The Bible says that the woman was created as a helper for the man, but what does that mean? What does it mean to help and how is she supposed to help? This scripture does not mean women/wives are only “the help” as in maids.
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Contradiction: Jesus Anointed at Bethany
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all tell the story of Jesus being anointed by a woman with oil (named Mary Magdelene in some accounts), and she is scolded for it (by Judas in John’s account), but some details don’t seem to harmonize across all four Gospel accounts. It seems that they are different events but with similar actions, or in the same event with conflicting details.
Continue readingAdultery: Men vs Women
Why does the bible mainly focus on women committing adultery? Numbers chapter 5 describes a purity ceremony that determines if the wife cheated but there is no equivalent for men. It may be that the classification of adultery differs under a polygamous system.
Continue readingThe Choice of Life or Death
In Deut 30:19 God says, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”
Previously, I wrote an article called “Contraception in the Bible”, which may lead some to ask if abortion is a form of contraception. What is the definition of abortion and does it match the definition of murder?
Continue readingWomen Wearing Pants
Some people have used Deut 22:5 to suggest that women can’t wear pants, because it is “men’s clothing”. Is that correct? Are they actually men’s clothing? Also, can Deut 22:5 even be applied to non-Jews outside of Israel? Should Gentiles also put tassels on their clothing to remember the law as Deut 22:12 says?
Continue readingWomen’s Hair in the Bible
Should Christian women cover their hair? It seems like that is what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 11:1-15. However cultural context reveals that there is more to this.
Continue readingWomen Speaking in Church
1 Tim 2:11-15 and 1 Cor 14:34-35 are often sighted as sexist verses in the bible that require women to be absolutely silent in church. However proper examination of the original language and context of this letter reveals that it’s not like that. First of all, if women weren’t allowed to speak at all, then why does Paul instruct them on how to pray and prophesy in 1 Corinthians 11:5, both of which require speaking? Women who were prophets in the bible can be found in Exodus 15:20, Judges 4:4-5, Luke 2:36, Acts 2:17, and Acts 21:9.
Continue reading3 Interpretations of 1 Timothy 2:12-15
There are 3 interpretations of 1 Timothy 2:12-15, concerning the role of women in the church. Both letters to Timothy were written to help him deal with an uprising of false teachers in the church of Ephesus. These false teachers, Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus (these are the one’s Paul names) were not women, but they were influencing the women.
Continue readingBiblical Virginity
The old testament primarily only defines physical virginity, which is defined by a woman having an intact hymen, so men have not ever labeled virgins in scripture, nor in most ancient cultures. However, as I will explain further that there are some spiritual principles revealed in ritual purity laws of the old testament that feed into the definition of sexual immorality in the new testament. Eunuchs are recognized as not interested in marriage, but that doesn’t mean they are all virgins, some may have had sex before getting castrated. Only procreative sex acts deal with virginity, so same-sex intercourse and beastiality didn’t count but those were violations of the moral laws and punishable by death. Some may use this to argue that they can escape virginity loss by having oral or anal sex, however, the spiritual aspects of this apply to what happens in the heart and mind regarding the subject of sex.
Continue readingWere the Apostles Sexist?
Some suggest that the apostles (especially Paul) are sexist, but I have doubts about that. If one were to look up famous women in Rome, one would find that most if not all of the women recorded were daughters or wives of government officials. Not much room for common women to have any value in Roman history. If a common woman were to have done anything significant in history from that era and culture, they would not have recognized it. Remember Jesus’ tomb was discovered by the women, so if the apostles wanted to lie about the resurrection why did they admit that women were the first witnesses? In first-century Judah, a woman’s word was invalid in court, so eyewitness accounts by women didn’t actually count because that is how sexist the culture was. Considering the culture, it would make more sense to lie and say the men found the tomb empty since a woman’s words are considered gossip and unreliable by the men of society. It did the apostles a disservice to even mentioned that women were involved, this point brings us to Paul.
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