But of course, this is a trivial example. The fact is that the Bible has been used to justify the subjugation of women; the demonization of female sexuality, and the wholesale denigration of the female mind. It isn't the Bible's fault, but good God, we are living in the 21st century. Can't we get past this?
Anyway, Kristof reviews a new Spong book. Of course, conservatives will not take Spong seriously, but here he is addressing those "sins" of the bible that saw Christians using the ancient text to justify slavery, condone ethnic cleansing and genocide, and, of course, to keep women in their place. But, I think Kristof would ask, is this really what JWD?
Liberal Bible-Thumping - New York Times: "Bishop Spong, who has also taught at Harvard Divinity School, argues that while Christianity historically tried to block advances by women, Jesus himself treated women with unusual dignity and was probably married to Mary Magdalene. Christianity may have become unfriendly to women's rights partly because, in its early years, it absorbed an antipathy for sexuality from the Neoplatonists. That led to an emphasis on the perpetual virginity of Mary, with some early Christian thinkers even trying to preserve the Virgin Mary's honor by raising the possibility that Jesus had been born through her ear."
