CHRISTIAN WOMEN, MISOGYNY IS 'NOT' MARTYRDOM FOR CHRIST!

I'm cross posting this today, it is a reply, to a good friend, on the issue of suffering and women, and this just rolled out from me, so I'm posting here, because its one of those 'issues' that I feel very passionate about. For years, I have advocated for Human Rights, and I spent years, reading about every horrid account of persecution of Christians in the Soviet, former Communist Bloc countries--then more years, reading and advocating for persecution of the poor, of unions, of children, all over the globe [and Christians do NOT have a monopoly on persecution nor on suffering], why I believe, if you are going to advocate for Human Rights, you have to cover All humanity, not just your own, and btw, Christ said the same, 'even the pagans love those who love them, but we are not to be that way'. This is one reason, that I don't support Christian only Human Right ministries, excluding a small few [I do support Open Doors], because I believe many of them are just sheer political 'right wing nationalist' propaganda. You can go to any IndyMedia site, and read about persecution of people in THIS country, people who are poor, homeless, women, minorities, immigrants, its not just Christians...and in places like Iran, Pakistan, any who don't bow down to the 'thug clerics' get it...IF we are going to advocate on behalf of the persecuted, I believe, we should advocate for all, political, religious, gender, etc. [and yes, even the GLBT, I may not concur with the lifestyle, but NO HUMAN should be treated with cruelty, NOT BY SINFUL MAN AND WOMAN, by no means, let GOD be the judge--not humans.]

Anyway, when it comes to the suffering WOMEN endure, not just for being Christian but by the Hands of their own 'husbands' [many of whom ARE Christian], its NOT martyrdom--ITS MISOGYNY, and I for one, feel one reason that we have been unsuccessful in confronting the problem, is that we tend to refer ourselves or others to those martyrdom scriptures or to testimonies--yet, they ARE NOT the SAME, and it leaves this huge VOID, and it is HERE, that I am looking for answers.

I DO believe there is healing [even in spite of the horrors] for women, but the reliance [conditioned and learned] of the glory of 'martyrdom' has been I feel, and not just in Christianity, hell look at Islam, suicide bombers ring a bell, well, in Christianity, how they 'manipulate' women isn't really that different--

has been the 'prison bars' for too many women, psychological prison bars that is, that have KEPT too many women, in Hellish situations, WITH NO RELIEF OR HEALING, thinking its some 'martyrdom' for God, meanwhile, Satan laughs his ass off. I believe there are answers, but I also believe, we have to get out of that 'glorifying martyrdom syndrome' where women are concerned, and confront, the real issue,

male entitlement to be assholes to women.

My reply:


A couple of things,

one, there is martyrdom that is For Christ,

but women, suffer martyrdom BY THEIR OWN HUSBANDS, PARENTS, whom they Should not have to, etc. [and with the 'ties' with scripture and the glorification of marriage, esp as the 'analogy'] anyway,

that is a completely different martyrdom, and for women in those countries [where they are martyred also for being Christian] their realities and stories are not told By Christian 'men' in America,

they are glossed over, because IF the men in this country who refer to the men in other countries [and I do place some responsibility on the men in those countries as well] were to look at the 'similarities' of the EVILS, then they would have to do some serious self-reflection.

And THIS, this is the conflict I believe many women do have. I know a lot about the stories of martyrs, both in Christianity and also political [because there are both, and in This country even, we have political martyrs, the public just doesn't hear about them]. So martyrdom for beliefs, causes, for Christ,

doesn't bother me...[and with working in human rights advocacy nothing shocks me]. The fact is though,

women, by far, are martyred, not for Christ [or only for] but for simply being Women, and it is there, that there isn't much if anything scripturally For women--except 'loopholes', they are there, but the Bible is pretty much in male language, written for men. And this is where a lot of the problem is.

I believe that it diminishes somewhat the reality of the 'difference and causes' of women's sufferings to lump them in with martyrdom, as the church knows it, because it doesn't answer the questions, that haunt women.

And until those areas ARE probed into, sure, there simply can't be any 'healing',

how does one get healing for being martyred for her gender from the very one that she feels, is the Reason for her contempt? In many societies, this is the case--Christian societies included.

So for this reason, I don't refer to the stories of 'martyrs' in dealing with the pain that women tolerate [because they are women only] because they simply don't and can't relate [and the men, don't seem to give a damn to be frank--its a Monopoly, their martyrdom, another issue, another time, but I feel a lot of the 'stories' shared here in the west, are pure,

'vain glory' for MEN. [some of them, not all but a lot of them are]and I'm skeptical of many of them [those by Christian ministries].

What really angers me about a lot of the stories from like, Eastern Europe, for example, is how they always emphasize on the 'men' yet the women are only mentioned as 'mere wives', they really piss me off, then they go on and on about how much they suffer--

yet the women, have no voice. But now, if you get into some 'secular' material, gender studies, Then you hear about what the women have to say [and its down right pathetic that its like this], and its only in Western 'literature' about persecution that tends to be this way, therefore I'm just very leary of anything I read from the lens of MEN.

[continued below] Jane


Blogger JaneDoeThreads said...

Open Doors, and I do respect them, but they recently sent photos of a woman, her face beaten, about how horrible in Iran for believers,

and I couldn't help think, Yea, and most of your Wives here, look Just like that here at home...except, their 'torturers' are THEIR OWN HUSBANDS, FATHERS, PASTORS [SEX ABUSE], ETC.,

I yet to see these same martyred men stand up to the plate and fight and beg for fund for these women--domestic violence, so forth.

Not only that, but another reason I don't refer to 'martyrdom' materials, is that well, its just very different--One, is for the Glory of the Kingdom of God,

the other, just waste. Its for the Glory of Satan.

so I don't care to see my situ or millions of others as another 'martyrdom', because it isn't,

its instead, women being victimized by thug men, because of patriarchy. [and male entitlement and I believe, the whole Cinderella LIE]. And why I believe, that the road to healing, is number one,

dump the 'illusions' of suffering, that women have tolerated for centuries---its not martyrdom, its Misogyny. Two totally different things altogether.

So I think, to address the suffering women live with, we have to separate it from the glorification of 'martyrdom' because it just sends the wrong message,

yes, God does do a lot of miracles for those who are in prisons, etc.,

what is terrible though, is many women, live with abuse, tyranny, thinking its martyrdom, and yet, there isn't any 'relief' by far--and not only do they not get healing,

many of them, eventually just chunk Christianity all together, and Who can blame them? We for too long, have used as an umbrella for misogyny and male entitlement to abuse/mistreat/rape women, in Christianity, the martyrdom, when in fact,

its just sheer evil selfish men, who may be oppressed as Christians, but who turn right around and do the same garbage to their wives [and many in those countries Do] and all the while, thinking they are Entitled under God, to do so.

And we should in no way, give them any covering--I've confronted one ministry on it, they never even replied...that says, a lot...why, I don't now, believe just because someone goes to prison,

means they are more Christ like. let them show the Fruits, in HOW they treat Women, overall,

Then, Then, maybe, I'll give them credit where credit is due, NOT UNTIL THEN.

Jane