Wichita eagle., 1889-04-05
BIBLE VIEW OF woMAN's SPHERE

an Interpretation of the Bible which is
false and therefore harmful. Almost
every reform has been met with Objec-
tons drawn from false interpretations OF
the Bible. No one cause has been more
prolific of infidelity. ''The Divine Right
of Kings" supposed to be drawn from
the Bible, drove Voltaire and Rosseau,
Hume and Paine and thousands of less
gifted men into infdelity. They believed
in human liberty but were taught that
the Bible opposed freedom for the
masses, and so they threw the Bible over
board. The "divine institution of siav-
cry as taught by the church of fifty
wears ago. made infidels of Garrison and
many of his fellow abolitionists. And
today such interpretations as "a. l.. 1.
makes are driving many bright minds
away from the church. They cannot see
the Justice of letting any mere accidents
of birth determine such wide differences
of rights and privileges. When taught
that the Bible is responsible for such
condition of things they quite naturally
lose their respect for and faith in it.
Superstition and bigotry in all ages
have bred infidelity.
believe that the bible is a revelation
of Gods will and that by it alone must
every attempted reform at last stand or
fall. If the bible had taught. the obi
vine Right of Kings" it would still be
right and ultimately prevail. If the
bible had taught that slavery was a dl-
vine institution no emancipation proc
lamation could ever have availed against
it. And so if it is God S will that women
shall forever be in subsection no laws OF
man can ever change it. What then
does the bible teach? Two facts are
plainly taught in Genesis:
1st. Man and woman are created
equal. God created man in his own
image, in the image of God created he
him: male and female created he them. ="
Gen. /: 81. Again, "And the man
said: This is now bone Of my bone, and
flesh of my flesh. Gen. 2:23
Cd. Woman lost her equality by the
fall. "Unto the woman he said, will
greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy con-
ception: in sorrow thou shalt bring forth
children and thy desire shalt be TO thy
husband and he shall rule over thee. =
Gen. 3:16.
So far the conservatives interpret
Alright, but they stop there; God did not.
Even to Eve was given the promise OF
deliverer.
"Christ redeemed US from the course
of the law, having become a curse for
u.s." Gal. BIB Cor. 15-22---Rom Dis.
Was not woman to be delivered as well
as man?
The curse on man was hard labor; on
woman it was sorrow in child bearing,
and subsection to husband.
What has history to teach of the full
filment of the curse and of the redemp-
ton?
There is no question but that the curse
has been literally and terribly fulfilled.
Hard grinding toll has been the lot of
the great mass Of mankind. In the
golden days of Greek and Roman civil
cation there Were many more slaves
than freeman. While few have been
able, in all ages to live in ease and luxu-
nv and to command others, the vast
majority have eaten bread IN the sweat
of their faces. Woman too has been
mans slave and plaything through all
the centuries. She has indeed been sub
ject to her husband and he
has ruled over her. The very
life even of SO per cent Of
all the daughters of Eve has been subject
to her husbands will.
How is the redemption of Christ TAX
ing away the curse!
For man slavery is rapidly disappear
ing. The condition of the laooring
classes is improving the world over.
The inventions of machinery are rem
dering labor less irksome. Already it is
possible for man to harvest his wheat
with very little ''sweat of his face.
Do inventors oppose the bible because
they tend to tighten the curse? Are mer-
chants and professional men irrehgious
unless they sweat at their work! Ac-
cording to A. l.. T. bankers and editors
and preachers oppose Gods will more
than day laborers. because they do not
sweat as much.
And the atonement of Christ has al
ready wrought wonders for woman. In
christian lands her subsection to man is
rapidly disappearing.
Shall we help bring the curse or the
blessing? Some eminent divines have
opposed the use of anaesthetics in child
births. A. L. T. will hardly consider
their use lrreligious because they Tighten
the curse. 1t should be our aim to bring
all the blessings of the gospel to all the
human race.
Christs teachings put the relation of
man and wife back where they were n
Eden before the fall. Matthew 10: $40,
He gives no advantage to the man in the
relation. He recognized only one cause
for divorce, and that would work as well
against one party as the other.
Paul in Galatians 3: 20 in speaking of
the blessings and privileges of the Christ
ian church says: There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither bond nor
! free. there is neither male nor female. "
| This promise Is not for the next world
but for this All of Paul's eXhortations
to the women to be subject to their hus-
! bands and silent in church are easily
| shown to be temporary and local, only
needed because of the heather society.
| One more passage should be noticed.
First Corinthians 11-3: But / would have
YOU know that the head of every man is
| Christ; and the head of the woman is the
man; and the head of Christ is God.
| The headship that man has over women
is like that God has over Christ.
| According to orthodoxy, there is more
of unity than diversity here. Christ is
! the active working agent through whom
! the worlds were created and redeemed.
Paul and Peter urge wives to be subject
TO their husbands, they also urge
everyone TO be subject to others. Eph.
5: 2l-"Subjecting yourselves one TO
| another in the fear of Christ" Why
read the 22nd verse and forget the 21st:
The Bible so far from opposing wo-
mans equality with man, clearly teaches
it. The atonement of Christ goes as far
| as the sin of Adam and Eve. 1t is
effectual to the individual when accepted.