Guest blogged by Jon Ponder, Pensito Review.
In August 1998, Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife Janet were among 131 signers of an advertisement opposing same sex marriage and in support of resolution enacted by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) earlier that year that erroneously suggested that prototypical 1950’s “Ozzie and Harriet” style marriage and family life had its origins in the Bible:
The SBC article describes marriage as “the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.” It also notes, “The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.”
“Graciously submitting herself” to her husband is a deceptively benign formulation for the status of women in biblical times. In the Hebrew scriptures that form the basis of the Old Testament, for example, women were treated as harshly as they are treated today in conservative Islamic cultures:
- Unmarried women were not allowed to leave the home of their father.
- Married women were not allowed to leave the home of their husband.
- They were normally restricted to roles of little or no authority.
- They could not testify in court.
- They could not appear in public venues.
- They were not allowed to talk to strangers.
- They had to be doubly veiled when they left their homes.
Polygamy was commonplace, and, of course, only men could have multiple spouses. Famous polygamists from the Bible included Abraham, Jacob, King David and especially Solomon, who had 700 wives and 300 concubines.
The Bible dictates that women take an inferior role in almost every aspect of life, according to a conservative biblical scholar:
1. Woman was made as a help for man — not the reverse (Gen. 2:18,20).
2. Paul wrote: “For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man: for neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man” (1 Cor. 11: 8,9).
3. And again, “For Adam was first formed, then Eve” (1 Tim. 2:13).
As to the woman’s role in the Fall, she believed Satan’s lie that she might become as God, and hence, was “beguiled” (Gen. 3:13; 2 Cor. 11:3) or “deceived” (1 Tim. 2:14), whereas Adam, laboring under no such deception (1 Tim. 2:14), merely sinned due to his weakness for the woman (Gen. 3:12). Accordingly, woman’s subjection was increased after her fall (Gen. 3:16).
The “Ozzie and Harriet” 1950s sitcom style of marriage is a byproduct of the Industrial Age, which produced historically unique educational and career opportunities for women. It has little or nothing to do with biblical teaching. The notion of romantic marriage did not come into vogue until the early 19th Century. Before then, for thousands of years of Western history, marriage was primarily a business arrangement between the fathers of the bride and groom.
Ironically, even Christians do not live up to their own sacred fantasy of marriage. Divorce is as rampant among Christians as it is in the wider culture. And the leading “threat” to Christian marriage is not same-sex unions or gay civil rights, as they often claim. It is adultery.
It’s hard to see how Huckabee can walk away from this one unscathed. If he tries to run away from his earlier position that women should graciously submit to men — as he has run away from pushing for the release of the rapist Wayne Dumond, who raped and killed two more women upon his release, and from advocating the quarantining AIDS patients — he risks losing favor with his Christian nationalist base.
But if continues to advocate biblically subservient roles for women, he’ll be out of the presidential race by February 5, at the latest.
You have to remember to keep the Bible in context along with Jewish history. Just because the Jewish culture treated women in a demeaning way, doesn’t mean God endorsed it. Throughout the Bible God let Israel know they needed to change their ways and suffered when they didn’t listen to Him on a wide variety of issues such as polygamy, etc. In the context of marriage, someone has to make a final decision in the household. God’s design is for the man to have the deciding vote. This does not mean the man bosses her around or treats her like a non-equal. He should seek her advice if he loves her and make the best decision he can, based on all inputs and what is right. When it is all done the way God intends, the husband should make the decision based on what he believes is the best for his family. The wife would willingly submit, if she knew that he was honestly acting in this manner. If you have two chiefs in the same household, nothing would ever get done.
them bitches shouldn’t be driv’in neether. they should be bare foot scrubbin the kitchin floor until the king of the castle gets home.
(end fascist/jeebus freak snark)
…and I graciously submit that Mike is a botard Nazi. This sort of thing should be regarded as a mental illness. In my opinion, the Southern Baptists are among the worst of the Christian religions, as they are passionately involved in the fascist role. They can’t wait to see the temple rebuilt so that God will finally destroy the people that crucified their Jesus (and the rest of us heathen scum too).
Look people, he isn’t coming back because he wasn’t there to begin with. You might as well call him Gilgamesh or Horus, because Jesus was “crafted” out of these religions. And if he really was here, and truly a divine teacher, I promise you he would have nothing to do with people like that. – my 2 pennies.
… “get your *itch ass back in the kitchen and make me some pie!”- EC South Park Episode 105
For clarification, he’s talking about the New Testament, which tells husbands and wives to submit to each other. The way women were treated in the Old Testament doesn’t represent Christian views, and I doubt Huckabee would think so either.
Still, I’m voting for Ron Paul. Back to the constitution, protect the principles of liberty, save the economy, and strengthen national defense by not misusing our military forces.
I’m from the south, and the “woman should subjugate herself to her husband” idea is alive and well here.
I was in a car accident where both legs were broken, and the fetus I was carrying was physically damaged (he survived, btw). I got to go back to work after a year, and I was trying to settle with my insurance company so I could pay off some of the doctor bills. Although the other driver lost control, came across the median and hit me head on, the wreck was blamed on a “phantom driver” who pulled out in front of him, so my uninsured motorist was the one that paid.
After 2 years I was trying to decide on whether to settle or go on to court (which could have taken up to another 2 years). Now it was I who had gone through four surgeries, spent a year and a half in physical therapy, who had made the payments on the car that was totalled, and who had given birth to a premature child who suffered injuries from the accident, but people I knew were telling me that I had to let my husband make the decision, because he was the head of the household. Not only that, but the insurance company was set up in such a way that I could not settle, had to have his signature – however, HE could settle WITHOUT MY signature.
Yeah it sux, BIG TIME – but it’s SOP in some places.
It’s Obvious to me that huckabee Don’t Even Know Right from Wrong.
presidentWTF!The Christian right (and other fed up conservatives) are supporting Mike Huckabee, but the right’s pundits are not flocking to support him, and many of them are actually trying to derail him. Case in point:
Rush’s Hit-Piece on Huckabee (stick with it, audio of Rush)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu-ZSSaZELM
Something is very very very very wrong with this picture. Bottom line: The best candidate for the Republican nomination is Huckabee.