1 Timothy 2:11-14

11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

In 1 Timothy 2, this passage points out with absolute clarity exactly how the Apostle Paul viewed women. Not only does this support the claim that women should learn in silence, but specifically states that they should never teach or have any authority over a man and that they should just keep their inferior mouths shut. The reasoning behind this is just plain silly.

Paul says that since Eve came second, she is inferior. In at least one depiction of the creation, God creates man after the animals of the world. Does that make man inferior to the animals? Paul also says that since Eve was deceived, she was to blame. I guess Adam just went along because he was being an idiot, which we all know is a virtue.

Was this written by a just and moral god who loves us all equally, or was it written by a sexist man who didn’t want women to have any power over him? Thankfully, many of us live in a society where men and women are considered equal. However, this archaic thinking still pervades our society amongst fundamentalist groups. It is often used to prevent women from teaching in church and religious institutions. In some particularly strict religious groups, it keeps them from teaching or even speaking entirely.

There is no other way to interpret this passage. Paul’s intent is clear. Even if he intended it to mean something different, the fact remains that this verse is used to subjugate women all over the world for centuries. Any reasonable and moral human being could see that this is vile and sexist, yet the King James Bible is supposed to be good for teaching in righteousness. Is this really how the righteous should act? It seems the King James Bible is less about teaching righteousness and more about teaching male self-righteousness.

Leviticus 15:19-33

19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

20 And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.

21 And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

22 And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

23 And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.

24 And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.

25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean.

26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation.

27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.

28 But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.

29 And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

30 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness.

31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

32 This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;

33 And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.

Some may consider these verses from Leviticus 15 as one of the laws meant to be good for our health, thus the references to uncleanliness. However, this is referring to spiritual hygiene. The woman, upon the end of her menstruation, must wait seven days. Upon the eighth day, she must make a both sin and burnt offering as an atonement. If she did nothing wrong, what would the woman have to atone for?

Menstruation is a perfectly natural process and is indeed necessary for the proper function of the female reproductive system. Women who do not menstruate do not get pregnant. This natural and necessary biological function is vital to our survival as a species, yet it has been proclaimed a sin by God. One would imagine that an all-knowing god would realize that a woman bleeding from her flowers is a perfectly natural thing. This is especially true when one considers the fact that God is the one who supposedly designed the female reproductive system to function as it does.

Moreover, a woman cannot control her menstruation, unless she works so hard that the stress causes it to cease, or she uses birth control that causes it to cease. Why should women be separated from all of society and treated like lepers for something they cannot control? It is very obvious that this portion of the King James Bible was written by men who had no clue about women, let alone the way their bodies function. They simply thought that menstrual blood was icky and decided that it must be a sin.

Then again, it is just as likely that such a law exists solely to oppress women, requiring them to make monthly offerings and constantly feel guilty for something they couldn’t control. Not only that, but the women were regarded as unclean, and anything or anyone they touched during this time also became unclean. This is just more proof that the King James Bible is a sexist document and that one of the intents of the authors was to oppress and abuse women.

Deuteronomy 22:22-27

22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die.

26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:

27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

Very plainly, this law from Deuteronomy 22 suggests that the law giver does not understand how rape works. Firstly, it suggests that a wife raped is the same an adulterous wife. Then, that a wife-to-be is more important than a woman who is not betrothed, as the man is not put to death for defiling such a virgin. In fact, the only things considered immoral in these texts is the defiling of another man’s wife or wife-to-be. This suggests that the law giver believed women to be the property of men.

On the topic of the mechanics of rape, this ancient and short-sighted law does not take into account the possible reasons a woman might have for refraining to cry out. It completely disregards the woman’s ability or inability to fight back or cry out for help and suggests that her mere proximity to other people would render her able to let her assailant’s actions be known. This is not always the case. With this in mind, it is painfully obvious that the author cared more for the property of men than for the well-being of women.

Deuteronomy 22:13-21

13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,

14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:

15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:

16 And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;

17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.

18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;

19A nd they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:

21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

According to this passage from Deuteronomy 22, it is more shameful for a man to defame a virgin than to rape a virgin. In this instance, the man pays 100 shekels of silver to the woman’s father. In Deuteronomy 22:28-29, the man only pays fifty shekels for the rape of a virgin.

Additionally, any woman who has sex before she is married may be stoned to death on her father’s doorstep. As it is a common practice among people from many nations to engage in the practice of trying before buying and indeed have premarital sex, this little-known Biblical law is rarely if ever enforced, with the notable exceptions of certain third-world and third-rate countries.