Defining Complementarianism: The Christian Caste System
Male headship, meaning male governance, is also known as complementarianism, which is a Christianized form of the Hindu caste system.
Caste is a system of hereditary social classes based on Hinduism in India but present within Christianity in the complementarian doctrine of male governance, commonly referred to as male-headship. It is a doctrine of hereditary social inequality between men and women by the fact of their sex at birth.
Complementarians try to distance their resemblance to Hinduism by declaring a spiritual equality (whatever that is) between the sexes. But complementarian equality of the sexes is an impossible-to-achieve, ethereal, non-tangible, non-existent, and oxymoronic sort of equality. Something they call “equal in essence” (??), while at the same time, adamantly insisting that women were not created to have the same autonomy as men, nor the God given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness accorded to men.
Complementarianism is caste; pure and simple.
Complementarian women and men are taught they are created to fulfill certain roles. Male roles are unlimited while female roles are severely limited.
Complementarianism teaches that those born as males, are created to be served by those born as females, ... from birth through-out all eternity.
Complementarianism further teaches that the very idea of female autonomy is rebellion against the limited roles within the female caste and is tantamount to rebellion against God Himself. They teach that women wanting the same autonomy as men, is sinful. Some go as far as to call it a life and death issue, with the loss of female souls being what is at risk.
Jocelyn Andersen writes and speaks about a variety of topics with an emphasis on the subjects of Christian response to domestic violence and God and Women. She is working on her first novel and is the author of several non-fiction books including, "Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence" and "Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System." Her work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, radio, and television. She is open to requests for writing assignments, anthology contributions, and conference speaker.
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