Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 4, 1995 TAG: 9503060017
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOY THOMPSON KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: LONG BEACH, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
But if you look at some recent tragic events - it can appear as if women are being crushed or overwhelmed by the world.
Take the fatal shooting of a young single mother at a traffic light in Long Beach earlier this week by men she may have known.
Or the battered wife who last week tossed her three children into the Los Angeles River and then jumped in herself.
Or the two 14-year-old girls who shared a gun and committed suicide in San Bernardino County, Calif.
The news presents a sobering picture, a picture that forces one to ask ``exactly how are the world's women holding up''?
Some will conclude that the world's women are oppressed, and traditionally, religion has been one of the key tools of oppression.
It is religion, they argue, that teaches women are inferior to men. It is religion that relegates women to the duties of childbearing. It is religion that demeans a woman, making her seem like a nothing in her own eyes - and in the eyes of God.
Often the contributions of women are ignored by religious leaders. Not so in the Bible.
Two of the books in the Old Testament are named after woman - Ruth and Esther. Deborah is praised as a victorious Jewish judge. And prophetesses like Huldah played key roles in restoring the faith of a nation.
As a Christian, one of the things that causes me to admire Jesus Christ is his relationship with women as described in the Bible.
When an adulterous woman was dragged before his feet, he focused his attention on exposing the sinful hearts of the men who had brought her. Then after they had left, he gently admonished her to change her immoral lifestyle.
When the Samaritan woman came to draw water from a well, Jesus ignored the racist and sexist mores of the times, which dictated discrimination against Samaritans and promised her living water - the gift of eternal salvation.
When Jesus visited Lazarus' sisters, Martha complained that her sister Mary was ignoring her share of the ``women's work'' around the house. Jesus corrected Martha and said that by sitting at his feet and listening to his teaching, Mary had chosen what was better. (Lazarus was the man Jesus had raised from the dead.)
What does God really think of women? I think some vision and insight can be gained from Proverbs 31.
Women are valuable: ``She is worth far more than rubies.''
Women are competent: ``Her husband has full confidence in her.''
Women are responsible: ``She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family.''
Women are smart investors: ``She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.''
Women have business acumen: ``She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.''
Women are compassionate: ``She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.''
Women are creative: ``She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.''
Women are intelligent: ``She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.''
Women are confident: ``She is clothed with strength and dignity. She can laugh at days to come.''
While the verses above specifically describe a wife of noble character, they offer vision for all women. Hundreds of books have been written about boosting a woman's self-esteem. I feel that when a woman realizes her true spiritual worth and value to society, she can do incredible things. Instead of being crushed, she can truly hold up half the world. She can bear the pressures of life.
Joy Thompson is the Long Beach (Calif.) Press-Telegram religion editor.
by CNB