Women Are Equal To Men

This afternoon I finished a beautiful, disturbing, even frightening book by a young woman born in Somalia. Her name is Ayan Hirsi Ali and the book is titled Infidel.



In her book Hirsi Ali records her life from the days when she was born into a Muslim Somalian family until the time she became a Dutch citizen and a member of that country's parliament. For years her life was threatened by fundamentalist Muslims, because she dared to expose the cruelty of that religion's teachings and ways in their dealings with women. If you want to read something that will move you deeply, get her book and read it.

She calls her book Infidel, because she has abandoned the Muslim faith, including a belief in Allah and the afterlife. Her life experiences, combined with her university studies and her work as a politician, led her to see the irrationality of such beliefs. She finds them in deep conflict with the morality of western nations, the universal need to respect the rights of women as well as men and the causes of equality and freedom for all. Reflect upon her experiences and views. You will gain a deeper insight into why we are involved in this war against terrorism promoted by fundamentalist Muslim teachings.

Of course, not all Muslims agree with her that women are not spiritually equal to men "in the sight of God." The big word among proponents of that religion is submission to Allah. That is a discussion that could go on and on.

I do not mean to turn my comments on this Blog into some kind of political discussion or into a dispute about the Muslim faith. Instead I ask myself and anyone who reads these words to consider that when we who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ point a finger (at Muslims, for instance), we must also consider that there are also three fingers pointing back at us. We all have a long journey before us before we overcome prejudice against women on all levels of our life.

Yes, in the USA we have a woman Secretary of State. Yes we have women Governors, Senators and Legislators. Yes, women play leadership roles in all the professions. Yes, women are deeply involved and respected in the arts, in religious institutions and in churches. Women are or have been CEO's of Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Sarah Lee, Rite Aid and others. Amazing to some, a woman only recently became the president of Texas A&M. We currently have a woman running for president.

But are women seen as equal to men? Certainly not by all. The glass ceiling still exists in the world of business, for instance.

The 2005 Catalyst Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners of the Fortune 500 found that in the last three years, average growth in the percentage of corporate officer positions held by women fell dramatically to 0.23 percentage points per year, the lowest yearly gain in the past ten years. Between 2002 and 2005, the total number of women corporate officers increased by a mere 0.7 percentage points to 16.4 percent. the average Fortune 500 company had 21.8 corporate officers in 2005; on average, women held only 3.6 of these positions. Women occupied only 9.4 percent of clout titles (those higher than vice president), up from 7.9 percent in 2002.

Likewise, Bible teachers tend toward generalizations that could and must be challenged at every step. Consider the following list from the Interactive Bible site, stating that the sexes are equal but different in 19 ways. I become very leery of such generalizations. Men and women are different. Who could deny that? Much of what this writer says has some truth in it. Beware, however of generalizations like "Men do not have as strong a desire and need for stability, security and enduring relationships as women do."

What are some of the things that the Bible teaches about women? I'll share a list and then drop this topic to await your comments and observations. Perhaps we can continue the discussion another day.

"So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:27.

"Every one that is called by my name: for I have created him [read him/her] for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." Isaiah 43:7

"The truth is in Jesus . . . And be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."Ephesians 4:21-24

The Hebrew word for Image is Tselem. The Greek New Testament equivalent is Icon. The reference is not to a physical, outward image, but to the inner person. We who are in Christ, male or female, are being renewed by His Spirit at work in our hearts, changing us day by day into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. The image so distorted by sin, so confused by false teachings and false religions, is being restored within us. Now, at all levels of our existence, we are learning to live, act and love as Christ. It is only in Christ that we can ever learn the meaning of equality.