This is Michelangelo's masterpiece. I love the way he feminized the serpent by giving it breasts (well, one). As if women didn't get enough flack for Eve's sin... now we get to be the cause of the temptation too!
Gossaert's version shows Adam trying in vain to stop the mischievous little Eve from destroying mankind's chance at perfection and eternal bliss.
No wonder the church fathers hated us so much. But, that's a subject for another entry.
At the bottom of my facetiousness there is a point: How does a woman wholly embrace a religion in which she is represented in an unfavorable manner? It's not just Christianity, mind you - it goes far beyond that. But that is the question du jour. I went to a message board a few days ago and asked if there were any Christian women out there who have ever struggled with the patriarchal nature of the religion. I only got one response, and that was from a woman who said that her struggles with it led her to forsake Christianity altogether.
2 comments:
I actually stumbled across your blog from that message board. My response is yes, I have struggled with that my whole life. I always felt out of place becuase where I was gifted were areas that were reserved for men only. But becuase of my non-confrontaional nature I did nothing about it, which I regret.
But, instead of leaving the church I feel as if my calling is to hopefully change such attitudes so that young girls like me won't feel lost as I did.
I kept it brief becuase I didn't want to make a comments pages long.
No, no, by all means, write as much as you want to. That's the reason I stuck my link in message boards... not that I want to be read so much as I would like to hear other people's views on these subjects.
I used to want to be a pastor, and boy was that ever fun. My landlord (who was a pastor) said that he thought women shouldn't be pastors. He was on his third wife at the time. Love the whole picking and choosing thing people have going on when it comes to the Bible.
I think your solution is great, and will definitely be helpful to younger women.
Post a Comment