I mean, Jesus was a guy. Personally, I don't see an angry tyrant in his example, but I understand he's not represented the same in every context. There's a lively debate in Catholic and Protestant circles about the role of women in the church. For historical context, Christianity was often called a religion of women in the first few cent…
I mean, Jesus was a guy. Personally, I don't see an angry tyrant in his example, but I understand he's not represented the same in every context. There's a lively debate in Catholic and Protestant circles about the role of women in the church. For historical context, Christianity was often called a religion of women in the first few centuries. Jesus certainly models a masculinity that is definition defying for all times. Paul continually elevated women above the role prescribed by the household codes of the Roman Empire. For OT, Israelite women were treated far more generously than many near east peers, and they didn't need religious roles to expect that treatment.
While the God as father is a chosen representation by God, it's not the only analogy they choose to use, at least in the 66 books of the protestant bible.
I think it's a big stretch to say patriarchy was introduced with monotheism, but I don't know that this is the right forum for that, and it probably will just be a matter of selected sources. I can source the above items if desired, feel free to DM me.
TL:DR, I think most of the time, the problem is men, not the God they worship. Especially when it comes to their sexist abuses.
Jehovah, an absentee father who smites his children at the slightest whim. Yeah, the problem is men and God is one… As Voltaire observed: “God created humankind in his image and we returned the favor.”
"an absentee father who smites his children at the slightest whim"
Lol I think you are so impressed with how that sounds that you've failed to notice it almost couldn't be a less accurate description of the biblical God.
God in the Bible is incredibly, intimately, actively present in the lives of humans and him being extremely reluctant about smiting is rather famously the point of a lot of the Old Testament.
Well, there was that "flood thing" a series of plagues in Egypt, and we needn't forget Sodom and Gomorrah plus the fate of Lot's wife for simply rubber-necking.
I mean, apart from the problems created by taking all of those stories at face value, how does any of that show God smiting people on a whim?
Egypt was doing racial slavery and baby murder, both of which seem pretty smiteworthy to me. And in the flood story literally everyone was evil. For S&G it was organised unanimous gang rape, and that was just the carrot on top of a pretty bad reputation.
Without exploring any even moderately sophisticated notions of God or the scripture, these don't seem like evidence of particularly trivial smiting tendencies.
I mean, Jesus was a guy. Personally, I don't see an angry tyrant in his example, but I understand he's not represented the same in every context. There's a lively debate in Catholic and Protestant circles about the role of women in the church. For historical context, Christianity was often called a religion of women in the first few centuries. Jesus certainly models a masculinity that is definition defying for all times. Paul continually elevated women above the role prescribed by the household codes of the Roman Empire. For OT, Israelite women were treated far more generously than many near east peers, and they didn't need religious roles to expect that treatment.
While the God as father is a chosen representation by God, it's not the only analogy they choose to use, at least in the 66 books of the protestant bible.
I think it's a big stretch to say patriarchy was introduced with monotheism, but I don't know that this is the right forum for that, and it probably will just be a matter of selected sources. I can source the above items if desired, feel free to DM me.
TL:DR, I think most of the time, the problem is men, not the God they worship. Especially when it comes to their sexist abuses.
Jehovah, an absentee father who smites his children at the slightest whim. Yeah, the problem is men and God is one… As Voltaire observed: “God created humankind in his image and we returned the favor.”
"an absentee father who smites his children at the slightest whim"
Lol I think you are so impressed with how that sounds that you've failed to notice it almost couldn't be a less accurate description of the biblical God.
God in the Bible is incredibly, intimately, actively present in the lives of humans and him being extremely reluctant about smiting is rather famously the point of a lot of the Old Testament.
Well, there was that "flood thing" a series of plagues in Egypt, and we needn't forget Sodom and Gomorrah plus the fate of Lot's wife for simply rubber-necking.
I mean, apart from the problems created by taking all of those stories at face value, how does any of that show God smiting people on a whim?
Egypt was doing racial slavery and baby murder, both of which seem pretty smiteworthy to me. And in the flood story literally everyone was evil. For S&G it was organised unanimous gang rape, and that was just the carrot on top of a pretty bad reputation.
Without exploring any even moderately sophisticated notions of God or the scripture, these don't seem like evidence of particularly trivial smiting tendencies.
Gee Lluwellyn, I didn't know you and God were so tight. 🙏
That isn't a super substantive response. I guess we'll just leave this there then?