Generally speaking, the foundational texts of the three Abrahamic faiths— Judaism, Christianity and Islam— accord women equal value with men and social dignity. For example, in the Hebrew Bible women are women are specifically accorded rights in matters of inheritance (Numbers 27:1-11) and are protected from abuse and mistreatment (Exodus 21:7-11). In the New Testament, Jesus' interactions with women often challenged social norms of the time. For instance, Jesus spoke directly to women in public settings, such as his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42) and his interactions with Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42) treating women with respect and dignity, which was unconventional in the patriarchal society of ancient Israel. In the Gospel accounts of Jesus' resurrection, women play a prominent role as witnesses to the empty tomb and resurrection. Women are the first to encounter the risen Jesus or the empty tomb (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-18). Their testimonies are central to the narrative of Jesus' resurrection, which highlights their importance as credible witnesses despite the cultural biases against women's testimony in ancient Jewish society.
The Quran and Hadith contain guidance on the treatment of women, emphasizing the equality of men and women in terms of their spiritual worth while acknowledging some differences in roles and responsibilities. For example, women are accorded rights in matters of marriage, inheritance and education.
As authoritarian males began dominating all three faiths, women were consistently pushed to the back of the bus, something that has faded away in most modern interpretations of the Bible. But not among white evangelicals/Christian Nationalists. These are generally self-righteous patriarchal reactionaries who see women’s place in the kitchen, preferably pregnant.
A couple of days ago, writing for Time, Philip Elliott looked at the new polling from the Public Religion Research Institute. He noted that “Across nearly every faith and in all but five states, a majority of Americans support at least some access to abortion.” Those states are all backward, predominantly rural, red and religionist states: the Dakotas, Arkansas, Idaho and Utah.
“The survey's most revealing insight,” he wrote, “is the group in which anti-abortion sentiment remains strongest: white Christian nationalists. On a state-by-state level, the more prone to Christian nationalism, the less likely PRRI found support for abortion. Statistically, it’s Mississippi at one end and Oregon at the other. Unsurprisingly, that spectrum also overlays neatly with the efforts to protect or scrap access to abortion. It’s a quiet chasm, but one that speaks to the latent threat of white Christian nationalism that Democrats and more than a few Republicans have been reluctant to confront head-on. ‘Clearly, the higher the score for Christian nationalism among state residents, there's a clear linkage in terms of attitudes about abortion,’ PRRI’s president Melissa Deckman told me this week ahead of the data’s public release. ‘It shows how clearly the Christian nationalist influences are making policy, and it's really pretty stark.’ Just 25% of those identified as Christian nationalists say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. White Christian nationalists were the most opposed to abortion, with a scant 29% weighing in on the side of abortion. Hispanic Christian nationalists (34%) and Black Christian nationalists (59%) were more supportive of abortion rights. Among those who completely rejected the tenets of Christian nationalism, the question of abortion rights is almost unanimously— 93%— supported.”
The theology that the United States is a uniquely divined project that has its governance and godliness intertwined and blessed has been used aplenty by some of the most cynical political artists in the nation, and to great effect. A politician who can claim to be on a mission from God is not subject to the same level of fact-checking as one running on mortal rationality.
…A solid 86% of Democrats say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while just 36% of Republicans say the same. To say the parties are working off different playbooks is an understatement. They’re not even working with the same set of rules.
My all-time favorite author has always been Dostoevsky and there are two books of his that I read over and over, Crime And Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. Last night I re-read Brothers K’s most memorable chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” and it got me going about these evangelical MAGA psychos. The chapter is like a parable in which the Grand Inquisitor confronts Jesus Christ who has returned to Earth and caused a stir. The Inquisitor criticizes Jesus for burdening mankind with freedom, insisting that people are incapable of handling it and are better off surrendering their freedom in exchange for security and comfort provided by a controlling authority, i.e. the church. What Dostoevsky is doing is basically exploring two related ideas— the tension between freedom and authority and the human desire for security and certainty versus the existential struggle of individual autonomy. The Inquisitor's argument reflects a cynical view of human nature, suggesting that people are inherently weak and require external control to find meaning and purpose in life. The Christian nationalists of today are his ideological— and spiritual, though I’m reluctant to even use that word— descendants. Like the Inquisitor, the leaders of the evangelical movement have clearly been tempted by the pursuit of political power and control which invariably brings up a prioritization of maintaining authority and influence over promoting spiritual values and principles. That tension between authoritarianism and freedom of faith is evident in both the Grand Inquisitor's worldview and the Christian nationalist MAGA movement.
Dostoevsky's critique of institutionalized religion and hypocrisy within the church resonates with contemporary discussions about the role of Christian nationalists and evangelical leaders in politics and society. The disconnect between the professed values we find in the Bible— the way women are treated for example— and actions in these religious cults undermines the credibility and moral authority of religious institutions.