The Straw That Broke The Tiger's Back

When I initially began to draft up this blog I was rather irate. I have since calmed down and modified/toned down my upset a bit. But the governing issue remains the same: The status and treatment of women in this world greatly saddens me.

What angered me at first was the fact that Tiger Woods was issuing an apology to the public that consisted of a five page letter expressing apparent remorse. The first thought that came to mind was, “Did he bother to offer the same courtesy to his wife?” I do not know the answer to that question but something made me doubt it. During the course of the apology I was expecting to hear him not only apologize to the public but also to his wife AND the women he hurt throughout this entire ordeal. I assume most people do not have compassion for the “other” women but I do feel sadness for them. Regardless of the lifestyles that they lead, they are also victims of a society that even to this day places the majority of affirmation for women on their sexuality and little else. We find ourselves victim to this mentality and then aid in perpetuating the mistreatment of women in this manner because we cannot find validity by any other means. That saddens me.

Tiger did not wrong the public. He wronged first off, God. He wronged his wife. He wronged the other women. And he wronged himself. We did not need his remorse… they did. The element that incited most of my animosity was the reason Tiger gave for having strayed. He said it was due to his lack of devotion to his religion – Buddhism. I thought long and hard about that and have come to a conclusion that I am still processing in its entirety. The conclusion is this: you can tell a lot about a religion based on its underlying respect and treatment of women. So let’s have a look, shall we, at the treatment of women across the lines of religiosity.

The sex trade running rampant throughout the world is contributed to mostly by countries that pride themselves in Buddhist principles. Young girls and women of all ages are exploited and treated as objects to be used, abused, and discarded.
In countries that cling to the Hindu faith women are placed at the bottom of a caste system and treated as slaves and personal property.

In countries that are predominantly Islamic, women are treated worse than property and are allowed to be raped or killed by men who are displeased with them without consequences.

In countries that are Catholic, family is highly valued at the appearance level but women are instruments of status and pleasure. Men have their wives to give them the much coveted image of a family well in order but they keep their mistresses on the side as instruments of use and pleasure.

In mainstream evangelical Christianity women are treated slightly better but given no equality or voice. And while the practice of taking a mistress is not condoned at times the wife is treated as nothing but a means to sexual gratification which in all actuality makes us no better than a prostitute.

In many denominations of Christianity that have accepted, at least in appearance, the equality of women go too far in stripping the essential elements of femininity from women and transform them into an oddly deformed replica of masculinity. I believe the mentality is somewhere along the lines that gender must be erased to experience true equality.

In the United States where we pride ourselves on freedom of expression in areas of religion, our freedom of expression in our sexuality runs rampant. When I analyze these patterns I ask myself… does our treatment of women reflect on some level our view of spirituality? It would for all appearances sake seem so. If this is true then it would stand to reason that the true value of women as genuinely expressed by Christ, were it to truly be grasped and exemplified in its fullness would be earth shattering to our faith, expression and grasp of the Church and her true image as seen by God.

I have been accused of many things, one of them being a feminist. I say this honestly when I tell you I do not ever wish to rule over man… I wish to stand by his side and rule with him as God intended in the beginning without having to erase or hide my femininity in the process. But until the world’s objectification of women ceases, this will never transition from fantasy into reality. I love my fellow woman dearly. But I also love my fellow man dearly and I wish he could see me with the wonderment that exists in God’s perspective – not as a means to an end or merely an object or instrument of pleasure but as a beautiful reflection of the image of God. The transformation however, must begin with women. If we cannot respect ourselves and see ourselves as God sees us then men definitely never will. They say that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Let us then focus on the strengthening of each other instead of the weakening that characterizes and plagues our past. The monstrosity of objectification in its weakening of women inadvertently weakens men and the entirety of humanity.

All of this to say the following to Mr. Woods: I'm afraid that a return to your faith of Buddhism will not improve your view of women or your treatment of them... but God can. Of course Mr. Woods will probably never read this so what I have to say instead to my readers is this: Do you view femininity as a genuine reflection of part of the character of God? Is a negative view of women/femininity affecting your faith and relationship with God? What if we are missing something exquisitely beautiful and glorious about Him because of a dysfunction in our view of ourselves?