Jesus Never Said, "Follow Paul"

 Jesus never said,

"Follow Paul."
Jesus never said, "when Paul arrives,
anything he says will be more important than anything I say."
Jesus never said, "women should remain silent in churches."
Jesus never said, "women should submit to their husbands."
Jesus never said, "the Church is my bride,"
(especially in a time when brides were property).

Jesus respected women,
listened to women,
and treated women as equal to men.

Paul may have written a lot
and he may have been a religious scholar,
but he was still a human being with human flaws.

So I'm a lot less concerned with what Paul said,
and a lot more interested in what Jesus said and did.

And I find the people who want me to care more
about how they think Paul wanted me to act
as a woman

Are usually up to no good
in their reasons
for wanting to control women.

(c)2024 Le Anne Clausen de Montes

Jesus Never Said Mary Magdalene Was "'Smokin' Hot"

Jesus never said Mary Magdalene

was "smokin' hot"

Jesus never told Mary to get back

in the kitchen with Martha

where she belonged, and

make Him a sandwich

because the men were busy

discussing Important Stuff

Jesus wanted Mary and Martha

in the same room, at the same table

and fully part of the same discussions.

Jesus never told the woman at the well

that He couldn't meet with her

unless a chaperone was present

in case He couldn't control Himself

or she made 'false accusations' later

Jesus never told women

that if they just gave their husbands

more sex, even if they were exhausted

then their husbands wouldn't divorce them.

Instead Jesus called the men out

for their divorce racket

which was really just a way for them

to get away with having an affair

Jesus never told women and girls

to cover up more

because they were so distracting

to boys and men.

In fact, Jesus told the men:

If your eyes are the reason you harass women and girls

it would be better for you to gouge them out

If your hands are the reason you grope women and girls

it would be better for you to cut your hand off

and He left the heavy implication

that if any other body parts

were causing men to 'sin,'

they could cut *those* off too

and stop blaming women and girls

So maybe we should ask more often

why are we hearing the opposite

of what Jesus said and did

in so many male-dominated churches

and "Christian" organizations today?

And maybe we should start demanding

to hear more Gospel,

more Good News,

instead.