Thursday, September 13, 2007

On why feminism still matters

Okay, so I've had discussions with people, men and women, during which said person expressed a sentiment: "Oh, I'm not a feminist. I'm just in favor of gender equality, equal employment opportunity, equal pay, and reproductive choice."

And when I say, "Um, and that doesn't make you a feminist?" they say, "No! Feminism is over. Gloria Steinem took care of it in the 70s or whatever. Laws have been passed. Women have equailty now. There's nothing left for feminists to fight for."

And that's when I think about stuff like this:
According to an Atlanta police incident report, Bynum said her husband “choked her, pushed her down, kicked and stomped her.”

She told police Weeks “continued stomping” her into the ground until a hotel bell man pulled him away. Police also said Weeks threatened Bynum’s life.

Culpepper said the couple was meeting for dinner at Concorde Grill in the Renaissance Concourse Hotel near Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tuesday night.

Police said the couple had met to work out their differences. Things soured, and Weeks walked out to the parking lot about 10:30 p.m., police said. He then turned back around and attacked her, said Officer Ron Campbell.

Weeks also threatened Bynum’s life during the attack, police said. “Anytime you tell a person, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ that moves it up to a felony,” Campbell said.

The bruises found on Bynum also were serious enough to bring felony aggravated assault charges against Weeks.

Juanita Bynum, a well-known televangelist who preaches self-sufficience and self-respect to women, was meeting with her estranged husband to discuss a reconciliation when the good reverend her husband, minister Thomas Weeks, began to beat the crap out of her in his Godly mercy.

But she was obviously asking for it.
By Tammy
Sep 13, 2007 11:26 AM
FACTS: 75% Second marriages end in divorce
80% of women in second marriages end up in abusive relationships.
Once divorced chances are that you will keep on divorcing until women learn how to submit themselves and men learn to take there leading roles as head of the family.
God hates divorce.
Bynum's third marriage will also end in divorce!

y Reflection
Sep 13, 2007 9:54 AM
Hey Christians, STOP being naive! It is becoming clear to me that Juanita is not a humble person or let me say, she is a very emotional person who probably refuses counciling because she thinks she is her own best adviser. By calling for divorce, she has chosen the path of inciting the notion of self-sufficiency in women, dragging the vulnerable women, especilly the EMOTIONAL women, into believing that women must fight the spirit of submissiveness required of them by the Word of God. Why on earth should somebody claim that God is in favour of having people divorced for what she calls some "special ministry" in return. It's time, great man of God stop her from tanishing the image of God and the church. I do not mean she should stop preaching. She should rather preach Christ, not preaching the phylosophies she has created out of her failed marriages, which failed most likely due to her lack of the spririt of submissiveness to her husband.

By kim
Sep 12, 2007 7:37 PM
IT IS VERY SAD WHAT HAPPEN TO MS. BYNUM, BUT GOD'S WORD DOESN'T CHANGE FOR ANYONE. WHEN HE SAID ONE HUSBAND AND ONE WIFE THAT'S WHAT HE MEANS. WHEN YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD'S, THEN YOU NEED TO LIVE YOUR LIFE THE WAY HE COMMANDS YOU TO. DID SHE REALLY THINK THAT GOD WAS GOING TO CONTINUE TO LET HER LIVE HER LIFE THE WAY SHE WANTED TO, AND CALL HERSELF HIS SERVANT. HE DOES NOT HAVE A RESPECT OF PERSON. WHAT HE SAYS FOR ONE HE SAYS FOR ALL. SHE HAS A LIVING HUSBAND, AND IS COMMITTING ADULTERY. ADULTERY IS A SIN. I HOPE HER EYES HAS COME OPEN, AND SHE HAS REPENT OF HER SINS. THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN MAKE IT TO HEAVEN IS IF WE LIVE OUR LIVES ACCORDING TO THE HOLY BIBLE. JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US TO WALK IN HIS LIKENESS, NOT THE LIKENESS WE WANT TO. I HOPE SHE IS WILLING TO LIVE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE IF NOT GOD(JESUS) IS NOT FINISH WITH HER YET. I RATHER BE CHASTISE BY MAN THAN BY GOD(JESUS). I HOPE SHE FEELS THE SAME WAY.

A WARRIOR FOR GOD(JESUS)
SIS.KIM

By A Concern Saint
Sep 10, 2007 2:46 AM
I feel for this couple and all couples that has experienced quarreling in their marriage. My prayers are for their souls. This couple was in adultery from the beginning because Juanita was married before and has a living husband. They never had God's blessing for this reason. The best thing have already come out of it, they may have avoided hell's fire for the sin of adultery. I wish all the readers would say amen. The Woman that was caught in adultery in the bible was going to be stoned to death, but alot of the confused TV audience want to stone Mr Weeks for his actions. Remember Ms Bynum preached with alot of authority, did she try and use this authority also over the second husband and maybe even the first husband? The Man rose up in Mr Weeks and he did his thing. He took authority over her in an unpopular way in America. In some other countries with different laws it would had be ignored. And God is over ever country. Let God judge this matter and we be quiet. Ms Byum and Mr weeks if you read this my remember what the word of God says about adultery and who shall not inherit the kingdon of God. You did it before the nation... It might be good for you if you confess it before the nation. Then you will be blessed by God. The popular evangelists will not tell you this, because some of them are in adultery. My prayers are first for myself and then for your souls.

And what's even scarier than scary? This is:
By Hope
Sep 12, 2007 10:57 AM
I have goose bumps all over as i face this reality. Juanita, pls try not to make a decision now. Take out the time to heal and pray first. Every other thing can wait.You are my mentor and i am praying for you. Thomas, to think that you have a rare gem and you treat her like this......its unbelievable. You could have at least controlled yourself. Dont mean to play judge but that was a horrible thing to do.
Inikpi
Lagos Nigeria.

That's right. This really isn't the time to be making decisions. Your thought process probably isn't clear right now, what with the head trauma and the oxygen deprivation from when he was strangling you. Give it time, let the swelling go down, and then start thinking about whether maybe you can't try to be more submissive in the future so that he won't have to hit you like that. And Thomas, you naughty boy, be good! Not to judge, or anything.

By jo
Sep 11, 2007 10:32 AM
I feel Juanita should forgive her husband and live by what the Bible says on forgiveness. It'll be a big shame if Bishop serves a jail sentence. The grace and the anointing God gave to junaita is not just for preaching, it's equally for forgiving the unforgivable. afterall, God forgave her too of her past life.

Bitches are always holding grudges. Jesus says forgive.
By Teresa
Sep 10, 2007 11:48 PM
What he did to her was wrong, wrong, wrong. I have seen, and also know personally about domestic violence so I have an understanding. But I cant help but wonder...what was her part in this? He is only human, and so is she. What did she do and say that pushed someone with no previous record...over the edge???? I dont 'buy' her 'prophetess' claim. There is more to this than meets the eye!

By Simone
Sep 7, 2007 3:30 PM
MEN, there is some WOMEN you want to leave alone and Juanita's is one of them. I am sure all her Husbands could tell you a story or two. Everyone is acting like it is all his fault and it is not. It takes two to tangle.

If this was Gods will then why is she divorcing him?

She had to say someting so horrible to that man that it took him out of his comfort zone and he beat her butt. I do not think it is right what he did but she is to blame too.

Juanita should really take this time to look back and honestly assess what she might have done to make him stomp her head in.

It's obvious that she brought this on herself. First of all, she divorced, which God hates, and she remarried, which makes her an adultress, which God also hates (Weeks, who was also divorced and remarried, apparently escaped similar punishment through the magic of having a penis). Then she had the audacity to be a minister, which the apostle Paul has told is absolutely wrong. She taught women to respect themselves and take control of their own lives and their own bodies; another strike. And worse of all, her ministry was more successful and she was better-known than her husband, when she should have been submissive. It's surprising that he didn't give her the beat-down she so richly deserved a long time ago.

And that's just one more reason that maybe, just maybe, we need to hold off on shelving feminism entirely. And not just because of the continuing growth of the gender wage gap and the government's ongoing assault on women's reproductive rights and the consistent nonpassage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Because people still see uppityness as justification for domestic violence. Because a woman in a position of authority and power is still a target. Because a woman's life and safety still take second place to the institute of marriage. Because Juanita Bynum brought this on herself, because she should try to be humble and reconcile with her husband, because his actions were perfectly excusable and justifiable in the eyes of the Lord, feminism still has a lot of work to do.

No comments: