Here is something that I would have expected to be a product of the 16th century, not the 21st … the Bristol edition of The Tab, an online newspaper for students in the UK, reports …
Bristol University Christian Union have forbidden women from speaking at their weekly meetings.
The ban reflects the recent decision by the Church of England synod to reject the introduction of female bishops, consequently ignoring the last century of the equal rights movement.
Having spent ‘a lot of time exploring this issue, seeking God’s wisdom on it and discussing it together’ the CU executive committee decided that it is not appropriate for women to teach alone at weekly meetings, or be the main speaker at the CU weekend away.
Women are also banned from speaking alone at the group’s mission weeks.
However, it’s not all gloom and doom: women are allowed to speak as a double act with their husbands. Those who are unmarried must remain silent.
Is it a parody, are they simply putting together a satire article to criticise the recent C of E move to not allow woman to be bishops? Nope, they are dead serious, apparently having women speakers is a step too far because it is “theologically problematic”. What the frack does that actually mean except … here is an old bronze age text that says woman must be silent, so we better obey it because rational reasonable thinking is clearly trumped by superstitious misogynist bullshit.
They also observe that …
Grace, a 3rd year bio-chemist and practising Christian, described her distress at how ‘the CU action will mould many people’s opinions on Christianity’.
Indeed yes, it is indeed a truly embarrassing stance to take, hopefully Grace might give some thought to dissociating herself from this group of complete troglodytes whose backward and misogynistic belief has motivated them to remain backwards and misogynistic.
OK, let’s be fair here, the article is not wholly accurate, this is not a new decision, woman have been banned for quite some time. What has changed is that they have actually decided to permit woman to speak when with their husbands, but when on their own … nope, not a chance, (rolls eyes) how very Misogynistic of them.
Anyway, what does it really matter, this is just a tiny student paper, so as long as they can keep this buried and far from the mainstream media, it should not prove to be too embarrassing. Oh wait, the story is in the Telegraph here, and the Huffington Post here. Oops … that’s embarrassment factor 10 then
In the end, if you hold irrational misogynistic beliefs, it will manifest itself in our reality, so throwing a spotlight upon such nonsense will hopefully shame them into a less batty more rational and inclusive position that does not involve gagging half the human population on the planet.