Women in Christianity and Islam
This site was taken from http://members.aol.com/RamiKen/women.htm. However, I also modified and added many verses and comments to it.
What the New Testament has to say:
1 Timothy 2:11-14 "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."
1 Corinthians 14:34 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."
Men can shave the women's heads if women don't cover their heads:
1 Corinthians 11:5-10: "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels."
1 Corinthians 11:13: "Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God (with her head) uncovered?"
What the Old Testament has to say:
Deuteronomy 22:28-30 "If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives."
(This verse was taken from the NIV Bible. The NIV Bible is the most trusted and used Bible among Trinitanian Christians. Many other authors of other bibles were ashamed of this verse and changed the words "rapes her" to words like "lay hold on her" or "seizes her and lies down with her". Other Bibles like the WE Bible removed this verse completely, which is a total corruption !.)
One must ask a simple question here, who is really punished, the man who raped the woman or the woman who was raped? What is to prevent someone from finding the best looking woman in town, raping her, telling everyone about it, and then having the courts force her to be his wife for the rest of her life?
We all hear about "date rapes" here in the US and Europe. If the Christian groups from the "Army of God" who blow abortion clinics in the US, or the owners of www.godhatesfags.com ever rule their churches over the state, then we will see things such as men brutally raping the women they sexually desire the most on their dates, then take these women to court and sue them and prove that they raped them. Then marry them by force, and continue raping them for the rest of their natural life.
This might sound harsh and mean to you, but in reality, it is all allowed in the Bible, and this is how it would be if the church from the Fundamentalist Christians rule over the state. In the middle centuries, women in the Christian societies had absolutely no value !!. They were only sex objects controlled and played with by their masters, the men.
Exodus 21:7-8 "And in case a man should sell his daughter as a slave girl, she will not go out in the way that the slave men go out. If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master so that he doesn't designate her as a concubine but causes her to be redeemed, he will not be entitled to sell her to a foreign people in his treacherously dealing with her."
Here in this verse we can see that fathers can easily and freely sell their daughters as slaves to other men. The other men are free to rape the daughters if they wish to do so.
Deuteronomy 25:11-12 "And in case men struggle together (in a fight) with one another, and
the wife of the one has come near to deliver her husband out of the striking one (to save
her husband), and she has thrust out her hand and grabbed hold of his private
(the other man's groin), she must then get both
her hands cut off, and the eyes of the men must feel no sorrow."
One has to ask himself a very simple question here: Why should the wife who is
trying to save her husband from brutal beating by another man get both her hands cut off?
and why should we not have any mercy on her? Does this sound inspired from God
to you? Be honest with yourself.
Leviticus 21:9 "And the daughter of any priest, if
she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be
burnt with fire."
Why a priests daughter be burnt in fire just because her father is a priest if she decides
to act like a whore? Is this fair? Should it make a difference whether
or not a girl's father is a priest or not?
Ecclesiastes 25:22 "Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die." (from the Catholics Bible) Women in the Bible are considered evil !!!.
Ecclesiasticus 22:3 "....and the birth of ANY daughter is a loss" (From the New Jerusalem Bible. It's a Roman Catholics Bible); Roman Catholics today form more than 75% of the Christians population throughout the world. Why should the Bible give stupid (with all respect to you) generalizing statements like that about ALL women?
Leviticus 12:2-5, if a woman gives birth to a baby boy, then she becomes unclean for 7 days. But if she gives birth to a baby girl, then she becomes unclean for 14 days. This verse is another proof that women in the Bible are disliked to be born !.
Ecclesiastics 7:26-28 "And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare....while I was still searching but not finding, I found one upright man among a thousand but not one upright woman among them all". The Bible claims that it is impossible to find a single good woman among a thousand women.
Let us examine the following two verses from the book Leviticus:
Let us look at Leviticus 20:15 "If a man has sexual relations with an animal,
he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal."
Let us look at Leviticus 20:16 "If
a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the
woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own
heads."
Notice that in Leviticus 20:15 the man has to be caught
having sex with an animal in order for him to be put to death. We have to be sure 100%
beyond the shadow of the doubt to kill him.
Notice however in Leviticus 20:16 that if a woman only looks
SUSPICIOUS and not necessarily get caught having sex with an animal, she would still be
put to death. We do not have to be sure 100% beyond the
shadow of the doubt with her in order for us to kill her.
It is beyond question that Leviticus
20:15 and Leviticus 20:16 prove that the Bible prefers
to put women to death whenever an opportunity presents itself!
Also, who determines whether she was approaching the animal for sex or not?
What ever happened to the "Beyond the shadow of the doubt" court law!!
Further more in the Bible:
Genesis 3:12-16 "And the man (Adam) said, The woman (Eve) whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
Leviticus 12:2-5 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a MALE child: then she shall be unclean SEVEN DAYS; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying THIRTY THREE days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a FEMALE child, then she shall be unclean TWO WEEKS, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying SIXTY SIX days."
Leviticus 15:19-30 "And if a woman have an issue (her period/menses), [and] her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And if it [be] on [her] bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean. And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she [shall be] unclean. Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And the priest shall offer the one [for] a sin offering, and the other [for] a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness."
In other words, the Bible teaches us that:
1)Women should learn in silence and subjugation.
2)Women should not teach.
3)Women should not have authority over men but should remain silent.
4)Adam and Eve were not equal in sin. Adam was not deceived but Eve was.
5)Women are commanded to be under obedience to men. God ordained that men shall for all time rule over women
6)Women must keep silent in Churches. It is shameful for them to open their mouths therein. If they have a question they should ask their husbands before going to church and then their husbands will ask for them in the church.
7)A woman should neither pray nor profess with her head uncovered.
8)If a woman prays with her head uncovered then she might as well shave her head.
9)Man was created in the image and glory of God, and Woman was created in the glory of Man, thus Man must have power over her.
10)Any woman who delivers a male baby shall be unclean for one week. But any woman who delivers a female baby shall be unclean for TWO weeks. Thus, females make their mothers DOUBLY unclean as compared to males.
11)While it is possible to find one upright man in every thousand, it is impossible to find even one single upright woman in every thousand
12)Woman is a snare, her heart is a trap, and her hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but she will ensnare the sinner.
13)If a woman had her period and touches a chair or a bed or anything else then that item immediately becomes unclean. Anyone who then touches those things shall also become unclean. They must then bathe themselves and wash their clothes because they have touched an item that a menstruous woman has touched.
What the canonized saints of Christianity said about women:
"Woman is a daughter of falsehood, a sentinel of Hell, the enemy of peace; through her Adam lost paradise" (St. John Demascene)
"Woman is the instrument which the devil uses to gain possession of our souls" (St. Cyprian)
"Woman is the fountain of the arm of the devil, her voice is the hissing of the serpent" (St. Anthony)
"Woman has the poison of an asp, the malice of a dragon" (St. Gregory)
St. Tertullian, while he was talking to his 'best beloved sisters' in the faith, he said, "Do you not know that you are each an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the Devil's gateway: You are the unsealer of the forbidden tree: You are the first deserter of the divine law: You are she who persuaded him whom the devil wasn't valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God's image, man." Once again, St. Augustine wrote to a friend, "What is the difference whether it is in a wife or a mother, it is still Eve the temptress that we must beware of in any woman." Centuries later, St. Thomas Aquinas still considered women as defective, "As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active force in the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of woman comes from a defect in the active force or from some material indisposition, or even from some external influence." (all these quotations can be found in Karen Armstrong's book, The Gospel According to Woman, London: Elm Tree Books, 1986, pp. 52-62. See also Nancy van Vuuren, The Subversion of Women as Practiced by Churches, Witch-Hunters, and Other Sexists Philadelphia: Westminster Press pp.28-30.)
Orthodox Jewish men in their daily morning prayer recite "Blessed be God King of the universe that Thou has not made me a woman." The women, on the other hand, thank God every morning for "making me according to Thy will" (Thena Kendath, "Memories of an Orthodox youth" in Susannah Heschel, ed. On being a Jewish Feminist, New York: Schocken Books, 1983, pp. 96-97)
According to the Jewish Talmud, "women are exempt from the study of the Torah." In the first century C.E., Rabbi Eliezer said: "If any man teaches his daughter Torah it is as though he taught her lechery" (Leonard J. Swidler, Women in Judaism: the Status of Women in Formative Judaism, Metuchen, N.J: Scarecrow Press, 1976, pp. 83-93)
According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University) in his book 'The Jewish woman in Rabbinic literature', it was the custom of Jewish women to go out in public with a head covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face leaving one eye free (Psychosocial Perspective, Hoboken, N.J: Ktav Publishing House, 1986, p. 239). He quotes some famous ancient Rabbis saying, "It is not like the daughters of Israel to walk out with heads uncovered" and "Cursed be the man who lets the hair of his wife be seen....a woman who exposes her hair for self-adornment brings poverty." Rabbinic law forbids the recitation of blessings or prayers in the presence of a bareheaded married woman since uncovering the woman's hair is considered "nudity" (Ibid., pp. 316-317. Also see Swidler, op. cit., pp. 121-123). Dr. Brayer also mentions that "During the Tannaitic period the Jewish woman's failure to cover her head was considered an affront to her modesty. When her head was uncovered she might be fined four hundred zuzim for this offense." Dr. Brayer also explains that veil of the Jewish woman wasn't always considered a sign of modesty. Sometimes, the veil symbolized a state of distinction and luxury rather than modesty. The veil personified the dignity and superiority of noble women. It, also, represented a woman's inaccessibility as a sanctified possession of her husband (24. Ibid., p. 139). It is clear in the Old Testament that uncovering a woman's head was a great disgrace and that's why the priest had to uncover the suspected adulteress in her trial by ordeal (Numbers 5:16-18).
St. Tertullian in his famous treatise 'On The Veiling Of Virgins' wrote, "Young women, you wear your veils out on the streets, so you should wear them in the church, you wear them when you are among strangers, then wear them among your brothers..." Among the Canon laws of the Catholic church today, there is a law that require women to cover their heads in church (Clara M. Henning, " Cannon Law and the Battle of the Sexes" in Rosemary R. Ruether, ed., Religion and Sexism: Images of Woman in the Jewish and Christian Traditions, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974, p. 272.).
Some Christian denominations, such as the Amish and the Mennonites for example, keep their women veiled to the present day. The reason for the veil, as offered by their Church leaders, is "The head covering is a symbol of woman's subjection to the man and to God" : The same logic introduced by St. Paul in the New Testament (Donald B. Kraybill, The riddle of the Amish Culture, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989, p. 56.)
Russian Orthodox women are expected to wear a head covering when in the church. Most don't outside of it in America, but many in Russia and many other eastern Orthodox women all over eastern Europe, Greece, and the middle east do wear scarves on their heads all the time when in public
These are only a small sampling. For many more similar quotations please obtain a copy of the 70 page book "Women in Islam Versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition: The Myth & The Reality," By Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
Continuing, according to the Old Testament, a childless widow must marry her husband's brother, even if he is already married and regardless of her consent, so that she might bear a child from him (Deuteronomy 25:5).
According to Numbers 27:1-11, widows and sisters don't inherit at all. Daughters can inherit only if their deceased father had no sons.
Women in Islam:
So what is the standpoint of the Qur'an with regard to women? Women are indeed commanded by Allah to cover their heads and wear modest clothing, however, in Islam this is not a sign of denigration or subjugation to men, rather, it is a sign of chastity, modesty, and the fear of God. It also designates this woman to all men who might deal with her that she is to be dealt with with respect. This could be compared to the situation in the West when one meets a nun or priest, how the nun's habit and the priest's robes signal those who meet them that this person does not condone vulgarity of speech or evil actions. This is made apparent in the Qur'an in Al-Ahzab:
"… that is closer to their being recognized so that they shall not be abused, and Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful" Al-Ahzab(33):59 (also see Noor(24):31)
What about the rights of women in Islam? Are they indeed, as the popular propaganda would have us believe, "second class citizens"? Let us read the Qur'an:
"And they (women) have rights similar to those of men over them in a just manner"
The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqarah(2):228
"And their Lord has heard them (and He says): Verily! I suffer not the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. You proceed one from another. So those who fled and were driven forth from their homes and suffered damage for My cause, and fought and were slain, verily I shall remit their evil deeds from them and verily I shall bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow. A reward from Allah. And with Allah is the fairest of rewards."
The noble Qur'an, A'al-Umran(3):195.
"And covet not the thing in which Allah has made some of you excel others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a fortune from that which they have earned. (Envy not one another) but ask Allah of His bounty. Verily! Allah is Knower of all things."
The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):32.
"Unto the men (of a family) belongs a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, and unto the women a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, whether it be little or much, a legal share."
The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):77.
"And whoso does good works, whether of male or female, and he (or she) is a believer, such will enter paradise and they will not be wronged the dint in a date stone."
The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):124.
"And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise."
The noble Qur'an, Al-Tauba(9):71
"Whosoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily We shall quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do."
The noble Qur'an, Al-Nahil(16):97.
"And of His signs is this: He created for you spouses from yourselves that you might find tranquillity in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for folk who reflect."
The noble Qur'an, Al-Room(30):21
"Whoso does an ill deed, he will be repaid the like thereof, while whoso does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, (all) such will enter the Garden, where they will be nourished without stint."
The noble Qur'an, Mumin(40):40.
In the Qur'an, both Adam and Eve share the blame for eating from the tree. This can be seen in the Qur'an in such verses as Al-Baqarah(2):36, Al-A'araf(7):22-24. They were also both forgiven by God Almighty for this sin. Actually, in one verse of the Qur'an (Taha(20):121), Adam is specifically blamed.
Islam encourages spouses to take each other's council and to seek mutual agreement in matters which affect them, for example, in the Qur'an, Al-Bakarah(2):233 we read:
"Mothers shall suckle their children for two whole years; (that is) for those who wish to complete the suckling. The duty of feeding and clothing nursing mothers in a seemly manner is upon the father of the child. No one should be charged beyond their capacity. A mother should not be made to suffer because of her child, nor should he to whom the child is born (be made to suffer) because of his child. And on the (father's) heir is incumbent the like of that (which was incumbent on the father). If they desire to wean the child by mutual consent and (after) consultation, it is no sin for them; and if you wish to give your children out to nurse, it is no sin for you, provided that you pay what is due from you in kindness. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is Seer of what you do."
Husbands are commanded to treat their wives with kindness and respect. In Al-Nissa(4)-19 we read
"..But consort with them in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein Allah has placed much good."
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
"The best believers are the best in conduct, and the best of you are those who are best to their wives."
When Muhammad (pbuh) first became the prophet of Islam, the Pagans of Arabia had inherited a similar disregard for woman as had been passed down among their Jewish and Christian neighbors. So disgraceful was it considered among them to be blessed with a female child that they would go so far as to bury this baby alive in order to avoid the disgrace associated with female children.
Through the teachings of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh) put a swift and resounding end to this evil practice. Not only did he severely discourage and condemn this act but he also used to teach them to respect and cherish their daughters and mothers as partners and sources of salvation for the men of their family:
AbuSa'id al-Khudri narrated:
"The Prophet (pbuh) said: If anyone cares for three daughters, disciplines them, marries them, and does good by them, he will enter Paradise."
(Narrated by Abu-Dawood)
Abdullah the son of Abbas narrated:
"The Prophet (pbuh) said: If anyone has a female child, and does not bury her alive, or slight her, or prefer his male children over her, Allah will bring him into Paradise."
(Narrated by Abu-Dawood)
Muhammad (pbuh) is also sited in "Sahih Muslim" as saying:
"Whoever maintains two girls till they attain maturity, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like this; and he joined his fingers".
In other words, if one loves the messenger of Allah and wishes to be with him on the day of resurrection in heaven, then they should do good by their daughters.
To learn more about the rights of women in Islam, the issue of modest dress codes, the issue of polygamy, and many other issues which can not be covered here, I highly recommend the following books:
1.Women in Islam Versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition: The Myth & The Reality, By Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
2."The Status of Women in Islam," by Dr. Jamal A. Badawi, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
3."Women's rights in Islam," by Lea Zaitoun, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
4."Gender Equity in Islam," by Dr. Jamal Badawi, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
Jochen Katz and many other bible thumpers like him vainly try to prove the horrid position of Woman in Islam. I recommend all readers to to Visit "God's" Opinion on Woman. The Female Author is a former christian and x-missionary.
Polygamy in the New Testament, Jesus allowed Polygamy in the Gospel of Matthew.
Women in Islam versus the women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition: Myth and Reality
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