"However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as the woman originated from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God." -1 Corinthians 11:11-12 NASB

I've actually heard a lot of Christian men (and women!) bashing feminism, and generally if they open up about what they're complaining about it's usually a subset of feminism or their perception of what feminism is. So before we start talking about how religion views women, I thought we should spend some time talking about feminism. In this episode we'll briefly touch on the history of women and some ideas that sprang up in the various feminist movements. This is by no means an exhaustive coverage of feminism or the nuances within feminism. This is simply a pre-conversation to get us on the same page for the next.

Official Definition

"belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests" --Merriam Webster Dictionary

A Few Facts:

-The first women's rights conference was held in 1848

-The conference was mostly organized by Quakers, in fact one woman was a Quaker preacher

-In England, the Matrimonial Causes Act (passed in 1878), is what gave women the right to leave abusive husbands[6]

-It wasn't until 1920 that all US states considered it illegal for a husband to beat his wife[4]

-Rape within a marriage didn't become illegal until 1993 (even though I talked about it mostly during the beginning)[5]

A Few References:

[1] Elinor Burkett and Laura Burell. "Feminism". Encyclopedia Britannica. March 24, 2021

[2] "Feminism". Merriam Webster; visited July 2021

[3] "Women in Computer Science: Getting Involved in STEM". ComputerScience.org. May 5, 2021

[4] Cheryl Hanna. "Domestic Violence". Encyclopedia. May 29, 2018

[5] "This Woman Fought To End Minnesota's 'Marital Rape' Exception, And Won". NPR. May 4, 2019

[6] Matrimonial Causes Act of 1878

[7] "Women in Computer Science: Getting Involved in STEM". ComputerScience.org. May 5, 2021

Show Notes: http://www.psalmstogod.com/2021/07/feminism-religion-pt-1.html

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