Religion has Duped Women

I agree with you, Pastor. When will the church recognize that God is not the God of racism, sexism, homophobism and all the other isms and schisms that keep people bound. The person that the Son sets free is free indeed!

Dr.Smith,

Thank Heaven for evolution...I can totally relate to this topic because I was born one of those women who came out the womb going against the grain. If they said as a girl I should do this...I would intentionally do that. Internally, I have always had to fight against feelings of inferiority, concepts of beauty, and or finding my place in this world. (When it's appropriate to just be me, a true decendant of the Amazon tribe. BIG, BLACK and BOLD)
Recently I've joind a church where strong women are in multiple positions of power, examples I've needed in my life. They are preaching from the pulpit the true message of Jesus the Christ and God's ever extending love. So, I'm thankful to be alive and active during such a time as now, where women are called to visually and vocally reveal God's plan for the many lost, wandering and worn souls on earth.
Thank You Pastor for being amongst this group!

To be loosed not just physically but mentally, financially, emotionally and above all else spiritually is a blessing, it is a freedom, it is affirmation.
Can we as women live this "loosed" life as if it were true? Some are but some is not enough. We need many. We owe it not only to ourselves but to God. We owe it to the women of the Bible who lived outside of the status quo. We owe it to the women who are living the "loosed" life now. There is a Hillary, Coretta, Oprah, Maya, Barbara, Whoopi, Wilma, Mother Theresa, Mary J., Aretha and Rev. Dr. Susan in all of us. The list is long but not long enough.
Shall all of these "loosed" women bear this cross alone? When will the rest of us take up our crosses, shine our light and become who God intended us to be? Daughters of Sarah, live loosed, I dare you.

Dr Smith,
Attending a strict religious church as a curious child and learning more about the dogmatic principals of the apostolic church as a young adult. I thought something was wrong with me because I could never believe that everyone who was not of this faith was going to hell. The spirit inside me knew differently, although I would try to please my mother. I just could not get my mind wrap around this concept; however I would see others being adamant about how everyone was going to hell and how “we” are gods’ children not “them”. If you were not of that religion, did not have certain gifts or carried yourself a certain way, you are surely hell bound. There were a lot of rules that were taken from the bible, twisted and put into place as religious doctrine, which was suppose to separate these people as “peculiar.”
The women in my family are so oppressed, depressed, uptight and miserable now to this day under these religious rules. I see them pretend not to have any issues and problems acting “holy”. I’ve always moved to a beat of a different drum even as a kid and the family would call me a rebellious, opinionated “wild child” or crazy. However, the women in my family would talk to me (crazy and all) about their issues and still pretend with each other that nothing is wrong this has been since my early adulthood years. I would think it was because I was a safe, needed outlet, who was on my way to hell anyway, in their minds due to not attending a church of their faith. It was amazing how the women of the family would have so much going on in their lives, but act “holy” for each other. This still goes on and they are well in their 50s 60s and 70s and my older aunts will still talk to me about their issues while still covertly sending me to hell. But, all I could do was watch them living in a confinement of miserly, pretending to each other and having difficulty just expressing love.
Recently my conversations have been changing when they talk to me. I’ve been attending a church that has a woman pastor who is intelligent, dynamic and is able to teach and relay the message through the spirit, at every of level of intellect. The message is about pure love for all gods’ children, seeking the god within yourself, doing unto others as you would like them to do unto you.
So, now if one my aunt is speaking to me about her issues then I’m speaking about, self realization, liberation and love.

John 16:13

Dr Smith,
Attending a strict religious church as a curious child and learning more about the dogmatic principals of the apostolic church as a young adult. I thought something was wrong with me because I could never believe that everyone who was not of this faith was going to hell. The spirit inside me knew differently, although I would try to please my mother. I just could not get my mind wrap around this concept; however I would see others being adamant about how everyone was going to hell and how “we” are gods’ children not “them”. If you were not of that religion, did not have certain gifts or carried yourself a certain way, you are surely hell bound. There were a lot of rules that were taken from the bible, twisted and put into place as religious doctrine, which was suppose to separate these people as “peculiar.”
The women in my family are so oppressed, depressed, uptight and miserable now to this day under these religious rules. I see them pretend not to have any issues and problems acting “holy”. I’ve always moved to a beat of a different drum even as a kid and the family would call me a rebellious, opinionated “wild child” or crazy. However, the women in my family would talk to me (crazy and all) about their issues and still pretend with each other that nothing is wrong this has been since my early adulthood years. I would think it was because I was a safe, needed outlet, who was on my way to hell anyway, in their minds due to not attending a church of their faith. It was amazing how the women of the family would have so much going on in their lives, but act “holy” for each other. This still goes on and they are well in their 50s 60s and 70s and my older aunts will still talk to me about their issues while still covertly sending me to hell. But, all I could do was watch them living in a confinement of miserly, pretending to each other and having difficulty just expressing love.
Recently my conversations have been changing when they talk to me. I’ve been attending a church that has a woman pastor who is intelligent, dynamic and is able to teach and relay the message through the spirit, at every of level of intellect. The message is about pure love for all gods’ children, seeking the god within yourself, doing unto others as you would like them to do unto you.
So, now if one my aunt is speaking to me about her issues then I’m speaking about, self realization, liberation and love.

John 16:13

There are some nuns up the road. They're expanding to serve the community and they never get duped. They're not paying attention to all the propaganda the guys are spending millions to spread, all to build nothing out of everything.

Rev. Sue, this was a good article and filled with a lot of truths. Keep on doing what you do best, "telling it like it tis"

Peace and Blessings

Rev. Sue,
Over the years I have often wondered what would God say as it relates to all the man made rules in the name of religion? However, it was not until I developed a personal relationship with Jesus The Christ that I realized that us as women who has discovered truth must be charged with freeing the minds of other women who have been oppressed as we have. I think so often we focus on what has happen that we forget how wounded the men in our lives are (brother, father, etc..) Rev. Sue I thank God for women like you that has accepted the charge that God has given them to not only assist in the healing of women that come into your life but also undo the harm that man made religion has caused our men. we must remember as you so often say read above and below (scripture do not look at it in the natural), study to show thy self approve, ask the Holy Spirit to teach and direct (after all the Word states the Holy Spirit will teach)pray for discernment in all that we do; so that we may operate out of spiritual wisdom rather then the natural that keeps us locked and in an everlasting alibi( excuse to live in sickness). Today what I know when I am in the alibi it is because I am failing to accept truth GODS truth no where did it say in the Bible were we to allow our partners to beat, or mistreat us, have them become our God however we as women accepted this as being truth. The sad part is once a woman steps outside of this it is her sister that sings songs like "having a piece of man is better than having none at all." Most of these mindset's are in the church. I thank God for a pastor who has been free and able to speak truth. In advance, I would like to thank you for taking the bull by the horns.

Peace and Blessings,
Chynia

We keep forgetting the bible was written by men, not G-d, and written in biblical times. It's not surprising that the bible reflects those times and those mores. Mosaic law is at in part based on the Code of Hammurabi- it wasn't created in a vacuum.

So in view of this,why shouldn't we make some allowances for the changes over time in society? We don't have slavery any longer, despite its allowance in the bible- why shouldn't women be allowed full equality? The bible says an eye for an eye- today we have a court system. We don't chop off a man's hand for stealing a loaf of bread these days.

There are many things the bible says that are unchanging- do unto others, the ten commandments, teach a man to fish- these are teachings that still pertain to today. But much else is based on society as it was 2000 years ago- to keep relevance, religion needs to change too.

The article states that the Bible was taught, at one point, from a "paternalistic point of view" and kept women "bound, frightened and uptight, abused and unhappy."

But now things are evolving, changing, regarding this matter.

Clinically speaking, and this is written without prejudice, one must ask the question whether the intelligent women, the Holy Bible or the respected male-Priests were to blame for this unenlightened condition.

The problem of spiritual degredation originates, I opine, when the individual "out-sources" the responsibility of the development of their own soul to others or other physical entrustments.

The problem is that the bible says these vile things, setting the framework for much of the biases against women over thousands of years.

I guess I would ask you two questions:

First, what about the treatment of women in the bible gives you cause to believe in a loving, caring God?

Second, isn't is time that we recognize that the equal treatment of all people only came about through democratic governments and was not the result of any "holy book" basis of morality?

Using our holy books as moral guidelines would leave us with slavery, killing gays and imprisoning those that believe something different. It seems to me that only after abandoning religious-based morality as absolute, have we progressed to the point where we can begin treating people with mutual respect. And before someone reminds me of the golden rule, I'd remind you that in no place in the bible are the words "slavery is wrong" printed.

Rev. Dr. Smith!

Thank you for another brilliant piece!

It made me think of an author Paulo Freire (scholar on liberatory education) who talked about the power in “naming”.

So let’s name it, call it out when ever we can-- SEXISM!

Sexism in the church is not a topic many people want to talk about. After all if the chicken frying, pulpit cleaning, announcement making, taking care of the pastor women (too name a few duties of the “Sisters”) were really “loosed” from the sexism in the church, what would really happen?

Well I venture to say: more daughters would prophesying (Joel 2:28-29), and more women would be prophets (Exodus 15:20; Judges 4:4; 2 Kings 22:14; Nehemiah 6:14; Isaiah 8:3; Luke 2:36; Acts 21:9) and more women would be teaching “the word”(Acts 18:26).

Thank you for your leadership as a woman of God!

Growing up an Apostolic/Pentecostal, I recall the ridiculous customs imposed on women by the male church leadership: no makeup, no jewelry, mandatory hosery ("stockin's"), doilies worn on the head ("chapel caps"), no pants (but "goucho's" and "cool-lots" were okay--but not at church). The madness went on and on.

As a number of female "evangelists" (they were not to be called Elder, Bishop or the like--that was a man's place) came to prominence, many Apostolic/Pentecostal pastors saw the value (huge offerings!!!) in the tremendous draw that some of these women perpetuated. I am speaking of the likes of Jacqueline McCollough, Sandra Riley and Iona Locke. Even as a child, I stood in amazement that these dynamic women would ACCEPT invitations to "speak" (not preach--again, man's work) and have to stand on the floor, unseen to anyone other than those on the first two rows of the church, because women were not invited into the pulpit. Women were not to be elevated.

I also wondered if the often downright mean-spiritedness of so many of those women could be attributed to an internal resentment to this religious oppression--even as the oppressed stepped into and accepted their prison garments. Hummm . . .

You see, my mother wasn't your typical Apostolic/Pentecostal woman. I guess I'd charge it to her not being "raised" in the church; rather, she came to know the Christ as an adult. Therefore, her indoctrination was not . . . complete. She wore pants (not at church, but to church activities like camping trips and Sunday School picnics); she wore jewelry and wore makeup (after all, she was an Avon representative!); and, she colored her hair. I never succeeded in getting her NOT to wear that ridiculous lace doilie on her head though . . . but, I digress.

While on a camping trip with the Christian Crusaders, a travel group my mother founded, a large group of our church members were sitting around the nightly bonfire. Three of my mother's "dear sisters in the Lord" got caught on a tangent--talking about how so many in the church have just let down the "standard." "Women all painted up, professin' HOLINESS!," one snapped. "Ummhumm, wearing PANTS!," another retorted. "Can't tell the 'saints' from the 'world,'" a deaconess (a status granted a woman for being lucky enough to have married a deacon) chimed in. All this hate-filled rhetorical went on as my mother sat there, appropriately wearing her pants because WE WERE ON A CAMPING TRIP!

Thoroughly pissed, I weighed in: "A lot of people are going straight to hell--plain-faced, hair down to their waists (women cutting their hair was a no-no, too) with those ugly shapeless shirts hanging to their ankles--because they are mean and hateful!" With the quickness of a viper's bite, my mother slapped me in my mouth. I got up immediately from the camp fire and retired to our camper. After about 10 minutes, my mother came in and said, "I did not slap you because what you said wasn't true. I slapped you because it was not YOUR place to say it. You are a child; those are grown women." I was about 13 years old.

I never replied; and my mother said nothing else that night. I rested in the satisfaction that I'd had my say; my bruised feelings and split lower lip were worth having my say. Worth the acknowledgement that Mama was no less Christian for choosing not to be (quite as) oppressed as the other women.

(Sidebar: Having no scientific data to support my conclusion, it is my observation that so many "loosed women"--finally having come into the acknowledgement that plain-facedness, long skirts, drab colors and stockin's have nothing to do with salvation and pleasing God--end up looking like drag queens because they tend to go overboard in their new-found liberty in Christ. Think I am lying? Look at the metamorphesis of say, "Prophetess" Juanita Bynun, or the aforementioned Iona Locke, over the years . . .

A voice that America needs to hear.

Thank you Dr. Smith for speaking on a subject that is very difficult for many. I am in a male dominant profession and it always amazes me when a woman has a solution/idea it is questioned and in the very same meeting/setting a man says the very same thing, he is a genius. I believe this is the same thing we saw with Hillary during the campaign and I truly believe it is the same thing we see in the church. It is uncomfortable for some men and women to hear the truth spoken from the pulpit by a woman. Especially when she is empowering the disadvantaged, victimized, disenchanted, discriminated against, the forgotten, the weak, the lost, the addicted, the hurting. Lord forbid we encourage women to leave an abusive relationship for her sake and the sake of her children. Such a simple statement, but all of us have been in a position of the victim saying "what will the church think"!!!!!!!! At my church we would say run, run as fast as you can and we will be there for you!!!!!! Thank you for being that church.

For years I watched my father beat my mother “Religiously” every weekend. He spoke unkind words to her and about her. This went on for 26 years. Why did she stay you ask, well because the “Bible” and her Southern Baptist “Religion” told her too. Not her God but her Religion. So I ask what God would tell a woman to stay in such conditions? What God would want his child to be treated in such manner? I mean does the Bible not tells us to “Love thy neighbor as thy self”. I have yet to find where it says that this does not apply to men. What I have found is that there is no hurt like church/religion hurt. So I like Pastor Smith “ thank God for being able to break through the stupidity barriers and whisper to women that maybe we should listen to him/her and be free, rather than to traditional doctrine, which has kept us locked up and miserable”.
I love God and I take our relationship much too seriously to take the bible literally and say it’s in the name of Jesus. Pastor Smith I sincerely thank you for understanding, speaking out and writing about the tough subjects that society would rather just sweep under the rug.

Loosed!

This is a powerful piece.

Celie said something similar when she said (paraphrased), If God were a poor black woman, things would surely be different in the way the world (religion and the Bible) sees and treats women!

JW

You are on the porch today again!!!! I still remember the summer that the Southern Baptists declared that women could not preach. I also remember Billy Graham's daughter recalling having to speak while two rows of men got up and turned their backs to her. Some churches continue to live in that fossil of understanding and some women, like Martha in the New Testament complain that Mary dares to sit at the feet of Jesus--go figure!

It is painful to admit that this notion still has legs in these post-modern times, yet this unfortunate reality persists under the guise of Biblical inerrancy and misogynist understandings. Someone said that to admit women to the pulpit would require some men to adjust their sexist behaviors. I was disinvited from a revival after suggesting that Mary Magdelene's proclamation of having seen the Lord at the empty tomb was actually proclamation by a sister. Whatever the case, some of the most powerful sermons I have heard in my life have been preached by women. That kind of teaching should suffer the fate of Jim Crow racism--it won't work!

I am encouraged though by the number of women enrolling in seminary and the fact that the Hampton Minister's Conference had it's first female president in 2003 since it's beginnings in 1914. Progress is glacial at times, but the time is coming when narrow minds will be widened by the Holy Spirit rather than the hollow spirit that seeks to hinder preaching women. Thanks for the issue and your always frank means of telling it.

It's interesting to note that the functioning of the church could not be possible without the presence of women. Women have always played an integrate part of the church body. I hope my fellow men will come to realize this before Jesus returns.

None better than Susan Shaw of Oregon State and her new book God Speaks to Us Too to inform your discussion here.
See my comment on the Goddess line.

Great position... Problem is that most of these women have accepted these practices... Sex and love are a wonderful thing.. If someone is married and enjoys their partner even more better.. So many problems from so many individuals on marriage, love, children, sex.. The media is not helping.. Good posting