In the beginning...God created inequality

by Laurie Powazek

Rabbi’s Note: This is the first of a series of guest blogs on the Bible. Laurie raises several provocative questions about Genesis 2-3. We encourage you to post your reactions. And, we will deal with these questions and more when we meet for the next class, Sunday, October 30.

I have so many problems with the word choices and story line of these two chapters.  First of all in the creation of man and woman, God forms man from the dust and with God’s own breath.  He is organically formed and somewhat of God.  God fashions woman out of man’s rib, she is surgically constructed and of man - of his flesh. The other male and female pairs of creations were made similarly to each other, so why did God create man and woman differently?  This inconsistency in creation has led generations to explain that by creating man and woman differently, God wanted us to have different roles and functions.  It also suggests that we could be treated differently. The implication is that we are not equal. 

In the story of the Garden of Eden, God purposefully places an untouchable tree in the center of the garden and tells man and woman that they will die if they eat from it.  When woman gives into temptation (as voiced by the serpent) and eats from the tree, she does not die.  Did God lie? She then shares this forbidden food with man and he eats it without question.  He also does not die.  Upon being discovered, man’s immediate response to God is “the woman...she gave me of the tree”.   Why did God allow Man to blame the woman for his behavior? Man blames woman, she blames the serpent, and God lashes out at everyone, but not equally.

God’s punishment to woman - that she “urge to her husband and be ruled by him” - has led to centuries of the misuse and domination of women.  From the beginning Bible story of the garden, woman is portrayed as a temptress of man and as the owner of the first sin.  These understandings have led to the mistrust of womankind.  Too many women have been harmed because of this text.  In the final verses of Chapter 3, woman ceases even to be named. Instead, God refers to her in terms of Adam: “the man and his wife”, “Adam and his wife”.  In the eviction, God only mentions the casting out of man, not of two beings.  Eve had been invalided.

There are many ways to soften this reading.  The commentary suggests that the rib from man represents a connection between man and woman.  I’d have preferred a more equal creation.  If woman was also created with God’s breath perhaps the generations of inequality wouldn’t have been so easy to justify.  As for the Tree and the explanation of free will vs. animal instinct that is taught through the garden’s story, better word choices would remove the inequitable blame placed on woman.  Instead, Genesis chapters 2-3 remain intact and have contributed greatly to our patriarchal society and the basis for the degrading of women based solely on gender. 

Did He not foresee the effect this story would have on the lives of women both Biblical and beyond?

It is unnerving to be bothered by the Bible so early in this class.  I’m irritated that God created woman’s story with so evident a bias in language and story line.  He did not create an equal partner to Adam.  He created for him a “helper” and in so doing diminished the importance, the goodness, and the reputation of woman.

In the beginning, God created inequality and devalued the worth of woman.  And I’m disheartened.