As a woman
living in the modern age, with a fair amount of exposure to different cultures,
people, and experiences, it comes as a surprise to many, when I express
vehement opposition to the idea of being a feminist.
Of course,
feminism means different things to different people in different countries and
cultures. Gloria Steinem, the iconic feminist figure brought her ideas on the
role of women into the mainstream of public discourse. I suppose, feminism at
its roots, began as a powerful movement to propel the understanding that women
are equal to men. Feminism benefited from the righteous anger of its
proponents and many of its themes struck with a chord with women everywhere.
Its heart, it seemed, was in the right place.
That germ of a ‘revolution’
has come a long way since then. In the US and other advanced economies,
feminism has now morphed into a hatred of the other. It is now no longer enough,
as a card-carrying feminist, to insist that women be treated equal to men, at
work and home. One must, now demand special attention, careful treatment and
superior advantages over men. A certain
virulent rhetoric has seeped into feminist speech that looks down on women who
choose what they deem to be a path of oppression, at best.
As with all
things, one finds that the Bible lays out a view in complete contrast to the
prevailing philosophy of the world. Women hold an exalted position, created equal
to men, in the image of God. In fact, I once heard a preacher humorously point
to the Biblical passage that said women were ‘fashioned’ as opposed to men who
just got made.
In a world of
blurred sexual and gender identities, where gender is nothing more than a ‘feeling’
or a ‘product of cultural indoctrination’, the Bible celebrates the difference
between the sexes. Women are liberated from the tyranny of male approval and
expectations, when called on to remember that they have inherent worth, and are
beautiful, valuable and equal in the eyes of their Creator. The proverbial woman
of Proverbs (pun intended) is a clear thinker, a skilled entrepreneur and noble
in character, all while being elegant, dignified and wise. Still very much, a
woman.
Those who are enlightened
with this understanding, no longer feel the need to swing to either extreme –
trouncing men on a relentless drive to prove they can do what men can, better,
or, spend all their lives striving for male attention through an endless
pursuit of bodily perfection.
Women can choose
to raise and school their children at home, fully convinced of its awesome responsibility
and reward. Or they can pursue a demanding career, fully expending their gifts
and talents, while keeping their sight on things above.
It must be added
that certainly, a woman without a man is not incomplete, just as a man without
a woman is not incomplete. Greco-Roman mythology has done humanity a great
disservice by trapping hordes of men and women in a life-long chase, to find
their ‘missing half’. Well, two halves do not make a whole, Hollywood!
A ‘whole’ woman
is the Biblical ideal. So, on that happy note, I’d love to invite a feminist to
my home built by a strong woman and her blessed husband, and hopefully point
them to a walk which is definitely through a narrow gate, but is absolutely the
better way!
