[Posts in “fictional conversations” are sometimes (but not always) adapted and edited from non-fictional correspondence. They are usually lightly edited with intelligibility in mind.]
“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the assembly: and He is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the assembly is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That He might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the assembly: For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife [see] that she reverence [her] husband” (Ephesians 5:22-33; underlining mine).
Isabella: Dearest Paul —
I don’t believe you are a colossal misogynist or anything…AND YET the fact remains that your view of “wives [being subject] to their own husbands in everything” (EVERYTHING?!?!) tilts toward and is quite commensurate with abusive behavior. Your view that women must BLINDLY and UNQUESTIONABLY follow what their male “heads” (note the air quotes) tell them promotes the most horrible kind of abuse, and can justify a man forcing himself upon his wife in the most disgusting way. The concept of a husband “nourishing” and “cherishing” his wife just as Christ does His wife is mere camouflage; it makes me ill just thinking about it.
Word of caution (or the moral of the story): Beware of the ad hoc contradictory chaos of “anything but Christianity.” Specifically, the sort of frantic fulminating that necessarily implies that the blessed relationship between Jesus Christ and His blood-bought bride promotes or cultivates dysfunction, derangement, and abuse. A more forthrightly wicked fulmination would involve explicitly slandering the apostle Paul (and God the Holy Spirit by whom he wrote) as a colossal misogynist (Ephesians 5:22-33; cf. 2 Timothy 3:16).
Agrammatos 