I’m writing a paper right now on the history of the idealization of abstinence and celibacy as epitomizing perfect Christian behavior in the Early Church and lemme tell you.

ALL the OG church fathers hated women. All of them.

I’ll do a more in-depth thread when the paper is finished. But a lot of these big time dudes are new to me cuz Adventism doesn’t really care about the OG church fathers.

So I’m reading Origin, Jerome, Augustine etc for the first time.

THESE DUDES ARE WILD

“Woman is merely mans helpmeet, a function that pertains to her alone. She is not made in the image of God...”

THATS A REAL QUOTE

“I fail to see what use woman can be to man, if one excludes the function of bearing children.”

Like. Are you okay?

My paper isn’t talking about the reformers. But everyone’s favorite Martin Luther? 95 theses Martin Luther?

“The word and works of God is quite clear, women were made to be wives or prostitutes.”

These men formulated church policy and culture and the reverberations of their theology is especially reflected in the purity culture that has taken hold of a segment of the Christian church. This is what they thought of women. Let alone what they thought about sex with women.

I recognize that for many people the works and theology of these men is super influential in a good way. They’re able to look past this misogyny and “not throw the baby out with the bath water.”

As for me? as for me? As for me?????

Dump the whole tub over.