When Ladies Were Ladies
In the Civil War, women were not
permitted to serve in the military. If discovered in the ranks (and they
were), they were sent home. It's not that women couldn't shoot a musket or were incapable of killing. It was because
everyone assumed women should not degrade themselves to the level of men
and do the fighting. It wasn't noble; it wasn't lady-like. Women were
given a place of honor above that of men.
My point is that until the second half of
the 20th century, there had always been
a cultural assumption that the "dirty work" was left for the men. It was recognized that women
retained a more civilized, refined nature that offset the "beast" nature
of men. There was an assumed "better half" of humanity.
Not any more. In the name of equality,
women have won many important "rights" over the last 140 years. This has
been a good thing in one sense. But in another sense we have also
succeeded in bringing all of womanhood down to the depravity of men. We
have thrown the baby out with the bath water.
For example, The Wall Street Journal ran a front page story on September 3, 2002 titled, "Turning the
Tables: Bachelorette Parties Are Getting Risqué." The gist of the story is
that women are now getting into the act of throwing wild bachelorette
parties akin to the stereotypical bachelor parties.
Ironically this trend has been growing
while men have been toning down their antics. The article states, "Many
men have toned down the randy side of their last nights of freedom,
forgoing exotic dancers in favor of golf, baseball games, fishing or even
cooking school. Women, meanwhile, have developed a whole new set of
rituals that are bawdy enough to make men blush." The article goes on to
attribute this trend to the melding roles of men and women in the
workplace, the economic empowerment of women, and (without saying it
directly) the sexual revolution.
Aren't we all proud that women have
thrown off their social inhibitions and the laws of God to join men in
sinful behavior? That's what the world calls progress. But it
grieves God to no end. God's standards apply to men and women equally.
There were a great many sins committed in
the 19th century as men abused their authority, shirked their God-given
responsibilities, and degraded the role and honor of women. I'm not about
to defend that behavior and the social problems of that time. But has all
of the "liberation" of women really made things better? All of the social reforms
of the last 50 years were supposed to free women from the bondage of male
stereotypes. But all that really happened is women have become enslaved to
greater depravity. Women now talk, dress, and act like the sex objects
they always accused men of viewing them as. This ought not to be.
Men, don't let yourself be ruled by an
ungodly thought life. Take "...every thought captive to the obedience of
Christ..." as the Scripture says. Read Proverbs 7 to see the folly
and end result of those who naively follow the
lusts of their hearts. Honor your wife as a fellow heir in Christ Jesus.
Ladies, don't let yourself fall into the
seductive trap of the world and its supposed glamour. Don't subject
yourself to the humiliation of the world's value system that says your
body is of more value than your soul. Uphold your dignity and honor in
modest dress. You are chosen daughters of the Most High!
It's time once again to let the ladies be ladies.
Steve Braun
September 6, 2002
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