Lurkmore linked some good resources for stuff the bible says in general - the first has an entire section on “Misogyny, Violence & Discrimination Against Women” which links to pages on the second.
ajab named a good one - specifically Esther 1:10-22 if you want to skip to the “good” part.
There’s plenty more heinous shit in the Old Testament, but Good Christians™ like to pretend that’s not their god, so let’s skip to the New Testament where that excuse shouldn’t fly.
Something that’s notable here is that none of the New Testament passages are in the Gospels; there is no (even mythological?) record of Jesus saying or doing anything that asserted women as a less-deserving class.
If we’re talking about Christianity compared to Judaism, the distinctions of the New Testament matter a lot more, and the core of the faith should be what it is judged by. Something in an Epistle matters a lot less than something in the Gospels, especially if the former is not based on the latter. The opinions of Jesus matter a lot more than the opinions of Paul; one can disagree with Paul and still be a Christian, but disagreeing with Jesus makes one non-Christian.
Misogyny in Christianity is a really good example of reactionaries (or egotistic and domineering people) commandeering religion for their own ends, and arguably, that was done with Christianity since they formalized their canon under Constantine to include the commentators that are now seen as objectionable. In some cases you see reform movements within religions that purge them of the controversies, but it could be that the millennia of patriarchy makes a religion unsalvageable.
a- That always seemed understood to be symmetric across the genders, but maybe that was just the milieu I grew up in.
b- I don’t see a reference in that passage to customs over being “unclean” from birthing. Beyond that it just seems like “…and they followed the standard Jewish customs for children”. The consecration seems to be a reference to Exodus, where there is a symbolic role of the story of the escape from captivity. And the passage in Exodus 13 says “first offspring of every womb”, without specification of gender. Someone could interpret “consecration to the Lord” however they wanted, but it seems to have a ceremonial implication rather than a material one.
Do I need to reference the bible quotes again? Or is “Christianity has always been misogynist” clear cut this time around?
I’m down: hit me with some citations please
https://www.lyingforjesus.org/Bible-Contradictions/ https://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/bible.php
Either of these has plenty of examples.
Chapter 1 of The book of Esther and maybe some chapters after too.
Lurkmore linked some good resources for stuff the bible says in general - the first has an entire section on “Misogyny, Violence & Discrimination Against Women” which links to pages on the second.
ajab named a good one - specifically Esther 1:10-22 if you want to skip to the “good” part.
From the start, Eve is blamed for Adam’s actions, and is cursed to be ruled over. In Exodus, we learn the rules for selling your daughters as slaves. There are no good women.
There’s plenty more heinous shit in the Old Testament, but Good Christians™ like to pretend that’s not their god, so let’s skip to the New Testament where that excuse shouldn’t fly.
In 1 Corinthians we learn that women were made for men, and that they must not speak in church because it’s disgraceful. 1 Timothy reiterates that women cannot teach men or have authority over them, and that they’re only good as baby making machines.
Ephesians teaches us that wives must always submit to their husbands, and in case that wasn’t clear enough, they’re reminded in Colossians (slight tangent, though given the instructions for how to sell your daughters into slavery, maybe not that big of one: this is also one of the places where the bible instructs slaves to obey their masters). Not convinced women should submit to men yet? That’s ok, we cover it again in Titus. Still not convinced? Peter has you covered.
It’s a good book.
Something that’s notable here is that none of the New Testament passages are in the Gospels; there is no (even mythological?) record of Jesus saying or doing anything that asserted women as a less-deserving class.
If we’re talking about Christianity compared to Judaism, the distinctions of the New Testament matter a lot more, and the core of the faith should be what it is judged by. Something in an Epistle matters a lot less than something in the Gospels, especially if the former is not based on the latter. The opinions of Jesus matter a lot more than the opinions of Paul; one can disagree with Paul and still be a Christian, but disagreeing with Jesus makes one non-Christian.
Misogyny in Christianity is a really good example of reactionaries (or egotistic and domineering people) commandeering religion for their own ends, and arguably, that was done with Christianity since they formalized their canon under Constantine to include the commentators that are now seen as objectionable. In some cases you see reform movements within religions that purge them of the controversies, but it could be that the millennia of patriarchy makes a religion unsalvageable.
Are the passages “as bad” as the ones I picked? I’d argue no, but:
a- That always seemed understood to be symmetric across the genders, but maybe that was just the milieu I grew up in.
b- I don’t see a reference in that passage to customs over being “unclean” from birthing. Beyond that it just seems like “…and they followed the standard Jewish customs for children”. The consecration seems to be a reference to Exodus, where there is a symbolic role of the story of the escape from captivity. And the passage in Exodus 13 says “first offspring of every womb”, without specification of gender. Someone could interpret “consecration to the Lord” however they wanted, but it seems to have a ceremonial implication rather than a material one.