I had a discussion with a friend last Saturday (travelling in a van, packed with furniture, helping another friend move) about feminism, and biblical roles for women, etc. Today, I stumbled into an online discussion about whether or not women can work outside the home.

One comment I made to my friend is that unbelief cannot comprehend how a woman can submit to her husband, and yet, at the same time, be a strong, intelligent woman that has a great deal of influence. These two categories, the world seems to think, are mutually exclusive.

In the discussion today, I made the comment that a woman’s primary focus is on the home, and the family. But, I said, if she can handle all of her home oriented responsibilities and still work outside the home, there is nothing in the Bible forbidding that.

Someone on the other side of the debate responded (after some further discussion, mostly agreeing with the principle of what I said) by saying, “If the Biblical principle being asserted is that raising children is one of the most important tasks a human can do, and it merits the full attention of two parents as much as they can give it, then that’s one thing; but it’s another thing to assert the “Biblical” principle (as some would) that a woman’s place is in the home, and she needs to shutup and make babies.”

I see this as further confirmation of what I was saying to my friend on Saturday. If a woman’s place is in the home, then that automatically means she is just a stupid piece of flesh whose only purpose is to make babies, and maybe do some cooking and housecleaning.

Enlightenment thinking, far from liberating the downtrodden, is simplistic, boring, and ugly.

Anyone know why circumcision was to be performed on the eighth day?