Six Scary Bible Stories Just for Girls

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Thought experiment: imagine you are a 12-year old girl; a minister gives you a Bible for your first Communion and you actually read it.

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For the most part, this is fresh material to you. You don’t know that Jews wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans. The tribal conflicts of the Bible run counter to all the diversity and anti-bullying instruction you’ve had in school.

“Virgin,” as you understand the term, refers to both genders. The minister says virgin just means girl (though there is no Bible translation that includes The Parable of the 10 Girls).

The idea of  slavery and women as chattel is foreign to you. The biblical whores and concubines you read about give you an inferiority complex. It seems that your sexual history is the only thing that matters in God’s eyes.

Beginning in Genesis, Chapter 2 you learn how women are God’s afterthought.  We are “helpmeets” responsible for bringing down humanity because Eve listened to a snake and ate from the oddly-named Tree of Knowledge. “Suffer in childbirth”  and “your husband will rule over thee” — God is clear about that.

During this thought experiment you learn that:

* Daughters should be turned over to rapists, not male angels. [Genesis 19:1-8]

* Wives are property. [Exodus 20:17]

* It’s OK to sell daughters and female slaves who can be used for sex. [Exodus 21:7-11]

* Menstruating women are unclean. [Leviticus 15:19-24]

* Non-virgin brides should be stoned. Rape victims must marry rapists; the rape victim’s father must be compensated for depreciation of his property. [Deuteronomy 22:13-21]

* Beware of wicked women. [Proverbs 5:1-5]

And your 12-year-old girl self is thinking, dudes, this is so lame! Why did they give me this nasty book to read?

But of course you are not intellectually ready to challenge authority. You’re uncertain how to verbalize your concerns. And you don’t want to be the weird kid in the church group who asks too many questions. Any discussions of women in the Bible are dismissed with “Christ changed all that.”

Well, no, you’re thinking, things don’t really change in the New Testament. Men can get divorced; women can’t [Matthew 5:32]. A man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery [Luke 16:18]. Women are commanded to be silent in churches [1 Corinthians 14:34]. Wives must submit to their husbands [Ephesians 5:22 & Colossians 3:18].

Even the good Jesus stories speak poorly of women. In one popular story, Jesus seems to punk the Elizabeth Taylor-like woman at Jacob’s well, asking her to bring her husband, even though he already knows she doesn’t have one [John 4:15-18]. He sets up a cat fight at Mary & Martha’s house [Luke 10:40-42]. In an instance of robe-touching healing of a woman, Jesus feels “power had gone out of Him” [Mark 5:30]. Power-drains don’t happen when Jesus heals sick men.

Mostly nameless and thoroughly personality-less, women of the Gospels make poor role models. Jesus’ mother — there are at least four women named Mary in the Bible — is famous for what she didn’t do.

Verbs used to describe women are usually passive. Mary “will bring a son to birth.” The hemorrhaging women “took a risk of faith.” The sinner’s accusers “stood her in plain sight.”

In one of the few female-positive Gospel stories (and possibly not even legitimate Bible material, according to some scholars), Jesus forgives the adulteress about to be stoned [John 8:11]. But you have to wonder, where was the man who committed adultery? Why isn’t he also getting stones thrown at him? Double standard much?

You’re like, throw me a bone, religious guys! Isn’t there any Good News for modern women? “Of course” they tease. “Women were first to witness Jesus’ resurrection.” So, you look it up [Mark 16:11 & Luke 24:11]. “They did not believe the women because their words seemed like nonsense.” …Sigh.

So, what would you think as an insecure young person if an authority figure gave you a book that attacked your self-esteem and instructed you to be silent and submit? How would you feel?

About Post Author

Liz Putnam

Liz Putnam is a retired automotive trade magazine editor from Columbus, Ohio.
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Anonymous
12 years ago

While I fully admit that the Bible is replete with these kind of horror stories, it’s important to keep in mind that the Bible was written by those in power: men. As a result, you find these incredibly terrible and unjust accounts of and about women, or instructions relating to women that are utterly insane and misogynist. Yes, the Bible has been used to subordinate women, but if we are going to make a critical analysis of the Bible, we must keep in mind the factors and circumstances in which it was written, and possibly read more about it. There is evidence that suggests that women in the early Christian movement were indeed important leaders and that, contrary to popular belief. there were women disciples. It is not enough to point out the obvious problematic aspects, but to investigate further. When you do, you find that if women were so vehemently attacked, it is because they had power and were breaking boundaries. I think that including this part of it, along with a critical analysis of these passages, speak more to women.

kimberly rose
12 years ago

Liz, thanks for the thoughtful post. I am that very girl, and can only tell you that now, at 52, I still struggle with the damaging message of misogyny. It affected my choice of career–nursing is what I chose–and even this “helping” professon was outside the norm of the options proscribed to me: pastors wife, missionary’s wife, church secretary, homemaker/mother, and elementary school teacher–BTW, nursing…wow, what a good way to keep ’em down on the farm.

Keep it up!

lazersedge
12 years ago

…and a booming voice roars out of the dark clouds amidst thunder and lighting saying, “What the hell Liz. You said it yourself. You females were after thoughts. I had to go back and write you into the fairy tale to make it believable because I had to have a way to reproduce more men. Geez, I thought I did a pretty good job.”

Nag, Nag Nag 🙂 🙂

Good post Liz

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