Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Oh My! (we sure needed feminism)

Having arrived on an early morning flight, I was in an eastern city having breakfast with the two women who had met me at the airport. They wanted to know if I agreed with the prominent speaker who told them the truly submissive wife would be a prostitute if her husband told her to do so. This man had suggested that if the wife had enough faith, God might pull off a last-minute rescue operation. But regardless, she was to obey and not talk back.
Florence Bulle, God Wants You Rich, 1983

Oh my. I couldn't imagine. I couldn't imagine being in a relationship with someone who valued me and our intimacy so little that he would order me to sleep with someone else, and I couldn't imagine being in a relationship where I valued myself so little that I would feel obligated to obey. I couldn't imagine being in a community where this flavor of submission would be expected of me.

I haven't always held the opinions I currently do regarding a woman's status compared to men, especially in a marriage, but I don't think I ever would have thought this was okay. I mourn for the women who felt like they had to believe it.

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