The anti-woman views expressed in the Bible are still at the core of fundamentalist Christian beliefs.
Here are a few examples from Scripture:
1. In the Bible's book of Deuteronomy it says that if a man marries a woman and then decides that he hates her, he can claim she wasn't a virgin when they married. At that point her father must prove she was a virgin. (How is not explained.) If he can't, then the girl is to be stoned to death at her father's doorstep.
2. If you see a pretty woman among your captives and would like her for a wife, then bring her home and "go in unto her." Later, if you decide you don't like her, you can simply "let her go." (Deuteronomy)
3. If a betrothed virgin is raped in the city and doesn't cry out loud enough, then "the men of the city shall stone her to death." (Deuteronomy)
4. In the book of Esther the king apparently decrees a sex contest among young virgin women to see who can best please him. (There is debate on how.) He eventually chooses Esther. However, since women are viewed as inherently dirty, Esther must be "purified" for twelve months before she can be made queen. (Esther)
5. Paul points out in New Testament Romans that "the natural use" of women is to provide men with sex. (Romans)
6. Heaven is to be inhabited by 144,000 virgin men who have not been "defiled" by women. (RE 14:1-4) [One wonders how this squares with God's command to, "Be fruitful and multiply...(Genesis )]
In case you think that the Bible quotes referenced above are no longer accepted by fundamentalist Christians, consider this quote from the Rev. Pat Robertson, one of today's most influential Christian fundamentalist evangelists:
"The Feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians."
And just recently The Southern Baptist Convention, the USA’s largest Protestant decision-making body added to its core teachings that a woman must be subject to her husband in all things. Plus, a woman is not to have authority over a man-a concept that could even now reap havoc in the workplace.
In marriage and family life this is termed "headship", with the husband's views prevailing, no matter how ill-informed.
The Judeo-Christian tradition allowed for multiple wives and refused to allow for divorce, no matter how abusive the husband.
These views saw women as not educatable, not intelligent enough to vote, to own property, to enter a profession, or take on leadership roles in the church.
It should come as no surprise that even those who staunchly maintain that every word of the Bible is inspired by God and is to be taken literally prefer not to quote the linked passages above.
Any attempt to "explain them away" based on a rationale of earlier times and conditions simply opens the door to "picking and choosing" what to believe from the scriptures and what to discard, which is what most modern religious thinkers do anyway.
Even so, the impact of these strong anti-woman, anti-sex scriptures remains.
But it's not only women that are affected.
Many men who, as a result of their ultra-conservative Christian upbringing, struggle all of their adult lifes to overcome debilitating sexual problems.
The vast majority of people learn (in varies degrees) to adjust, cope, ignore, or abandon these deleterious views. Even so, the effects remain and they can take a significant toll.
