Alice Walker
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“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men”–Alice Walker (taken from About.com; emphasis mine).
Many of you may know that April is National Poetry Month. This is the reason behind my posting audios of my poems the last two Fridays. I plan to do the same for the next two Fridays. But I also thought it would be interesting to take quotations from some famous (and not so famous) poets to examine their thoughts in light of what I believe God’s Woman (what I am temporarily calling the recreated strong black woman who is a Christian) should be considering. So consider the above quotation from womanist (black feminist) poet, novelist and essayist Alice Walker, particularly the part I’ve emphasized. What are your personal thoughts about it? What are your thoughts about it when considering Genesis 2:18 and 1 Corinthians 11:8-9. I’ll tell you what I think, but you first.
Copyright 2009 by Rhonda J. Smith
Well, interestingly enough, I have not met a conservative Christian who believes women’s heads should be covered (the conservative Christians I’ve met tend to think that’s the realm of Islam).
And yet that’s the context for the I Corinthians passage. So I say you can’t cherry-pick what you take literally and what you take contextually. If you’re going to say women were made for men, then you’ve got to cover your women’s heads. You’ve also got stone people to death. You’ve also got to perform some miracles.
And you have to believe Christ has freed us so that we’re no longer slave nor free, or male and female.
In the end, though, if you can move mountains and have not love, you are nothing. So someone who loves and believes in gender equality I believe Jesus would support any day over a sexist literalist without love.
Interestingly enough, I attended a conservative Christian church where the women had to wear head coverings. It was there that I had (and did ask) many questions about the 1 Corinthians 11 passage.
A few questions for you: If all scripture is God-given and still useful today, how would you say this 1 Corinthians 11 passage is applicable? Is it to be taken literally or symbolically? And if symbolically, what does it symbolize?
I think the role women play in the lives of men is companionship and assistance – helping them to see possiblities and other perspectives. Clearly, women were not created with the sole purpose of being for men. For men, implies ownership, no other purpose. What about women who never marry? I think Alice Walker is correct to react against any interpretation that would argue women’s sole purpose is for the benefit of men. Never. I help young men all the time in my role as educator and I believe I am very helpful to my boyfriend. But the young men in my school, my boyfriend, my father, and my nephew- none of which are the sole purpose of my creation and I reject any such assertion. I was created to glorify God and if I help a man or two along the way, so be it.