This past election and its aftermath have been very
divisive. Since November 6, there have
been numerous allegations of cheating and voter fraud. There is even a movement for states to leave
the union all together. Prior to the election,
there was division in our country over the economy, taxes, and social
issues. In this posting, I want to look
at the issue of the war on women.
During the election, Democrats accused Republicans
of waging a war on woman. This
accusation started during one of the republican debates where the debate
moderator asked Mitt Romney if he favored banning contraceptives. At no time during the campaign had Mitt
Romney even hinted at a desire to ban contraceptives so we must look at the
undermining philosophy that would lead Democrats to claim Republicans are
waging a war on women.
In his letter to the Church at Ephesus, the Apostle
Paul reminded the people that their battle was not against flesh and blood, but
that it was a spiritual battle against principalities and powers in high
places. To gain understanding of what
Paul was speaking about, we must place his writing in the context of the
situation in Ephesus at the time.
Ephesus was a thriving center of travel and commerce
but it was also a center for the worship of the Greek goddess Artemis. Ephesus was home to one of the seven wonders
of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis. (1) It was in the middle of this situation that
Paul came declaring the Gospel. The
Gospel and its adherence to the one true God would have been a threat to the
worship of Artemis. We have an account
showing the seriousness of this threat in Acts 19:23-41
23 But about that time,
serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 It began with
Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines
of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. 25 He called the
craftsmen together, along with others employed in related trades, and addressed
them as follows:
"Gentlemen, you
know that our wealth comes from this business. 26 As you have seen and heard,
this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren't gods at all.
And this is happening not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire
province! 27 Of course, I'm not just talking about the loss of public respect
for our business. I'm also concerned that the temple of the great goddess
Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis — this magnificent goddess
worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world — will be
robbed of her prestige!"
28 At this their anger
boiled, and they began shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
29 A crowd began to gather, and soon the city was filled with confusion.
Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who
were Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia. 30 Paul wanted to go in, but
the believers wouldn't let him. 31 Some of the officials of the province,
friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life
by entering the amphitheater.
32 Inside, the people
were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in
confusion. In fact, most of them didn't even know why they were there. 33
Alexander was thrust forward by some of the Jews, who encouraged him to explain
the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak in defense. 34 But
when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it
up for two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of
the Ephesians!"
35 At last the mayor
was able to quiet them down enough to speak. "Citizens of Ephesus,"
he said. "Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the
temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven. 36 Since
this is an indisputable fact, you shouldn't be disturbed, no matter what is
said. Don't do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, but they have
stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess. 38 If
Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session
and the judges can take the case at once. Let them go through legal channels.
39 And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a
legal assembly. 40 I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting
by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion. And if
Rome demands an explanation, we won't know what to say." 41 Then he
dismissed them, and they dispersed.
NLT
The belief in the one true God was both a philosophical
and economic threat to the worshipers of Artemis in Ephesus. However, what does that have to do with the
war on women?
The feminist movement began in the 1970’s. Its goal was raising women to an equal
position with men. Feminists wanted
women to get equal pay for equal work. They
wanted women to have the same career opportunities as their male counterparts. (2) I presently work for a women and have no
difficulty with that. I also would be
upset if I discovered my wife was passed up for a job or promotion she was
qualified for in favor of an equally or lesser qualified male just because he
was a male.
However, the feminist movement soon ran into a roadblock. Women can get pregnant and men cannot. Women also wanted to live promiscuously like
their male counterparts but needed to solve the problem of unwanted
pregnancies. To solve this dilemma,
women began using contraceptives to prevent pregnancies and would have an
abortion when the contraceptives failed.
(2) Careerism and promiscuity became the religion
of feminists and abortion became the holy sacrament.
Feminists see Evangelical Republicans as a threat to
their religion of careerism and promiscuity and therefore, just like the early
Christians in Ephesus they must be stopped.
The truth, however, is that evangelicals are not at war with women, they
just understand that women are blessed with the privilege of having children and that when a woman
conceives a child, a bond between mother and child is formed. An abortion severs this bond, which results
in emotional trauma for the mother. To
cover this trauma, many women become pregnant again with an “atonement baby”
and if they abort this child, they will feel the need to conceive two children
to compensate. This is a vicious
emotionally damaging cycle for a woman. (2)
It is not evangelicals or republicans who are at war
with women, it is women who feel they must fight people who threaten their
religious belief in careerism and promiscuity who are at war. The results of this election however have
demonstrated that this battle is not one that can be won in the political
battlefield. Just as Paul instructed the
Church in Ephesus that they could not win their battle against the worshipers
of Artemis with conventional weapons, we can only win this battle by a change
of heart in women.
Men and many women are learning that when their
career comes between them and their family, their career controls them instead
of them controlling their career. Both
men and women are coming to grips with the fact that career is important but
must not take the place of their role as fathers of mothers. Women are blessed when they fulfill their God
given role as mothers bring a new life into the world and must learn not to
allow a career to get in the way.
Likewise, promiscuity is a damaging lifestyle. Not only can it result in an unwanted
pregnancy but also exposes both men and women to sexually transmitted diseases
that are damaging to their health. It
also degrades sex to its biological component instead of a beautiful expression
of love and commitment between a man and a woman as God intended it to be.
The war on women that we now find ourselves in can
only be won through teaching and mentoring men and women on how to correctly
prioritize their careers as well as learning and practicing the Godly view of
sex as an expression of love and commitment between a man and a woman.
I am a conservative republican white male Christian. I have been married to the love of my life 37
almost 38 years. My mother was a great
influence in my life, especially in establishing my faith in God. I have a sister that is 7 years older than me
whom I love dearly. I also have worked
for a woman for 18 years and find her to be a great boss. I do not consider myself to be at war with
women.
1. BiblePlaces.com. Ephesus. www.bibleplaces.com.
[Online] [Cited: November 14, 2012.]
http://www.bibleplaces.com/ephesus.htm.
2. Mathewes-Green,
Frederica. WHAT WOMEN NEED. touchstonemag.com. [Online] touchstone,
2012. [Cited: November 14, 2012.] http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=14-06-020-f.
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