"Man created God in his image: intolerant, sexist, homophobic and violent." - Marie
Rather than just continue to lecture about how women are viewed by religious scripture, I thought it would be interesting to provide an example of the kind of woman hating I discussed in the previous chapter.
What I'm about to show you are some quotes from an online blog that I used to occasionally read and rarely agree with. This person and I were complete opposites on many issues, especially with regards to religion and it's take on women's rights. This blogger was (and likely still is) a die hard cut taxes till it hurts and Ronald Regan is my hero kind of Republican. That sometimes meant reading his entries were a chore and sometimes enough to make me want to punch a wall. I could hardly believe that there were actually people out there who thought like this. This blogger who I had been reading on and off for a short while had posted a lot of entries that infuriated people who wrote on the same site as well, resulting in some very intense debates as insults and other forms of flames were being tossed around.
This blogger (who I have very little respect for as a human being) became a father again one day for what I was under the impression for the second or third time. This blogger and his wife had a baby girl. During these times, one would usually want to extend their congratulations and express joy for the arrival of new life, even if you don't like the person. It can truly be one of the most incredible things you can ever experience in your lifetime. I wanted to put aside my ill will and do the same but for some reason I had a hard time mustering up the words needed to congratulate this person. I just couldn't do it.
The reason was because this man and his wife had a daughter. I don't have anything against girls but I felt this way because the child was (and likely is) going to be raised in what I think will be a home environment that is extremely sexist and bigoted. I don't think this little girl is going to get a fair chance to spread her wings and do something with her life as opposed to if she was born with outdoor plumbing in this particular household. I know it's not a very nice thing to say, but I have evidence to back up my statements. Here are a few examples of the blatant sexism this poor girl will be brought up with:
Exhibit A:
When asked if he would support his daughter if she expressed a desire to be a mechanic, he wrote the following:
"Probably not. We're going to teach our daughters how to be housewives. Before they get married they're expected to go to college and they're expected to pursue a practical career that they can fall back on if their husband dies. But I will not encourage my daughters to become mechanics. No one wants a mechanic who wears a dress."
Wow, how do you respond to something like that?
All women should be housewives and should not be allowed to wear pants? Welcome back to the 1950's; where's Dad and the Beav?
While I wish this person was kidding, he actually was as serious as a heart attack. Women should only wear dresses, be in the kitchen and be obedient to their husbands. That's the kind of attitude religion inspires based on their treatment of women in the scripture. The whole idea that women should only attend college as a back up in case their husband dies. Seriously? That is just outrageous as there are countless women out there who have been able to pursue and become very successful people because of their college education. There are women out there who are even exceeding men in certain categories, proving that they are capable of using their education for more than just a backup. These days sometimes it might be in a couple's financial best interest if men use their college degrees as a backup in case their wife dies. These days more men are applying for paternal leave more than ever before as they want to go home and create a bond with their children.
Exhibit B:
When asked how he would respond if his son (or daughter) came to him and said that they wanted to marry their girlfriend (boyfriend) who happened to be a Muslim, this was his response:
"We will not accept the marriage of any of our children outside of the Christian faith. I will not allow my daughter to marry such a person, I wouldn't allow my daughter to even consider marrying such a person. If I have a son who goes off and does something like this, he'll be told to repent, he and his wife will be presented with the gospel and then they will be cut off."
A few things stood out for me in this answer. He stated that his son would only be asked to repent if he did something like this and threatened to be cut out of the family. Yet his daughter would never be allowed to even walk down the aisle and he would forbid her from marrying the one she loved. If she was a grown adult, I'd like to see how he would manage accomplish that, especially if she was no longer living at home at the time she wanted to get married.
The last time I checked, Las Vegas offers instant marriages to anyone who wishes to elope and get hitched as soon as possible. Anyone's daughter could fly down there and be legally married in less than twenty-four hours, long before her Dad ever catches wind of it, and then what? He can talk about putting his foot down but legally there isn't a damn thing he could about it. If that guy's kid really wanted to get married after they reach the age of eighteen, then he/she really wanted to could do so anytime they wanted. The fact that he would be more strict with his daughter than his son again proves how sexist and out of touch with the 21st Century this blogger really is.
Exhibit C:
In response to exhibit B, someone asked him this question: If your kid is in love and that person makes them happy, why would you care what faith they are? It's a very valid question: if they're happy shouldn't that mean something? This was his response to that person's question:
"I'm not interested in my children's happiness as much as I'm interested in their obedience to Christ. Short term happiness on Earth is meaningless to me, all that matters is faith in Christ and obedience to Him."
Attitudes like this are constant reminders to why I'm an atheist. Blind faith in any organized religion is one thing, but dragging young kids to church to learn something when they're too young to understand, comprehend or question is wrong. I actually think its child abuse. It doesn't seem right to me but that's what this poor child is going to be put through. If this person was living on a secluded ranch, and practicing this archaic attitude towards women away from society I'm pretty sure him and his religion would be classified as a cult.
Another thing that bothers me a great deal about that comment is the person's lack of interest in whether or not his children are happy. He clearly stated that "I'm not interested in my children's happiness" which is a horrible thing to say. I have two children and I care a great deal about whether or not they are happy. I want my children to grow up happy so that in the future, they don't become depressed, secluded and then suddenly feel the urge to shoot people from a tower with a high powered rifle. Raising a happy child is in everyone's best interest and especially the child's who deserves to not be pushed into something that will make them unhappy.
This blogger's attitude and treatment of women is a relic of the century that ended a little over a decade ago. This is why I had trouble mustering up the worlds to express my congratulations when he announced the birth of his daughter. All I could think about were these terrible things that were only spoken less than two years ago.
This person is without a doubt a bigot and as you can tell from the notes above is a chauvinistic swine because he doesn't believe that women should be allowed the same rights as men. How can you congratulate this person for bringing and daughter into this world when that is the kind of upbringing she is going to receive? To be told that she is not considered equal to her brothers or that her only purpose in life is to be a housewife to her future husband? Thinking about the upbringing this poor girl will receive is enough to make me sick. In my humble opinion, telling any child that they are less valuable than another person is also child abuse. This man should have his children taken away for forcing them to believe any of the bullshit he is shoving down their throats.
One thing this blogger doesn't realize is that children rebel. It's never a matter of if but when. To deny anything from a child will only result in a greater fall. When children want to rebel against their parents, they choose something their parents hold very dear and attack it. If you are a deeply religious person, the rebellion against that would be to buy a copy of any book by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris or Christopher Hitchens (or this book), read them a few times and go Atheist. The same can be said for the other side: children could attend church to spurn the Atheist, but really... who's being punished there?
I am not against my children attending church or even becoming a minister or priest for that matter. They are free to do whatever they want with their lives, as long as it's of their choosing. Its call free will people, and being dragged off every Sunday and having something systematically drilled into your brain as a fact when you're too young to question it is not free will. When my boys are old enough to process the issue and make their own choice, they'll be free to choose their own path regardless of it follows mine or not. I'll be cool with it as long as it's their choice and not something that's forced upon them.
While I don't have any daughters, my ex-wife and I have two amazing little boys. If we were lucky enough to have a little girl, we were going to call her Samantha Florence. My former wife and I would not have treated her any different from her brother(s) and she would have been free to pursue any career or passion that she wished as long as it was legal. My wife wears pants and jeans more often than she does dresses, prefers beer over wine and would have had zero problems with our daughter if she expressed a desire to become a mechanic. It just wasn't meant to be, but it irks me to see someone take for granted something that is so precious, so remarkable and think of it as inferior just because of its gender. That's truly a shame, because she's not inferior and capable of becoming anything she wants if she puts her mind to it. She can become the best mechanic, lawyer or even the President of the United States if she really wanted to. That's what all fathers should be telling their daughters in the 21st century. That there is no glass ceiling; that for her and every other woman that is born in this century, there should be no limits, only sky.