Woman was considered to be created for rearing children and attending to the duties of the household. It was considered preferable that she should not know reading or writing in order that she might not be informed of events in the world. The status of woman in former times was exceedingly deplorable, for it was the belief of the Orient that it was best for woman to be ignorant. If these are acceptable in the threshold of the Glorious One, man and woman will be equally recognized and rewarded. God does not inquire, “Art thou woman or art thou man?” He judges human actions. The one whose heart is pure is acceptable in His sight, be that one man or woman. In reality, God has created all mankind, and in the estimation of God there is no distinction as to male and female. Naturally, she could not and did not advance. She was denied the right and privilege of education and left in her undeveloped state. The conditions in past centuries were due to woman’s lack of opportunity. But in this century, which is the century of light and the revelation of mysteries, God is proving to the satisfaction of humanity that all this is ignorance and error nay, rather, it is well established that mankind and womankind as parts of composite humanity are coequal and that no difference in estimate is allowable, for all are human. In some countries man went so far as to believe and teach that woman belonged to a sphere lower than human. She was considered especially inferior in intelligence, and the idea prevailed universally that it was not allowable for her to step into the arena of important affairs. In past ages it was held that woman and man were not equal-that is to say, woman was considered inferior to man, even from the standpoint of her anatomy and creation. Or maybe she would explain how none of the categories created for her sum her up or capture her essence.Today questions of the utmost importance are facing humanity, questions peculiar to this radiant century… One of these questions concerns the rights of woman and her equality with man. Maybe she would tell of the time, in the mountains with bare feet on the ground, she stood tall and wise and felt every cell in her body smile in assent as she inhaled and exhaled and in one loud second realized, I’m alive! I’m enfleshed! only to forget it the next. Or about how there are moments when her own strength startles her, and moments when her weakness-her forgetfulness, her fear, her exhaustion-unnerve her. Perhaps she would talk about being underestimated, about surprising people and surprising herself. Or of the reality that with new life comes swollen breasts, dry heaves, dirty diapers, snotty noses, late-night arguments, and a whole army of new dangers and fears she never even considered before because life-giving isn’t nearly as glamorous as it sounds, but it’s a thousand times more beautiful. Perhaps she would speak of the surprise of seeing herself-flaws and all-in the mirror on her wedding day. Or of this screwed-up notion of purity as a status, as something awarded by men with tests and checklists and the power to give it and take it away. Perhaps she would speak of impossible expectations and all the time she’s wasted trying to contort herself into the shape of those amorphous silhouettes that flit from magazines and billboards into her mind. Perhaps she would speak of the way a regular body moves through the world-always changing, never perfect-capable of nurturing life, not simply through the womb, but through hands, feet, eyes, voice, and brain. “But what might a woman say about church as she? What might a woman say about the church as body and bride? Try focusing on what you share as sisters in the gospel, rather than the negative aspects you dislike about that person.” If you wish to love them, the only way to overcome your frustrations is through empathy, prayer, forgiveness and allowing yourself time to heal through distance. If you choose not to like someone, then avoid them. It is a silent, unspoken hypocrisy that is inconsistent with the teachings of the gospel. This game is so often used by women in the Christian faith, that it is the number one reason why many people become inactive. From your point of helplessness, it will be is easy to recruit people that will mistake your kindness as righteousness, when in reality it is a hidden agenda to humiliate through the words of Christ. Before you know it, you’re using the gospel as a sword to slice other religious people apart, which have offended you. Otherwise, you will allow your piety to take over. However, when you don’t like someone then you need to walk away and focus not on him or her, but the hatred you’re harboring.
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