Is Womanhood a Weakness? Discussion Group Resources

(For the full list of topics, go here).

By Anna Mussmann
 

Topic Introduction

 
We hear a lot about girl power. Girls, the slogans tell us, are smart, brave, cool, good at STEM, and generally unstoppable. Yet nearly 70% of young people seeking sex-change operations are girls who don’t want to be female. Is it fair to say that, deep down, modern humanity sees being a woman as an unfair weakness that must be overcome?
 
Even Christians are often uneasy when discussing the differences between the sexes. What do we really mean when we say that women were created to be different from men?

 

Readings

(I suggest you choose two or three of these)
 
1. First off, The Devil, You Say? argues that gender ideology, which attempts to deny the reality of male and female, is truly demonic.
 
2. My group read Giver to Receiver: God’s Design for the Sexes by Adriane Dorr. Unfortunately, it’s not available online, although you could purchase the book in which it’s found. Stella Morabito’s essay On the Headship of Husbands (which IS online) also looks at the give-and-take relationship between husband and wife.
 
3. Many well-meaning Americans are so focused on power, and so afraid that any power difference will lead to oppression, that they find it hard to accept the idea that men and women have different vocations. Take a look at this blog post: Is God’s Power Intrinsically Oppressive? It’s not directly related to the roles of men and women, but it’s a helpful illustration of what happens when human beings take egalitarianism to its logical conclusion.
 
4. This essay argues that women essentially civilize men and keep society on track. Is this a fair summary of the female role? You might be interested in this response as well.
 
 

Discussion Questions

 
1. Father Scalia’s piece describes gender ideology as truly demonic (i.e., an attempt to destroy humans). What are your thoughts on this?
 
2. Why do modern Americans reject the idea that men and women are inherently different? Why do you think this is such a hot-button, inflammatory subject right now?
 
3. How tempted are you in your own life to reject or bend the created order? Do you find conversations about Christian womanhood stressful? If so, why?
 
4. Recently I saw an old “Bernstein Bears” picture book called He bear, She Bear. The book made the point that “he bears” and “she bears” are the same and can do all the same things—both can drive dump trucks, cook food, become scientists, etc.--with the one exception that “he bears” become papa bears and “she bears” will be mamas. This bit of feminist egalitarianism, once edgy, already feels old-fashioned. Christians sometimes wish we could unroll back to the Bernstein Bears era. Is that an adequate solution to the problem?
 
5. What does it mean for a woman to “submit” to her husband? Do you agree with the essay above that says a woman also guides her husband? Discuss.
 
6. Do you think of yourself as a human being first, then a woman; or as a female human being? Does it matter?
 
7. If a secular neighbor asked you why it matters that God created men and women for unique vocations, what would you say? 

8. How does a Christian vision of womanhood apply to single ladies? 

(For the full list of topics, go HERE).