If the women of the Bible could return to life and speak, here's what they might say about #YesAllWomen
The shooting spree in Santa Barbara, Calif. on Friday–and suspect Elliot Rodger’s manifesto against women that appears to have been behind it–prompted an online conversation critiquing the beliefs society instills in men about women.
But alongside the #YesAllWomen hashtag cropped up another one–#YesAllBiblicalWomen–as people began imagining the way the women of the Bible would contribute to the #YesAllWomen conversation if they could speak today.
Feminist Jewish and Christian theology is a relatively new development in each faith’s history, and many of the women in the Bible, as these tweets suggest, experienced consequences of male entitlement. Here’s a selection of the #YesAllBiblicalWomen tweets, each sharing a Biblical woman’s story, from @AllBibleWomen and others:
Sarah: because my husband thought pimping me out was better than other men killing him to take me. #YesAllBiblicalWomen—
YesAllBiblicalWomen (@AllBibleWomen) May 27, 2014
Hagar: Because you think you own me, use my body without my say, and when I finally gain my voice, you set me loose to die #yesallwomen—
YesAllBiblicalWomen (@AllBibleWomen) May 26, 2014
Syro-phonecian woman: Because even Jesus calls me a bitch. #YesAllWomen #YesAllBiblicalWomen—
YesAllBiblicalWomen (@AllBibleWomen) May 26, 2014
Bathsheba: Because I can’t bathe without being leered at. #YesAllWomen #YesAllBiblicalWomen—
YesAllBiblicalWomen (@AllBibleWomen) May 26, 2014
Mary, Mother of Jesus: Because being pregnant while unattached to a man is so dangerous I had to run away to my cousin’s house #YesAllWomen—
YesAllBiblicalWomen (@AllBibleWomen) May 27, 2014
Mary: Because the guys get confused by a few women with the same name #YesAllWomen #YesAllBiblicalWomen—
YesAllBiblicalWomen (@AllBibleWomen) May 27, 2014
Hannah: because when I pray differently than you, you judge me and say I must be a drunk. #YesAllWomen #YesAllBiblicalWomen—
YesAllBiblicalWomen (@AllBibleWomen) May 27, 2014
Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-happuch: Bc we, and our beauty, are only recorded to show how lucky our Dad was #YesAllBiblicalWomen—
YesAllBiblicalWomen (@AllBibleWomen) May 27, 2014
.@AllBibleWomen Bilhah & Zilpah: because we gave birth to 4 of the 12 tribes and most don't know our names. #YesAllBiblicalWomen—
Wil Gafney (@WilGafney) May 27, 2014
@AllBibleWomen Samaritan woman: because 5 husbands = whore not 5 husbands = 5 deaths and moved to the next brother because its the law.—
James Thomas Dudley (@jamestdudley) May 27, 2014
Because I shouldn't have to choose between being a Christian and being a feminist #YesAllBiblicalWomen #YesAllWomen—
Sadie (@sadiebrown_) May 27, 2014
#YesAllBiblicalWomen because who do you think cooked for and looked after Jesus & disciples while they traipsed around Palestine?—
JoelleColvilleHanson (@PastorJoelle) May 27, 2014
Because the church tells women to follow rules while the Bible celebrates women who break them #YesAllBiblicalWomen—
Hillary Haden (@Thewanderunner) May 27, 2014
To the unnamed women who are offered up by men to be gang raped so that other men won't harm their guests. #YesAllBiblicalWomen—
Andre E. Johnson (@aejohnsonphd) May 27, 2014
