to convey or just common interpretations of the text. All I can do is question it.
Growing up with a mother who identifies as Agnostic and a Christian father, I was really torn between the two views for a long time. Then, in eighth grade, I was sent to a Christian school, which ingrained various principles of this particular faith, and I was surrounded by others who heavily influenced the way I thought. Some examples are saving sex for marriage, people should not act on love that is homosexual, et cetera.
Yet that all changed once I left the school and went on to attend DePauw University, where I was able to understand societal issues without such a Christianized, conservative outlook.
While forming a more liberal viewpoint, I began to go back and analyze texts I had previously read prior to this way of thinking. Beginning with a verse found in 1 Timothy 2:12, St. Paul says, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, she must be silent."
This extract is frequently used to defend the objection to having women priests. Although, why should women be confined to do certain jobs when it is okay for men to pursue this particular career path and have their voice heard over women?
Diving deeper, I have also noticed that my dad would always say, “Why is your mother so dominant, when I’m the man and men are supposed to be in charge of the household?” Never understanding why he thought this was the case, I later came across 1 Corinthians 11:3 where it reads, “God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of every man, and man is the head of woman.”
At first glance, it seems that the Bible is in support of male dominance. However, this verse has also been interpreted by many as man is a source of dependence for a woman rather than an authoritative figure. Despite these two opposing viewpoints, the dominance men have had over females for generations in the United States is undeniable as well as the fact that the United States was established on “Christian morals.” Considering the fact that not everyone interprets biblical scripture the same, it is extremely vital to understand that Christianity is not necessarily what encourages inequality in the world, it is how oppressive groups perceive this information and proceed to inflict it on society.
Therefore, incorporating religion into laws and societal regulations becomes dangerous since man will only find ways to use the text to their advantage.