Spiritual violence against women
A longstanding Christian tradition
By William Edelen - Syndicated Columnist

The Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong, a senior Bishop in the Episcopal church, recently released an essay for publication with this title: "Christianity Killed Matthew Shephard." It was a review of the spiritual violence and emotional assault on the gay and lesbian community by many Christian denominations. 

The recent national convention of Southern Baptists reminds us that the same emotional violence still continues to this day by biblical Christianity against women. The Baptists announced to the world that women could never be ministers or pastors, and only macho men need apply. Why? Because the Bible says so. 

This is a continuation of the history of the Christian church in degrading women with emotional abuse. 

In the year 584 A.D. the Council of Macon met in Lyons, France. The subject for debate at that Council was this: "Are Women Human?" Finally, after days of debate, a vote was taken. Women were voted human by only one vote of the majority. 

Listen to the Christian church fathers:

- Tertullian: Called the "Founder of Western Theology," said this: "Woman is a temple built over a sewer, the gateway to the devil. Women are the gate to hell."

- St. John Chrysostom (345-407 A.D.) "Among all the savage beasts, none is so bestial as woman."

- St. Augustine (345-430 a.d.) "Any woman who does not give birth to as many children as she is capable of is guilty of murder."

- Martin Luther: "Women should stay at home, keep house and bear children. If a women dies from childbearing, let her die. That is all she is here for."

- John Wesley (of Methodist fame) in a letter to his wife: "Wife: Be content to be insignificant. What loss would it be to God or man had you never been born."

- John Knox (of Presbyterian fame) "Woman was made for only one reason, to serve and obey man."

- And now for the year 2000, from the Baptist potentates; " A wife should submit herself to the leadership of her husband. Leadership in the church should always be male."

It is simply beyond human comprehension that today, in the year 2000, this degradation of women still persists in the Mormon and Roman Catholic church, as well as fundamentalist churches and many mainline Christian denominations, with their male Bishops, male pastors, male run churches, and male husbands keeping the women in their place. 

Will this phallic imperialism of the last 2000 years ever end? 

The spiritual violence against gays and lesbians, as well as the emotional abus against women is one of the great crimes of human history, a crime that continues to this very day. 

Oh yes ... don't forget, the men are in their pulpits every Sunday morning preaching to their flock (of sheep) about something they call ... love.