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Home > Society, Social Issues > Beliefs, Religion > The Controversial Bible of Men
The Controversial Bible of Men
Submitted by: Nancy L. Young-Houser

When the question is asked, "Who wrote the Bible?" everyone has a different answer except for one. It was written by men. But how those men wrote the bible is where the controversial situation begins. Some say it was simply written by 40 different men, some say it was written by God, others say it was channeled through God into men's souls, and so on. But one thing for sure is the fact women had very little to do with its development, being simply the subject of the Bible's writings and their role in the world.
The Bible was considered sacred until about 200 or 300 years ago, previously part of a major religion which believed that the Scripture was considered the true Word of God. The Roman Catholic Church stated the Bible could not be understood by common mankind, very much insisting that it should be reinterpreted into a common language they could understand. This thought process originated from a religion which also stated they are the sole linkage to Jesus Christ—the only true religion with this connection. Over time, the Bible and its authors have come under serous attacks.
Around the end of the 1600s in Germany the attacks began on the Bible under the "Higher Criticism", developing from the surge of rationalism and modern philosophy which stated that the Bible was simply a product of mankind to express what was being said about God during those early times. Today, individuals believe that the Bible has no scientific background and is not a literal account of creation, with passages treating women either in negative terms or inferior to men during ancient Jewish and early Christian societies.
With this in mind, men are considered the writers of the Bible regardless how it evolved even though the women in Christian history has been reversed in the past twenty years. What has been found is that many women actually contributed to the formation of Christianity even though they were not considered as writers of the early Bible. Recent discoveries of earlier text versions have proven many of early portraits of women were totally inaccurate, such as Mary Magdalene who was viewed as an adulterous and a repentant prostitute. It has been found she is a very influential figure and a leader of a segment of early Christian movement which promoted the leadership of women during these early times. None of this is portrayed in the men's version of the religious Bible's Old Testament.
The women's position changed as they became early followers of Jesus when the New Testament Gospels, with the women promoting the belief that the ministry of God was open to all who had faith. Yet the Bible was written by men who wrote on the opposite view of women. Why was this? These early times were male-dominated with women treated as inferior slaves with women not allowed to speak in Church or have any position of authority in it.
This was normal in the countries where the Bible was written and are still normal today, but many other areas of the world have changed with women having more equality. In first world countries, more and more women are leading religious congregations and have authority positions in churches, yet with many other religions looking down on them. The sacred Bible we worship today is based on the historical thought, "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man (a "man" a child is ok); she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing - if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety." 1 Timothy 2:9-15.
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Nancy L. Young-Houser is a professional writer and illustrator, in addition to providing a home for dogs on all levels of need with her best friend, Sandra Marquiss. Her writings include controversial subjects as part of the soapbox she has carried around since childhood, never leaving home without it. Part of this soapbox is her website WayCoolDogs.com filled with lots of four-legged information!
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