Hi, Nancy!!!
I don't believe at all that Jesus himself was abusive towards women. Historically, however, Judaism and Christianity both had fierce and somewhat unyielding male God figures, who were full of wrath and anger. The agrarian, fertility oriented, Goddess-centered religions prior to that time were female-centered ones. Islam as it was written originally was full of love and respect for women. It is difficult to see that now that the fundamentalists have taken it over. I think that is a good example, however, of how a belief system that may sound wonderful can change over time and become very oppressive.
Did I ever show you the url on what a feminist Jesus was, and how the early Christian women were very influential in getting Christianity going? The scholars who wrote the Frontline report on Jesus have apparently unearthed proof that the important role that women around Jesus played has been deliberately hidden from HIStory. This is really interesting to mull over, if you have not already read it:
pbs.org |
