“Feminism is an illness.  It is a philosophy of death.”
Beverly LeHay

When I see the neo-Calvinists do the whole dominionist and patriarchal thing, and promote their vision of blessed womanhood, let’s be honest.  I want to throw-up, after saying some truly uncharitable things to them.  I don’t care what these people believe.  If they want to make fools of themselves, fine with me. Just don’t expect me to go along with their ideas, which aren’t exactly based on the Bible, or history, but on something that is entirely different.  When dealing with the women who are writing their lovely wife, daughter, blessed mother of a dozen kids, sacred housekeeping, and chaste modesty, one thing is quite obvious.  They know very  little about the Bible, upon which they base their entire existence, and know even less about history, tradition, and sociology.  Their ignorance is appalling.

One of the worst things is the fact that, as anti-feminist and good little help-meets, well, they must do, say, write, wear, and think only what their blessed husbands tell them. Even if he tells them to murder their kids, well, the Lord has shown him what is right.  After all, the man is the head of the family, all wise, if he is a Christian.  The Lord has invested into him the wisdom of the ages.  Women are put on earth to have their children, clean their home, cook their food, and look upon them, lovingly, batting their eyes, wearing modest clothing, and encourage him.  He tells the goodly to beat her kids.  The Good Book says spare the rod and spoil the child.  (If he tells you to beat the child to death, just make sure that copy of Michael & Debbi Pearl’s book on child abuse is not in your home.  William Pearl might be pissed with you.  If you go to prison for murder, they say you did not follow their instructions.

How bad is it?  What happens when a woman is married to a cop who is part of an extreme cult?

“...Misty Horner passed away in 2007 from an infection she sustained in an unassisted homebirth. Her husband and the cult they followed did not allow her to seek medical intervention during the 31 days it took for her to die. Her parents filed a wrongful death suit against her husband, Caleb Horner, his brother, John Horner and their cult which teaches extreme submission….”

The goodly wife looks adoringly at her spouse.  It is called unconditional submission.  In other words, the man is god and he is always right, even when beating the shit out of his wife and kids.  If the wife dares show any back-bone or a woman wants something more in their lives, they are considered a ‘feminist’ and no Christian woman can possibly be a feminist.   It is a philosophy that ruins women and marriages.

Why is this important? The Pearls have sold over 700,000 copies of their book, To Train Up a Child.  If those numbers hold true, then upward of a million kids have been brutally abused – in the name of Christ.
To make matters worse, their version of what is Christian and anti-feminist, is fodder for those who would look upon followers of Christ as not quite all there.  They make Christianity look bad.

“...That’s why atheists are the most pro-choice demographic in America, more so than Democrats, more so than women. And that’s also why the (numerically few but obsessive and vocal) sexist and anti-feminist atheists, whether they know it or not, are giving aid and comfort to the religious cause – and not just religion in general, but the very worst manifestations of religion: the most patriarchal, the most authoritarian, the most cultlike and fiercely opposed to modernity.

What’s more, this patriarchal viewpoint is coming to define religion as a whole. Whether it’s Roman Catholicism and its all-male hierarchy cracking down on “feminist” nuns, Ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting on girls for going to school, evangelicals teaching women to be submissive Stepford wives, or Muslims pushing for compulsory veiling, the world’s major religions are increasingly staking their credibility, if not their very existence, on the demand for women’s submission and enforcement of gender roles. (Of course, the insistence on rigid gender roles has always been a major component of organized religion, but as that viewpoint slips from favor and wider society becomes more egalitarian, they’ve become much more forceful and shrill about it.)…”

In Debbi Pearl’s world, a woman is completely submissive to her husband.  She does what he says.  She depends on his Biblical teachings, etc.

“...Interestingly, nowhere in this passage does it say the virtuous woman is submissive to her husband. And given that Debi is quick to note that the passage doesn’t talk about prayer and Bible reading, this seems important and relevant. So let me say it again: Nowhere in Proverbs 31 does it say the virtuous woman is submissive to her husband. Not surprisingly, Debi chooses to ignore this….At last we finally know what being “spiritual” is. It’s not having a prayer life or reading the Bible or having a close relationship with God. No! It’s serving the physical (and sexual) needs of your husband. How very convenient. Interestingly, this must mean that being spiritual is gendered—i.e., that it means something totally and completely different for a man to be spiritual than for a woman to be spiritual. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that men actually get to do that whole relationship with God thing. Women? They get to cook and clean up after their menfolk….”

In their increasingly powerful little Vision Forum world of male domination and female submission, they live in a world of frilly aprons, unlimited recipes, blessed and chaste daughters, doting but firm husbands, strong sons, and three decades of pregnancy.    Women listen to their husbands.  If not, they aren’t obeying God’s will for their lives.

They base their version of submissive womanhood on Proverbs 31: 10-31. Ode to a Capable Wife
10 A capable wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant,
she brings her food from far away.
15 She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and tasks for her servant-girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor,
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all her household are clothed in crimson.
22 She makes herself coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the city gates,
taking his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she supplies the merchant with sashes.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her happy;
her husband too, and he praises her:
29 ‘Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.’
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the city gates.

Umm…. This passage does not describe a submissive woman, but a very busy woman who knows how to market, manage, buy and sell real estate, invest, manage fields, run a business, sell her product, make a profit, is a wine maker, is charitable, saves for a rainy day, she is kind, and everyone brags about her.  In order to keep her husband out of her hair, she makes sure he spends his days visiting with the men of the town, while she does the work.  She is very well dressed, thanks to her own resources.

In other words – the Proverb’s 31 woman is a total and complete feminist.  She is smart enough to keep the little man out of the way so she can run his life.

There’s a little post script here, which I think is rather humorous.  The anti-feminist Proverbs 31 woman is modest.  Well, if you pay attention to Verse 24 – so much for that:

“…15. She is here remarkable for carrying on a traffic of splendid and ornamental dresses, or habits, as she is, Proverbs 31:13, for “a coarser manufacture,” The סדון (sidon) is supposed to come from the Arabic; and to signify a kind of loose inner garment, shirt, chemise, or fine muslin covering. Some of these are so exceedingly fine, like the abrooam, that when spread on the grass, they are scarcely discernible. Some such garments as these are still worn by ladies in India and in China, and are so thin and transparent, that every part of the body may be seen through them. I have many representations of persons clothed in this way before me both of the Chinese, the Hindoo, and the Malabar ladies. Probably this eminent Jewish matron had such articles manufactured in her own house. She dealt also in girdles. These are still a very general and very expensive article of dress. I have seen them made of silk, and highly ornamented with gold and silver thread, worked into flowers and various curious devices. The loose Eastern robe is confined by these; and the word may also take in the shawl of the turban, which is often superb and costly. It is properly the girdle for the head. As these were generally woven, the consumption was great; and an able artist must have had a good trade….”

Yea, you read it correctly.

The bottom line is that, apparently, a true Proverbs 31 woman can only be described as Martha Stewart. What comes out of Jewish tradition is far different from what has been created today.   In other words…

“…According to traditional Judaism, women are endowed with a greater degree of “binah” (intuition, understanding, intelligence) than men. The rabbis inferred this from the fact that woman was “built” (Gen. 2:22) rather than “formed” (Gen. 2:7), and the Hebrew root of “build” has the same consonants as the word “binah.” It has been said that the matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah) were superior to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) in prophecy. Women did not participate in the idolatry regarding the Golden Calf. See Rosh Chodesh below. Some traditional sources suggest that women are closer to G-d’s ideal than men….”

One wonders just how Nancy Campbell and Debbi Pearl can handle this, more importantly, how do their basically abusive, over-bearing, ignorant spouses deal with it?

Well, they’ve basically brainwashed the little woman into believing that they they need to be led by the all powerful god-like man.

So much for Biblical tradition and all that.

I guess, if we go back to the origins of the Bible and what God really said, well, like I’ve stated, repeatedly Jesus was the first feminist.  Now we know why.