This church's leadership would fit right in with the Taliban. Sounds like fundamentalist Islam is into franchising now!

I can't agree with this point, or at least with the point as it's phrased: "And so it goes, for women across America, who have devoted themselves to a faith that increasingly strips them of not just basic rights, but the opportunity to contribute to their own communities."

Our rights exist in relation to the government's involvement in our lives and in relation to our own bodies and property. She has no right to join this church, the members of which do have the right to assembly, which includes creating their own standards for membership and for the participation of members. She, of course, has the right to assemble with members of the church as they allow it or to leave, thereby exercising her right not to associate with assholes.

can buy into religion. I'm absolutely dumbfounded that not one woman in religion suspects that becuase men were in charge at the time of the bible that maybe they wrote in their superiorness into the bible. I'm also dumfounded as to how anyone can think God is awesome when he's decided that genitals determine the rulers and the servants, people aren't individuals, they are granted with powers based on their genitals! Men are always smarter and stronger and more moral than those baby factories! It doesn't matter what type of person you are the man is in charge becuase he was born with a penis! He could have the IQ of a turnip, but you have to follow him becuase he is almighty man.

As the world gets more and more complicated there will always be the simpleminded that find it easier to follow rules and traditions than to use their brains to figure out the best way to live their life and the scarier and harder it gets the more that many will retreat into traditions. Plus the multitude of single mothers may be a catalyst, there is nothing that shows that non-tradional families are more succesful than traditional ones. So if you believe that with the old ways the country was better, then you will do what you can to return to it. Juvenile crime, drug abuse and the oversexualization of our kids is a scary premise, so they'd prefer to go back to what they believe were simpler, easier times.

Plus with all the media available, plenty of people truly believe the world is becoming more and more violent and immoral signaling the end times and are awaiting with baited breath the anti-christ and the return of Jesus, so those who think the rapture is coming are going to do what they can to make sure they don't miss out so a stricter following of the bible has come back into fashion.

I don't have a problem with wanting to believe that there are reasons for the death and destruction that permeates this mortal life, or wanting to aliviate the fear of death with the promise of an afterlife, or the many other comforting tenents of religion but when you decide to follow and be a servant just because you have a vagina, then I have nothing but disdane and pity for you.

Seriously, not all churches are like this. Many denominations ordain women and most include women in leadership roles (elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, etc.). There's definitely something wrong with a church like the one you are discussing, but I think it hurts your argument to portray all of Christianity as extreme fundamentalists.

If this church ruled our country and really, really enforced bible word by word, kids would be slaughtered because they disagreed with their parents (which probably happens quite a lot). Perhaps because they follow the bible word by word, that little church could probably have a lot of nasty little secrets that goes against the rule of law and the constitution. And all in the name of religion as well. Slowly, we are getting closer to burning witches again.

I can't agree with this point, or at least with the point as it's phrased: "And so it goes, for women across America, who have devoted themselves to a faith that increasingly strips them of not just basic rights, but the opportunity to contribute to their own communities."

Our rights exist in relation to the government's involvement in our lives and in relation to our own bodies and property. She has no right to join this church, the members of which do have the right to assembly, which includes creating their own standards for membership and for the participation of members. She, of course, has the right to assemble with members of the church as they allow it or to leave, thereby exercising her right not to associate with assholes.

You appear to have substantially misread the quote. The "basic rights" alluded to are almost certainly a reference to procreative rights. The point you're arguing about falls under the category of "opportunity to contribute to their own communities". What you're disagreeing with simply isn't what the post said.

if they ALL get the message the fundies should cease to be (much) of a threat.

She has enough to do without confusing our boys by excercising authority over them. Yor mixing old and new testaments but I don't seriously think you care to have the difference pointed out to you, especially by a man. God only knows what kind of damage she's done to the world in 54 years but at least we won't have to worry about her anymore.

Imagine devoting the better part of your life to a community, and then being told that your contribution is inappropriate.

I would love to know what prompted this decision? I know the post office is sometimes slow, but surely Paul's letter to Timothy would have reached this guy before now. How has the woman responded? How is the congregation reacting to this? Is it just one wild-eyed preacher, or is this the view of the entire group?

The Handmaid's Tale is closer than we think...