The Bible states women should be less important in society than men

In it, I intend to present passages from both the Old and New Testaments which highlight the Bible’s view that women should be less important in society than men. It should be noted that this debate is not in any way, shape, or form, about the Bible’s validity and accuracy, or the existence of a god. The sole concern of this debate is whether the Bible makes a certain claim. My opponent has chosen to define society as modern society. It is easily recognized, however, in light of things like Psalm 100:5, which states “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations,” and Psalm 119:160 which states: “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal,” that the Bible sets itself up to be true for eternity, which includes modern society. Enough preliminary stuff, let’s get on with it! Old Testament Misogyny Nearly From the Beginning. .. Right from the start of the whole shebang, we see that God creates women for man’s needs. Genesis 2:18: “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. ” This demonstrates that the woman’s role should be to serve her husband. Subservience, is clearly a lesser than. Not long after that, in the following chapter, God decrees that women are to be ruled over by their husbands. Genesis 3:16: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you. ” Once again, and even more explicitly, we see that women are to be subservient. Moving Right Along. .. There’s lots more goodies in Genesis, but let’s get on to some of the really good stuff in other parts of the OT. Exodus 20:17: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. ” According the previous passage, wives are their husbands’ property, they belong to him. If that isn’t diminutive of women’s status, then I’m not sure what is. Throughout Exodus, there are numerous examples of women being treated in society in lesser ways than their male counterparts. Exodus 21:24 gives one such example, as it discusses the way women and men in slavery are to be treated: “If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. ” There Are Really So Very Many Examples. Throughout the OT there are a vast number of places where women are treated less than men in society from commandments in Deuteronomy which treat women’s sexual liberties and consent to marry different from men’s, Deuteronomy 22:28-19 for example, to stories which demonstrate these misogynistic principles, which demonstrate no punishment for the transgressions that would possibly put women to death. New Testament Goodies While the OT provides some fine examples of the Bible’s unequal treatment of women, the NT really explicitly affirms the resolution being debated. Affirming Women’s Submissiveness and the Genesis Account 1 Corinthians 11:3: “But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ” 1 Corinthians: 11:8: “For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ” This affirms the view from Genesis that women are subservient to men. Women Are To Be Less Than Their Husbands and Men in General 1 Corinthians 14:34-35: “Women should remain silent in the churches They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their won husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. ” This passage is quite clear: Women should be treated as less than men. 1 Timothy 2:11-13: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ” Once again, an explicit statement that women are to be treated as submissive to men. Ephesians 5:22-24: “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which eh is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. ” Same old, same old. Colossians 3:18 (Titled “Instructions for Christian Households in the NIV): “Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as if fitting in the Lord. ” In Conclusion I have offered numerous examples from both OT and NT which demonstrate that women are to be seen in society as less than men. The resolution is affirmed.