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.
I am inclined to think that God created woman as a balance for a man. My thought is that in all ways social, emotional, cognitive, physical women's attitudes, behaviors, and choices often are a balance to men's.
ReplyDeleteGod may have created Man firth as though the "manly " part. To lift heavy boxes, to be priests that sacrifice in the temple, to do hard labor...even to by commandments of 3 times a day in prayer.
ReplyDeleteWhere Women get the Sacred duty of bearing the children, being able to stay home with the babies, Cook, Clean and commanded to Pray only Once per day...women are more Spiritual.
I do not think that God has had anything in Demoralizing Women, however Men have Misrepresented God kindness twords Woman.
And? Is the Serpent Male or Female? Did Adam leave his wife so lonely that she turned to a friend in the garden?
And I have to question the sin? The Bible says, an "eye for an eye" for the sin. Equal justice. So why did God tell the Woman she would now have pain bearing children, since it wasn't about eating apples, off the tree??
Rebekah Rose.