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eeyore58 -> RE: Women's role in the Home - One Stop Thread (4/22/2005 9:31:52 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Coheir quote:
ORIGINAL: heatherer5 sometimes, women/mothers just can't help but work outside the home. This is a prevailing sentiment in American evangelical Christian circles, and I don't agree with what this sentiment implies. It implies that women should work only because they have to. It implies that the scriptures talking about women being busy at home are the sum total of what women are to do, without taking into account the rest of scripture. It also assumes that all men have a calling unique to them - such as engineering, preaching, doctoring, plumbing, etc. - and all women have just one calling, and that is to be a wife/mother. I posit here for your consideration: Genesis 1:26-28 "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them , and said to them , 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Also, the parable of the talents, Matthew 15:14-29. I see two hermaneutics at work here when it comes to men's and women's roles. The first one we apply to men's roles ... we seize upon the cultural mandate to rule and subdue the earth given to all of mankind in Genesis and give men carte blanche to fulfull this mandate throughout all time, creatively and progressively, without restriction. And to women, we use a different hermaneutic. We immediately begin applying limits on it. We point to verses such as those in Titus 2 and treat it as the sum total of woman's role, instead of viewing it as simply one aspect of godly womanhood. We totally forget about the sweeping cultural mandate in Genesis that God gave to both men and women. I am not suggesting that anyone neglect their children nor their household responsibilities. We are created in the image of a Creator God. In that light, surely men and women can be a little more creative about caring for their homes and families (and using their God-given talents to the fullest) than the 1950's Ozzie and Harriet template. In the United States, especially, we have that great luxury - with home based businesses, telecommuting, entrepreneurship, etc. - and we should take advantage of it. That was relieving to read. I've been married over 5 years, no kids, but we are still madly in love (maybe because no kids, lol!), but our marriage fits the partnership model totally. We make decisions together in everything. We come to agreement (which usually isn't too hard actually; we are very like-minded)--there's tremendous oneness and unity. What I don't comprehend--and I know there's biblical premise for it--is the man being head of the woman. In our marriage we are complete equals, we are partners, we work to come to an agreement when there is a disagreement--so no one has to be the final decision maker--we work together. For us, this works beautifully, and I don't think either of us could imagine it any other way. Anyone out there feel the same way? As to taking care of the house vs. bread winner, my husband loves to cook, so he does 80 to 90% of cooking, and neither of us like to clean or really care too much (as long as it's not dirty--a little clutter is ok). Ever since we've been married, I've been the primary breadwinner b/c he is a perpetual student (working on his doctorate). Works for us. Actually, he'd be the better stay at home parent personality wise b/c he has the patience of Job, is naturally sweet, sensitive, a homebody, feels natural around kids--I'm the agreesive one, not so patient, NEED to be out of the house etc. He just smiles when I bring that up. I think after all he's invested in school . . . :-)
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