Christian Fundamentalist Group Preaches Patriarchy and Women's Fertility

[NicholeW.]

Christian Fundamentalist Group Preaches Patriarchy and Women's Fertility as Weapons for Spiritual Warfare
By Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash. Posted March 30, 2009.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/134000/christian_fundamentalist_group_preaches_patriarchy_and_women%27s_fertility_as_weapons_for_spiritual_warfare/

When Americans think of patriarchal societies, female submission, or extreme gender inequality based on religious teachings, visions of Muslim women in burkas or Hindus in poorly arranged marriages may come to mind. The reality, though, is that a growing number of American Christian fundamentalists also have rejected feminism and egalitarianism, embracing instead male dominance and what they call the "Quiverfull" belief system. Picture the Massachusetts Bay Colonies before Hester Prynne's day. The women in such communities live within a stringently enforced doctrine of wifely submission and male "headship," including a selfless acceptance of possibly constant pregnancies and as many children under foot as God might bring. They reject not only "reproductive rights" of any kind, but also higher education and workforce participation for women.       

[tekla]

I read that this morning too, very disturbing.

[NicholeW.]

I read that this morning too, very disturbing.

I think a lot of it goes to how simple it makes a life, many lives. The world is seen as a very complex place and to have simple and straight-forward answers to everything and everyone seems to be something a lot of people live for.

Not the least women who already feel they are so small in the face of the world.

Nichole

[tekla]

I don't think its the feeling small, matter of fact, that's a good thing.  It's the reason I love going out to the ocean, or standing atop a ski area in Tahoe, or on some 14teener in Colorado.  You realize how small you are, how big the world really is.

But its the idea that you have no power over it, or in it.  So yeah, the mountain is big, but you can walk and climb up it, and get down too.

[NicholeW.]

Unless, of course, you abdicate your own abilities, in this case, by relying on "my man" to do it for you.

N~

[FairyGirl]

The real tragedy is that most of these kids will be taught that doctrine from birth and so continue the cycle of willful ignorance. Check out the DVD "Jesus Camp" at Amazon for a documentary on this very thing... these people always use the imagery of war and violence, teach it to young children, and then blame the war and violence in the world on everyone else or Darwinism or lack of Christian prayers in U.S. schools or anyone identifying as GLBT. It's sad and pathetic and imo it is nothing more than child abuse.

[Lisbeth]

I read that this morning too, very disturbing.

Why did you think they're so against GLBT people? It's not because of the Bible. It's because we violate their patriarchal standard which they call "the order of god's creation."

[Hazumu]

The real tragedy is that most of these kids will be taught that doctrine from birth and so continue the cycle of willful ignorance...

If you look at a recent study, you'll see that evangelical religion has been growing. 

But:

88% of Evangelical Children Leave the Church After High School

"We're seeing a societal trend where a large number of young people are opting out of the church," Page notes. "Estimates of 15 to 20 million people now in America have said they are Christians but they simply don't want to be a part of the church," he says.

Some blame the church "drop-out rate" among young people after they graduate on the secularist influence of America's public schools. However, the SBC's president observes, "The sad thing is that we're seeing that number of dropouts from church [among] those who went to public school and private school, and that's an unfortunate trend."

Just because you're born into it, and home-schooled, and listen to nothing but praise music and religious DVDs does not mean you are forever incapable of thinking for yourself and making up your own mind.

The increase in evangelicals has been through recruitment, not procreation.

They can't not produce a percentage of freethinkers, just as they can't not produce a percentage of gays, lesbians, and T's.

Karen

[Jaimey]

88% of Evangelical Children Leave the Church After High School

I've noticed that as well...particularly when those children leave their hometowns.  With my friends, the ones who grew up in church and never left home still go to church.  The ones who left aren't as religious and often leave the church.  I think most of the ones who stay in church do so because they are afraid to question (which is odd, because the church I grew up in was all about doubt and questioning...also, no hellfire and brimstone...I'm still not religious, but the kids I grew up with are).