God is sexist.

I apologize for the late response; I needed time to think about the issue and prepare an answer that is adequate to the nature and magnitude of the issue at hand. I am sensitive to the fact that this may be offensive to some, and so please understand that everything I say is said with the utmost grace and respect. Before we begin, I would like to propose the following rules: 1.The last two rounds of debate are reserved for rebuttal (I.e. No new arguments, only used for addressing previously made arguments) 2.The Bible is the only source of evidence for the character of God. Since we are debating an issue that is faith-based by nature, and since you have brought the Bible as your evidence against God, I believe it is reasonable to limit credible evidence to that. History of the church, individual interpretations, etc. may not be used for evidence for/against God"s character. I will respond on three points: first, I will contest the definition given. Second, I will respond to the claim that God is sexist as a whole with my own arguments, and last I will briefly address the verses given. Response to definition: I contend that the first part of the definition is a sufficient and helpful definition of sexist, but that the second part is an unhelpful definition on three points: 1.Precision: The definition used should be precise and clear, so as to narrow the field of qualifying actions. A vague and broad definition is unhelpful at best, and open to manipulation, subjective interpretation, and unfair usage. The first definition given is sufficiently clear as to be helpful in showing what is sexism, while the second is much too broad (including anything that "fosters" sexism in others) to be of any use in narrowing the field and allowing us to identify sexism with ease. 2.Line-Drawing: The definition should "draw a line in the sand", so to speak. It should clearly delineate what actions/statements denote sexism and what do not. That is, indeed, the purpose of giving a definition. While the first part does this well, the second does not, leaving a gray area where whether a behavior fosters sexism in others could potentially be in dispute, leading to unhelpful and distracting side debates that detract from the issue at hand. On these points, I contend that the second part of the definition should be dropped from the debate, and only the first should be used in determining whether God is sexist or not. As this is the definition of the central issue of the debate, it is extremely necessary that we have as clear a definition as possible. God"s view of the sexes: To discern whether or not God is prejudiced against women, we must look at the culture"s view of women, and then see whether God upheld or countered the popular view. Throughout biblical times, the popular view of culture was sexist, traditionally with the male being dominant. (https://gotquestions.org...) There were certain places in the New Testament, however, where women were held to be superior, through goddess worship. This was in Ephesus primarily. (Acts 19:28: "And when they heard these saying, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.") We will examine God"s view of women through his view through the Bible, his portrayal through Jesus, and the doctrine of the Gospel. Through this, it will become apparent that God views women not as inferior beings, but as equal to men in value and spiritual worth, with important differences that make a man and a woman function as a team. Old Testament: 1.The first point I"d like to make comes through an examination of God"s creation of Eve. There were several important points here: a.Eve was the last creation, the crown jewel. b.She was, like Adam, a bearer of the image of God. (Genesis 1:27: ""in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.") c.After the Fall, she was the one chosen to bring the Messiah, not the man. (Genesis 3:15: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.") Notice: it was a virgin birth; God didn't even NEED the man! 2.All through the Old Testament, there are examples of women in positions of heroism and respect, portrayed in a positive light: Esther, Ruth, and Deborah are examples. In addition, the line of Jesus Christ, the eventual Messiah and Savior, included 3 women, Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba (Matthew 1:1-16, Luke 3:23-38). This would have been very counter-culture, as the world, and Jews in particular, viewed women as far inferior to men. Even into the New Testament, where Mary was chosen to deliver Jesus through a virgin birth" God didn't need a man, but he also didn't need a woman. He still chose to use a woman. This shows that God valued women very highly. 3.Proverbs 31 heralds a woman who is seen as weaving, making, selling, buying, and many other tasks. This, again, would have been very counter-culture. Jesus viewed women as equals, which is shown in multiple examples: 1.John 4 portrays the story of Jesus talking to a woman of Samaria at a well. This was very counter-culture, as evidenced by his disciple"s surprise in verse 27: "Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman"" 2.In John 8, Jesus stood up to the Pharisees to show that the law goes deeper than just actions, and of all times he did it to defend a woman! This again, would have been against the culture, which viewed women as inferior and worthless. 3.Many of Jesus"s disciples were women (Luke 8:2-3), he taught to women (Luke 10:39), and when he was resurrected, women were the first people he showed himself to! (Luke 23:55-24:10) 4.On top of this, in the gospels, the women are the ones who believe that Jesus was resurrected, while the men didn't believe until they had seen. (Luke 24:11) Overall, Jesus had an extremely counter-cultural view of women, and treated them in all instances as equals, and not ever as inferiors or objects to be used. The Gospel: The Gospel views women as equal to men in salvation and duty. 1.The New Testament records women many times, sometimes only mentioning that they were saved (Acts 5:14), other times specifically mentioned and exalted along with men (Acts 18:26 - Priscilla taught, as well as Aquila; Romans 16:1-15 " Paul praises women along with men) 2.Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" " perhaps the most definitive verse in the Bible on this subject, in this one verse Paul shows us that women are viewed as completely equal to men in salvation. They are not inferior, but equals, and Jesus loved them the same and paid the same price for their sins, so he could bring them into heaven with him as part of his bride. 3.The portrayal of the church as Christ"s Bride " Jesus chose to portray the church as his bride-to-be, not as a male figure, but as a female. His beloved, his church, those he saved from death on the cross, when searching for a comparison on this world he can find none more beautiful, valuable, or beloved as a woman about to be married. This speaks volumes of God"s view of womankind. In summary, when the entire view of the Bible is taken, God views women as equal to men in many ways, and condemns and counters cultural views that put men at the top of the valuation chain. He created them as equals, and he speaks in contradiction of those who claim otherwise. In response to the verses brought up: 1. 1 Timothy 2:12: In response to this, I would bring up that Paul is here addressing his ultimate successor Timothy, whom he has mentored. He is instructing him, essentially, on how the church should be run, and specifically the church in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3: "As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine"). And as mentioned earlier, Ephesus had been a site of worship of the goddess Diana. So women would naturally have been exalted. Paul wanted to make sure this didn't get out of hand. This is one possible explanation for the command. Another is that he was teaching the principle of submission. Order and rank. God established an order at creation that put the woman in submission (lit. Under someone else's mission) to the man, and the man was in submission to God. Any military soldier knows that just because he's taking orders from the General does not mean he is inferior as a person. Order and rank are in place to prevent confusion, not because God views women as inferior. Without an authority structure, there is anarchy. This is further evidenced by the fact that women are ONLY put in submission to their husbands and the church leadership (who the man is also in submission to), not just any man. Order and rank, not value and superiority. 1 Corinthians 14:33 says: "For God is not a God of confusion but of peace..." 2. Exodus 22:18: this is simply a matter of the sin itself, not women. Look at Leviticus 20:27: "A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death." God doesn't hate women, he hates witchcraft. One could take either of these verses and say that God hates women using just that one verse, but we must take the Bible as a whole if we want to judge God's character. Remember my argument: to take just one verse and use it against God, one must first deal with the combined weight of the Old Testament's portrayal of women, Jesus's treatment of them, and the Gospel's view of their equality. The weight of the evidence is, at this point, securely on that side. God loves all of mankind, whether male or female, equally; enough to die for all of them. I look forward to your response.