Sometime back, I wrote a blog  entitled ‘Misogyny’ –click here. A lot of people really liked it, hence the numerous comments I got both online and in-person from them. I think it was all because it remains a topic that is subtly addressed in the Ghanaian society. Maybe because most of us think because we never talk about it, that alone might  eliminate it from the society. Nevertheless, I believe it is worthy of writing about.

‘Misogyny’ is basically a hatred of women as a sexually defined group; the definition is that simple and straight forward. So I was really taken aback when in the latter parts of last year, I found out  that there was a school of thought, that asserts that the Christian God (Yahweh), is misogynistic. Wow!!!! I think people who live their lives governed by this school of thought, actually need sound biblical schooling for their thoughts. I mean they can’t possibly be talking about the same God I know. Certainly not!! But then again, education has taught me to be very careful about jumping into conclusions when people seem to hold a different view from mine. So I decided to do a little reading about the topic, to find out what biblical evidence there was that supports this assertion. Lo and behold, there was  a website for women who are of this view. I decided to read the entire page. I couldn’t, because, apparently they claim there are over 300 verses in the bible that seem to suggest that God is misogynistic . Actually, the main reason why I couldn’t finish reading the entire page was the fact that the content of the web page is the most absurd analysis I have seen made of any portion of the bible. I mean if you would come up with such a controversial view, at least support it with facts. Leveling outrageous and uneducated accusations against such a loving God is totally wrong.

Paramount amongst the several examples cited in that write-up was the issue of polygamy. So there was a long list of men who got married to more than one wife in the bible, and this they said, makes the bible misogynistic. If what is said in the 2Timothy 3:16, concerning the fact that ‘every scripture is breathed(inspired) by God…’, is true, then one would have to read the entire bible or a sizable portion, before he can make an informed opinion of it. There are various ways of communicating to people. One is by making an emphatic statement of the truth, another is basically allowing the turn of events to send a strong message to the intended recipients. Concerning the issue of Christianity and polygamy, I think God opted for a mixture of the former and the latter. We see that though there were several polygamous marriages in the bible, yet there seems to be some sort of wrongdoing in most of them(if not all). A typical example is David’s story. Though he had a lot of wives, we see him still lust after another man’s wife. This implies that, the hunger for a new wife grows any time a man gets an additional wife. And if this is the case, God’s default setting for marriage is totally distorted. God’s default setting for marriage is seen in Eden, where He makes a woman out of the  ribs of Adam for him. This is enough proof that, God originally intended for every man to be married to one wife. Yet, we see a deviation from the norm. The bible says, a man shall leave his parents and cleave unto his wife. I believe that answers it all. Another scenario in the bible, used in defense of this school of thought is Lot’s story. In connection to that, they said:  

                      Lot refuses to give up his angels to the perverted mob, offering his two “virgin daughters” instead. He tells the bunch of angel  rapers to “do unto them [his daughters] as is good in your eyes.” This is the same man that is called “just” and “righteous” in 2 Pet.2:7-8. 19:8.

The fact that Lot was willing to surrender his daughters to the perverted men outside his door makes the entire bible misogynistic? And emphasis is laid on the point that the bible refers to him as a ‘just man’ in the New Testament. This scenario actually makes Lot fit for the name: a just man. Here is a man who has just been visited by angels of the Lord and he finds himself in a tight corner, since the perverted men of Sodom wanted to have sexual relations with his visitors. Lot in his decision to give up his daughters instead of the angels, actually proves how much he revered God. It is surprising that in their analysis of this issue, they did not take into consideration the fact that prior to this event, there could have been times when those men made advances at Lot’s daughters or came to ask for their hands in marriage. Obviously, Lot may have refused knowing what sort of men they were. It is very likely that this happened and does it show his hatred for his daughters in any way? You cannot say God hates women because of some of the misfortunes that happened in the lives of women in the bible, while totally ignoring those which happened to men. That is a biased judgment and highly hypocritical.

Honestly, there are a lot of issues to discuss as far as this topic is concerned. As I always say, a sequel to this blog is  inevitable. In conclusion I would like to say this,  God is not misogynistic, He loves everybody, and if there is ever a time when you doubt this truth, read your bible.

Here is a link to the website i made reference to >>> http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/women/long.html