Monday, September 04, 2006

woman as seen in the old testament

How the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) generally viewed women:Women's behavior was extremely limited in ancient times, much as the women of Afghanistan during the recent Taliban oppression. They were:
Unmarried women were not allowed to leave the home of their father.
Married women were not allowed to leave the home of their husband.
They were normally restricted to roles of little or no authority.
They could not testify in court.
They could not appear in public venues.
They were not allowed to talk to strangers.
They had to be doubly veiled when they left their homes.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, women were generally viewed in a negative light:____________________________________________________________Women were considered inferior to men: Genesis 1:27 to 3:24:
In the first creation story (Genesis 1:27) God is described as creating man, both male and female at the same time: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." To me, this is interpreted as implying equality between the two genders. But in the second creation story, (Genesis 2:7) God formed only a man: "...the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.Realizing that he needed a helper (Genesis 2:18), God marched all of the animals past Adam (Genesis 2:19-20) looking for a suitable animal. Finding none suitable, God created Eve out of one of Adam's ribs. The term "helper" has historically been interpreted as implying an inferior role for Eve, although some modern interpreters believe that the word can mean a companion of equal status. the Hebrew word translated "helper" is used twenty-one times in the Old Testament: twenty of these cases refer to help from a superior.In Genesis 2:27, Adam later asserts his authority over Eve by naming her: "...she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." In ancient times, one was believed to have authority over a person or thing by naming it.
Genesis 3:16:Adam's role is to be Eve's master. The King James Version (KJV), New International Version (NIV), and Revised Standard Version (RSV) use the term "rule" to describe Adam's role over Eve: "...thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." The Living Bible uses the term "master". The Modern Language Bible uses "dominate". By implication, all of their descendents are would have the same power imbalance between spouses.The bad part about all this is...over in the "middle east"...women are still treated this way. Can't drive a car - can't vote - can't go to school - some can't show their face..let alone their legs! Some can't leave their home compound....and you thought you had it rough!
A man could marry (literally "become the master of the woman") as often as he desired. In Genesis 4:19, Lamech became the first known polygamist when he took two wives. Subsequent men who took multiple wives included: Esau with 3 wives; Jacob: 2; Ashur: 2; Gideon: many; Elkanah: 2; David: many; Solomon: 700 wives of royal birth; Rehaboam: 3; Abijah: 14. Jehoram, Joash, Ahab, Jeholachin and Belshazzar also had multiple wives.So...according to the Bible...you've come a long way baby!
posted by Locusx1y2 10:02 AM 4 comments

Top 10 Pot Studies Government Wished it Had Never Funded

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Blogs on religion

A site on Hinduism is about Sanatan Dharma (http://shiksha.blogspot.com) which deals with the uniqueness of the religion.
One of the religions with many blogs is Sikhism.
www.sikhiwiki.org is a website which offers a free Sikh encyclopaedia that anyone can edit. The website locates different gurudwaras around the world alongwith articles on Sikh history, beliefs, scriptures and terminology. Other blogs are views of individuals like Otpreka Singh, (http://thepanthicotpreka.blogspot.com) which tackle many relevant issues in the Sikh Panth and provide an overview on Sikhism.
A blog that provides many keertan downloads and literature on Sikhism is
http://nir-ankar.blogspot.co. The Muslim community has its own blogs like www.newmuslimz.blogspot.com which is by a Yemeni who wants to educate those who are new to Islam about its various facets. It draws from Islamic literature that is available online and links it to other Islamic blogs.
The life of a simple Jew is explained in a blog called
http://a-simplejew.blogspot.com in which thoughts and philosophy on Judaism and life in general are written. Buddhist blogs are popular with many. http://thebuddhistblog.blogspot.com is a place where a man talks about his relationship with Buddhism and provides links to various other such sites. Within Chri-stianity there are various blogs dealing with biblical studies, Catholicism, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. www.christianblog.com is a website which allows people to blog on various aspects of Christianity.
The website was created to provide an easy-to-use blog/journal for Christians around the world. Another blog
www.christianorigins.com where one finds diverse essays about early Christianity gathered from books and newspaper articles. There are even blogs on Sufism which one can access on ht-tp://sufistic.blogspot.com.
Blogs are also used by some to show protest against religious figures. One such person is H.H. Swami, a hard-core follower of Sathya Sai Baba for over a decade. He made six trips to see him in India. Now no longer a devotee, he uses his blog
http://saibabaexposed.blogspot.com) to record memories and comments on the Sai Baba and also points out inaccuracies in his philosophical and theological presentation. There aren’t only religious blogs but also anti-religious blogs on the net.
One blog titled Evangelical Atheist, helping mankind overcome religion (
http://evangelicalatheist.com), speaks about the festival of Holi in one of the many posts. It says, “So, if you’re planning a trip to India, go in March and pack old clothes. You’ll have a great time. But don’t forget that you’re surrounded by people who worship a God with the head of an elephant and fully expect to come back to life as a cockroach if they’re bad.”
The blog is anti-religious and deals with such issues. Another blog (
http://religionisbullshit.net/blog/index.php) has articles and opinions on absurdity and discusses the dangerous side of religious beliefs. It is certain that there will be more unique uses of the blog in times ahead. Newer and more innovative methods to use this exceptional Internet tool will be seen. The time is certainly near when every single person can have his blog where he can show his creativity, worth and even religious preferences.

a forward from Known Stranger

Saturday, April 15, 2006

the gospel according to saby

The world can give u happiness, but
Only God can give u joy, which is everlasting


Happiness is but n orgasm- it don’t last long
Joy is everlasting and nobody can take it away from u – and u don’t need Viagara
-Saby

There could be no real freedom without economic freedom, and
so long as poverty remains.
To call a starving man free is but to mock him.

— Jawaharlal Nehru


Guys,

If u want to test whether any quotes and their interpretation is what Jesus intended, just ask yourself does it conform to:
1. Love God with all u got
2. Love your neighbor as much as u love yourself (provided u r not a masochist)

Love God with all u got, means
1. more than money and wealth and other possessions (positions of power)
2. more than your father, mother, brother, sister, wife
3. more than your life itself

This implies for God’s will, like Abraham
1. you must be prepared to sacrifice your only child (Bakri- Id)
2. you must be prepared to strike at the forces of evil- and sacrifice your life in the process - by Crusades, by Jehad

This Gen has very few Christians
The only true living Christians in India are:
1. Khairnar who dared challenge Sharad Pawar- and is now a pauper
2. Medha Pathak- who is fighting for the dispossessed oustees in Narmada Project
3. Anna Hazare who brought the Telgi Scam to the Supreme Court
4. Baba Amte – who cud be called Father Theresa
5. That famous dancer (Sarabhai – I tink) in Ahmedabad – who spoke out on the genocide being done against the innocent Muslims in Gujarat under the blessings of the CM and the entire population in Gujarat – now her passport has been seized and her movements are restricted- under trumped up charges
6. An up-coming badminton player who refused to endorse Coke- because he didn’t drink soft drinks and felt it was not healthy.- uno how much Coke pays for endorsements !



Love One Another
This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother.

And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.

Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:11-18 NIV