WOMEN IN RELIGION

In every religion, women have often been described as the weaker sex. Most religions do not allow women to lead prayer in the temple. Some suggest that females have a tendency to open the door and allow traditional “no, nos”. Do females really break rules, rebel against the order or betray traditions? Will she be the reason why the long standing tradition collapsed? However faithful, her faithfulness has never redeemed her gender. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular women in the scriptures and see what it says. Remember, this is only for educational purposes.

EVE: In scripture, this woman is blamed for causing death to occur in humanity. Death is blamed as the consequence of her disobedience. As the story goes, a man, Adam lived in a beautiful garden called Eden. One day when God came to visit, Adam pointed that every animal had a female companion but he didn’t. That night while he was asleep God took one of his ribs and created a woman for him. Adam had previously named everything on the earth – the sky, the wind, the animals, the fish, the plants etc. When he saw the woman God created he was excited! He named her EVE. He said she is “flesh of his flesh and blood of his blood”. He called her a WO-MAN. Woman means a “female man.”

Adam and Eve were to live FOREVER on one condition. NEVER eat the fruit from a tree called the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The WARNING was if they ate the fruit, “they would surely die!” The story goes on to say while Adam was away, Eve encountered a snake that assured her if she ate the fruit she won’t die. Eve ate the fruit. When Adam returned he scolded her for eating the fruit but soon she convinced him to eat it also. After they ate the fruit they realized they were naked and lost their innocence.

When God made his next visit Adam hid from Him. Suspecting that his new found consciousness meant he had eaten the fruit, God cursed Adam. From then on Adam will not eat unless he worked for it. Eve will have pain during child birth and they both would die. God threw them out of the Garden of Eden and hid his face from them never to be seen by any human ever again. The woman was blamed.

JOCHEBED & BITHIAH: Moses is the baby who survived death, grew up as a prince in his enemy’s palace and went on to set free his oppressed people from 400 years of slavery. How did this happen? Pharaoh had enslaved the Hebrew people. Fearing they might rise against him, he ordered every new born boy child killed. While executioners went around killing all Jewish baby boys, Jochebed, Moses’s mom to put him in a basket and hide it near the Nile River.

When the abandoned infant cried in the basket, Bithiah, Pharaoh’s daughter found him. She saw he was Hebrew and knew all Hebrew boys were being killed. She had mercy and decided to save him. She raised him as her son. Instead of being dead, Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s palace. These two women saved a baby boy who grew up to become a legend. Without these two women, Moses would have died and the Hebrew people probably would have remained in slavery. In some way, through God’s grace, these two women saved the Hebrew people and set them on their path to freedom.                                   

RUTH: The story goes that a man named Elimelech was going through some hard times in his country so he decided to immigrate to a flourished country. He brought his wife Naomi and their two sons with him. Years later, the sons grew up and married two gorgeous women from the country they migrated to. The women were Ruth and Orpah. Naomi, Ruth and Orpah became very close.

Sadly, tragedy struck. Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died. Soon after, both of their sons died also. Grief stricken, Naomi lost all joy of living in the country. She became lonely and missed her family so she decided to return home. Upon saying goodbye, Ruth and Orpah did not want to part ways with their sweet mother in law. They decided to accompany her back to her country. Fearing that they may not be able to conform with the strict religious culture of her country, Naomi persuaded her daughters in law to stay in their country and maybe remarry someday. But they refused.

On the long, strenuous journey back to Naomi’s country Orpah gave up. She could not bear the hardship so she said goodbye to Naomi and Ruth, wished them well and returned to her country (never to be heard from again). Orpah and Ruth were from a flourished country. They were accompanying Naomi to a country that was going through hardships. Ruth on the other hand said she will never leave Naomi’s side regardless of their strict religious culture or the difficult times.

She vowed Naomi’s “people will be her people.” Ruth remained loyal to Naomi and lived the rest of her life as Naomi’s daughter. Ruth is one of very few women who wrote in the scriptures. Her book is somewhat of a testimonial of her devout loyalty. Naomi left home with her husband and two sons and returned a widow with a foreign daughter.

ESTHER: Esther was an orphan who became a queen. It happened that a king by the name of Xerxes was enjoying one of frequent drunken bender parties when he decided his queen, Vashti, ought be invited to strip and dance for him. But the queen was an independent woman; she blew Xerxes off and denied him of his erotic fantasy. This shamed the proud King. He kicked Vashti off his throne and drove her out of his castle.

To replace Vashti, the King ordered for the most beautiful and purest of virgins to be dolled up and take turns with him. Whichever one he falls in love with, becomes the new queen. And so as if he didn’t already have rows of concubines, King Xerxes fornicated with virgin after virgin after each one had gone through rigorous beautification. Fresh virgins were ushered in from every corner of his kingdom until an orphan by the name of Hadassah walked in.

Hadassah was a lovely sight for sore eyes. She was pure and humble. After fornicating with her Xerxes chose her as his new queen. He changed her name to Esther. Nevertheless, Esther was never allowed to visit him announced unless he asked to see her. This usually happened when he wanted an erotic moment. This king kills anyone who shows up unannounced. The king was so powerful even the people he appointed were to be bowed to when they rode on their horses.Bowing down meant you respect them as god.

One day a Hebrew man refused to bow to one of the king’s official which publicized that Jews only bow to God. A plot was made to kill all Hebrew people. Thankfully, Esther had found out about some guards who were plotting to assassinate the king and she warned him. The king hung the disgruntled guards IMMEDIATELY. Realizing that genocide was eminent, Esther showed up unannounced after serious fasting and prayer.

Instead of killing her, Xerxes asked Esther, his queen, to make a wish so he would grant it to her. After several sex parties, feasts and  drunken benders Esther was able to persuade Xerxes and his pompous officials to spare the Hebrew people’s life.

        

JEZEBEL: This blog is meant for educational purposes only. It is not meant to insult or offend anyone. That being said, most people hear, use or resent the word “whore” but they do not remember why it [the word] exist. They do not understand precisely why a woman is not suppose to be a whore or why a man cannot be a whore.

There was a queen by the name of Jezebel. She is the reason why the word “whore” became popular. Jezebel loved to enjoy random drunken sex with strange men, dress seductively, used makeup and lipstick, painted her finger and toenails and moaned loudly during sex. She was unapologetic for her actions while being disrespectful to any organized religion.

She was influential because her husband, Ahab, was a powerful king. Ahab must have been the king but Jezebel, ruled. She was merciless, she worshiped many Gods and often made animal sacrifices to their idols. She usually sat at the window on top of the tower where she lived, to look down on the poor people walking down by the tower. Jezebel was known for “sexual immorality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, envy and drunkenness.”

When prophets came to advise her of her wicked ways, she resented them. She launched a campaign to have all prophets killed and their religion banned. To make matters worst, when her husband, Ahab, badly wanted a vineyard that belonged to a noble man who refused to sell his inherited property, Jezebel ceased the vineyard from him, gave it to Ahab and had the man beheaded. His head was put in the center of a banquet table where she sat drinking while everyone had orgies during one of her orgy parties.

One day, after the people had enough, she was attacked in her tower and thrown out of the window where she fell to her death. When she died, the people refused to bury her. They left her body to rot in the streets so stray dogs can eat her corpse. From then on, any woman who was not a virgin, who had random sex with numerous men, who was disrespectful to religion, dressed seductively with painted nails, lipstick and makeup was termed as Jezebel or – a “whore.”

HANNAH: Polygamy is condoned in scriptures. In some mythologies even the Gods had several wives and concubines. This is why a man like Elkanah would have two wives. One wife’s name was Hannah. Hannah was another beautiful wife who couldn’t have children while her husband’s other wife had a baby after another baby. Hannah was very sad, she desperately wanted a child. Her husband, Elkanah, loved her very much. He often gave her a double portion of anything she wanted. He favored her over everyone including his other child bearing wife and pampered Hannah greatly. But she was often in tears, always unhappy because she could not bear children.

One day Hannah went to the temple and wept in prayer. She wept profusely, begging God to please allow her to be a mother. She wept so profusely, the high priest thought she was drunk and confronted her. [You're not supposed to be drunk in the temple]. During this confrontation Hannah revealed to the high priest that she is not drunk but crying because she wanted to have a baby. She fell at the high priest’s feet pleading and promising that if she were to get pregnant and give birth to a son she would dedicate the son’s life in service to God. The son will be raised in the temple.

As fate would have it, Hannah got pregnant shortly thereafter and gave birth to a son. This son she named Samuel. When Samuel was a little boy Hannah took him to the temple and gave him away to the high priest. The high priest raised Samuel into a fearsome prophet. He was a major mouthpiece from God to the people and even had the opportunity of anointing the first two kings of the people. Hannah provided this legend at a critical time when the atmosphere in the country was very tense. Samuel laid the foundation for many prophets to come.

ABIGAIL: In this scriptural tale, Abigail emerged as a charmingly smart lady married to an ungrateful but wealthy alcoholic by the name of Nabal. Nabal’s wealth came from thousands of livestock that he owned. However, Nabal’s livestock needed to be grazed. The problem at that time was pirate attacks. Luckily for Nabal’s workers, King David and a large number of his army were camped near where Nabal’s workers grazed his livestock. Due to this coincidence whenever the pirates attacked King David’s men fought them off.

Nabal’s workers were kept safe. When the workers returned home to Nabal with a healthy livestock, Nabal made a fortune. He made so much he started to give the excess away. Word got back to the King that Nabal had made a fortune from the livestock they had protected and now Nabal was giving away some of the profits. David sent emissaries to ask Nabal to donate some of the proceeds to him. Nabal insulted David’s emissaries charging that he did not know them and had not asked for their protection. This ungrateful attitude angered David. He assembled a force from his fighters to go see Nabal. Abigail, Nabal’s wife heard David was coming to kill her husband so she decided to cook a generous meal and set out to intercept the King and ask him to forgive her husband.

Abigail met with King David and begged him not to go ahead with the bloodshed. She gave the King and his men the food she brought and offered gifts which David accepted. Abigail went home to tell Nabal what she had done to save his life but Nabal was in another drunken stupor when his wife told him what had happened. Nabal was so disappointed with his wife he caught a heart attack and died a few days later. When King David heard of Nabal’s death he sent emissaries to proposed marriage to Abigail. She ran to meet him and became one of his favorite wives. Abigail had a son with David.

BATHSHEBA: Bathsheba is also a very prominent woman in religion. The scriptures describe her as a ravishing beauty. Local men are said to often gather for a jaw dropping spectacle of her saunter. But this lonely damsel was married to a devoted soldier by the name of Uriah who was war bound. Uriah spent his days fighting loyally for his country and standing guard at the King’s gates. As the narrative unfolds, normally, the King led his troops into battle. But during this war David chose to stay home and let the generals take charge.

A momentous day arrived when the King took one of his usual strolls on the top balcony of his lavish bastion. At the same time, the ever gorgeous Bathsheba bathed naked in her swimming pool next door. She did not notice the King hung over his balcony salivating with lust for her. He ordered his men to bring her to him. When Bathsheba showed up they basked in each others arms. She fell in love and they fornicated until she became pregnant. David soon realized that his pregnant new mistress was the wife of one of his loyal soldiers.

In a hypocritical unnerving the King ordered Uriah be sent home to rest. Uriah arrived a the king’s palace with exciting reports from the battlefield [David's army was winning!] David praised him for his valor. In reward, the king granted Uriah time off to rest and enjoy his wife. King David had hoped that Uriah would sleep with his wife and assume he’d impregnated her. Unfortunately, being the ever devoted soldier he was, Uriah decided to hang back and guard the Kings gates instead of going home to rest with his wife.

When the King saw that Uriah was never going to take time off, he sent Uriah back to the battlefield with a letter for the generals. In the letter, the king ordered the general to put Uriah in the heat of battle where he certainly would never survive. Uriah was killed in battle. Upon news that Uriah had died David married Bathsheba and made her one of his favorite wives. She later gave birth to Solomon, who succeeded David as king.

DELILAH: With his people in confinement a womanizing warrior named Samson become  the savor Wielding only a donkey’s jawbone he had made a name for himself by single handedly smashing through droves of enemy soldiers. Samson’s unnatural strength allowed him to command a herd of foxes and kill a lion bare handed. When he destroyed his enemy’s temple they vowed to have him captured. Ever the lady’s man, Samson had forty winks with a procession of women. Not long, the muscle bound hero found himself deeply involved in a love with a seductive temptress who lived across the valley of Sorek going by the name – Delilah.

Samson’s main weakness was his seven dreadlocks that should never be cut. His wandering eyes were disposed to land him in a harlot’s embrace. He was predisposed to loving a woman who often tried to obtain his secrets to revealed them to his enemies. For twenty years, the unbeatable warrior, Samson had obliterated his enemies in a streak of victorious battles. His new girlfriend, Delilah was enraged at his voracious womanizing. She was soon approached by his antagonists who offered her a small fortune if she found his weakness. She appealed to him for the secret behind his mystical strength but each time Samson lied.

Once he lied that strings from a bow could render him powerless. The moment he fell asleep Delilah tied him up with bowstrings and summoned his antagonists. But Samson broke loose and killed them. In another attempt he told Delilah new rope is his weakness. Again, while he slept soundly, she tied him tightly with new ropes but again Samson broke loose and decimated his captors. Delilah’s persistence paid off when against better judgment Samson finally disclosed that his mystic strength was in cutting his dreadlocks.

When Samson went to sleep Delilah cut his dreadlocks so this time when the antagonists arrived Samson awoke to realize his dreadlocks were gone. He was captured and spent the rest of his life in ridicule. A final outcry to God enabled him to destroy the temple where thousands had gathered to honor their God and scorn the captured warrior. Samson, smashed down the two supporting pillars of the temple killing his antagonists and Delilah. Ever since then Delilah became known as the woman who betrayed Samson. Because of this tale, most powerful men are often wary of a seductive – “Delilah.”

DEBORAH: Described as a wise female with a lot of courage, Deborah sat under a palm tree where men from every walk of life gathered to hear her wisdom. History remembers her as the only woman from that time who gained notoriety without romantic affiliation. Her courage is admired at a time when women were physically vulnerable. She came to lead in this callus era. Deborah is also revered as a great prophetess who afforded divine supervision harkening spiritual messages.

Much is unknown about her personal life except that she was married and sat under a palm tree solving disputes, giving wise advises to a mesmerized people who sort direction during a period of foreign conquest. When a timid warrior with meager forces, by the name of Barak, faced a gargantuan foe he depended on Deborah’s counsel. Barak pleaded for Deborah to accompany him and his men into battle anticipating that her providence could determine whether he win or lose.

In a prophesy Deborah assured Barak of victory but added that should she accompany him into battle General Sisera’s death will come by way of a woman. Barak still insisted. In fulfillment of Deborah’s prophesy, Barak’s weaker forces overcome the gigantic army of General Sisera whose chariots got stuck in the mud after it rained. The cocky general escaped, taking refuge in the tent of a woman named Jael. She fed him and offered a place to sleep. Then she drove a peg through the general’s skull while he was sound asleep. When the war ended, credit for killing the tyrant went to Jael instead of Barak, just as Deborah had said.

Deborah wrote and sang a victory song about this battle that was sang for centuries to come.

ELIZABETH: In religion, women are most credited for delivering an offspring, an heir, a great warrior, a revered prophet, a God or even a holy messiah. Every great man was born by a woman. Save for a few betraying harlots, in some mythologies women birthed demigods after an encounter with a God. The relationship between man and God is such that while men are called to rule women are honored with birthing the ruler. In erstwhile fables, sexy Goddesses gave birth to formidable Gods and Goddesses.

One famous narrative details how angels were expelled from heaven after they fathered giants with earthly women. From Abram whose wife Sarah gave birth to Isaac whose wife Rebecca then gave birth to the twins, Jacob and Esau; through to fornicating kings whose dynasty continued with the birth of a son; and the Virgin Mary herself; in religion, women present a portal for legions of great souls to enter the earth. One such woman is Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. This barren over aged damsel facilitated prophesies with the birth of her son.

Due to this, she and her cousin Mary now live in infamy. Clearing the path for a great messiah by inventing baptism, while living in the wilderness John the Baptist made a significant contribution to the transitions of come. Elizabeth’s womb will prove to be a divine orifice out of which a new generation of worshipers emerged. No one comes on earth unless they came through a woman.