Abstract:
There is mutual antagonism between the Women’s Liberation Movement and the Bible. Those espousing the feminist viewpoint criticize that the Genesis features ‘creation of woman’ towards the end of the story, even after the creation of the garden, trees and the animals. Moreover, they take offense to how women are conceived as ‘helpers’ to men, making it obvious that their role is meant to be one of a subordinate to man. Another point of contention is how women were equated to the rib of a man. However, some biblical scholars point out that in the Genesis, the male embodies the female and vice versa. They suggest that the Genesis should be interpreted as the creation of androgyny and sexuality, instead of reading it from a misogynist angle. Likewise, the choice of the serpent to talk to the woman, rather than the man, is not readily a feminist issue. From a contrarian perspective, it could be argued that it is the woman who is the more independent than the man. Adam passively receives the fruit and eats it, whereas Eve acts out of her own initiative, as she takes the fruit and eats it. It is Eve who is the decision maker, whereas the man is neither dominant nor aggressive. Furthermore, the dichotomy and perceived inequalities of gender dissolves even further after the biting of the forbidden fruit. They both are judged for their collective sin. Reading the judgment in cultural-relative terms limits the scope and relevance of the story of the Genesis.