The Scapegoat Gospel, pt. 2 - Scapegoating Women

The Scapegoat Gospel, pt. 2 - Scapegoating Women

1. Creator God, you who are wrapped in light, clothed with honor and majesty: e nlighten us with true faith and humble obedience that seeks to serve others, and to honor the dignity of their existence, in your name. Amen. OPENING PRAYER

2. The gospel story…is a story about a victim, written by victims, and featuring victims; it’s a scapegoat gospel. JENNIFER GARCIA BASHAW

3. a person who is blamed for the  wrongdoings , mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of  expediency; typically by the powerful against the marginalized out of hate, fear, and/or ignorance SCAPEGOAT

4. SUNDAY // OCTOBER 20 Scapegoats, pt.2: The Scapegoating of Women

5. Grossed $1.45B as of March ‘24

6. Earned 8 Oscar nominations, but not for Best Director

7. Won 1 Oscar for Best Original Song by/about KEN

8. America Ferrera Oscar Nominated as Best Supporting Actress and Awarded a Critics Choice Award…

9. Evidence of ancient indigenous peoples in N/S America practicing mass sacrifice of young women The Greeks blamed Pandora’s box for the world’s ills, releasing Zeus and Prometheus from responsibility Genesis portrays Eve as the one who instigated human sin, and has Adam blame her for his own disobedience (rather than accept responsibility for his own actions)

10. I present these difficult truths with the understanding that not all Christians willingly/knowingly participated in (these) oppressive acts in history. The history of Christian scapegoating women begins before the religion itself was formed. The roots of the practice lie in the misreading of the Genesis creation/ fall narratives…too often interpreting the stories as instructive > descriptive . JENNIFER GARCIA BASHAW

11. The sentence of God is on this sex of yours lives in this age; the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the devil’s gateway; you are the un-sealer of that (forbidden) tree. You are the deserter of the divine law: you are she who persuaded him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God’s image, man. TERTULLIAN of CARTHAGE

12. Philosopher/astronomer who taught mathematics and sciences at the University of Alexandria Highly gifted communicator/ teacher who packed out her home so students and scholars alike to come hear her speak HYPATIA 4th Century CE

13. After Hypatia’s murder (at the hands of a mob of 500+ desert monks, who captured her and dragged her by the hair into a church before torturing her to death) Cyril of Alexandria (a church leader) ordered the University be sacked/burned, signaling the shift from the age of…philosophy to Christendom HYPATIA 4th Century CE

14. Pope Innocent VIII empowered two Dominican Friars to correct, imprison, and punish witches with impunity By 1486 the two had burned over 500 accused witches Published Hammer of Witches to spread their brand of scapegoating propaganda WITCH CRAZE 15th Century

15. Women were feebleminded, easily swayed by false doctrine Women were morally weak, inclined toward deceit/revenge They had weak faith and would easily renounce Christianity, even excreting on the crucifix Women had insatiable lust that drove them to submit willingly to the Devil’s sexual advances THE SPECIFIC LOGIC…

16. EUROPEAN/AMERICAN WITCH HUNTS 1330-1782 110,000 tried; 40k – 60k executed; 200 tried at Salem in 1692; 20 executed

17. Annual “modesty” messages around spring/summer, reminding husbands not to encourage their wives to dress provocatively, and reminding women not to cause men to stumble Regular reminders of women’s responsibility for their husband’s sexual satisfaction/fidelity Accusing strong/influential women of having a “Jezebel spirit” so as to discredit/isolate/undercut them

18. Refusing to take meetings with women, privately or publicly, under the guise of “holiness” and “purity” Honoring men who fired/refused to hire, women they found too attractive, so as to resist temptation All of which served to limit access to relationship and opportunities for leadership for many women, and fails to acknowledge any sense of cognitive dissonance…

19. “Ok, we get that, but… what about Jesus ? And what about US ?”

20. Mary – Luke 1 LUKE’S ALTERNATIVES Luke reverses Mary’s lack of social honor/status Mary demonstrates curiosity/ courage in a terrifying scenario Scholars call Mary the first and/or model disciple Mary is recognized as a herald and prophet

21. Mary’s role as theotokos (The Mother of God) provides hope to those scapegoats who continue to shoulder blame in their families and society, women whose bodies carry babies and scars of shame, whom God continues to work through to bring the kingdom on earth and change the world for the better. JENNIFER GARCIA BASHAW

22. The Widow – Luke 7:11-17 LUKE’S ALTERNATIVES Jesus sees this marginalized and oppressed woman relying on male relatives to provide Jesus honors the reality of her grief, and of her situation Jesus shows compassion to her in the specifics of her circumstances

23. The Whore – Luke 7:36-50 LUKE’S ALTERNATIVES Luke tells the story of her grief/gratitude in a tense, highly charged atmosphere Luke presents the woman and the Pharisee as two debtors who owe the same creditor Luke presents the woman as the hero of the story

24. The Woman Saved from Stoning – John 7:53-8:11 JOHN’S ALTERNATIVE The church’s obsession with sexual sin almost caused this story to be excluded… Jesus highlights the sinful judgmentalism of the religious leaders > sexual sin

25. FINAL REFLECTIONS Scapegoating doesn’t happen to those who are equals Focusing blame on its rightful object deescalates the tendency to violence Jesus preemptively disrupts cycles of violence; he doesn’t create them Jesus publicly honored women’s dignity, skills, faith, intelligence… so we should too. Period.

26. A Prayer of Repentance and Hope , by Jennifer Garcia Bashaw CLOSING PRAYER