Christianity, Paganism, Women

I'm watching the government and corporate attack on Christianity in this country. I'm watching the attack on women world wide. I'm looking at the attack and exploitation of women and children worldwide. I'm thinking we are regressing to paganism in the West. Some think it's okay to exploit and disrespect women, like was done in pagan times, before Jesus said some things about it.

In ancient times, women and children were of little to no value. Infanticide was common. Wanted a son, but had a daughter; kill her. Can you name a country now that engages in that practice? All humans without power were killed for entertainment (Roman lions and gladiators). Women and children, said even by great philosophers like Aristotle and Cicero, were of no worth. It was the prevalent thinking of ancient Jewish society. The family was of no importance at all. The state was responsible for the raising of children (it takes a village, anyone?)

Jesus comes along and tells people that this is wrong. He had women travel with him. He had women as confidantes. Even some of his disciples objected to this teaching, that women were to be respected, and had value. Adultery could only be committed by women. Jesus said no, this is an equal sin. In marriage women were given a more dignified position. Actually, when I read early church history, women seem to have run things.

As we move to the Middle Ages, courtly behavior toward women emerged. Courtesy began to be offered to women. The family started to become important, and woman's role in holding the family together and caring for and educating children became important. Romantic love was the foundation of this. That romantic love was different from what is expressed now. Now it's okay if you're horny for each other, well, get married. Hornyness goes away, get divorced. Romantic love as the basis was of course the ideal; a good ideal even though we fall short in practice. This ideal brought together erotic and spiritual love. The consent of the woman was prerequisite for marriage. Marriages no longer had to be arranged. Marriage was a reflection of God's relationship to us. We are His bride, and he honors and treats us with respect (please see my series on Romance).

I don't see this reflection of God in our relationships. I don't see God reflected in the way, more and more, our women are treated in the West. Young girls now think it's okay to send nude pictures of themselves via camera phone (as young as 11 or 12). "Sexting" is the new rage. The Romance is taken out of marriage. The meaning is taken out of marriage. The disrespect of women in hip-hop especially, and pop culture now, is no better, in my view, than the way pagan societies treated their women. Not what I viewed women's liberation to be about.

It's all about our having continually over the years, allowed government and corporations to remove Christ, and God's Law from our lives. We Christians had better find a way of presenting Christ's message about how to treat people, how to reflect God's Law and Love into our relationships, or we will once again find ourselves in pagan times. Many would like that. I would rather see the human condition improve and human suffering diminish.