Eden Extremes

            Enticed by Eden has been extraordinarily plain and blunt about many of the ways that modern Christians have interpreted the first book and first couple of the Bible.  Adam and Eve are not only seen as the first people, but the first people to experience romance.  From their example, evangelical Christians have attempted to recreate this first relationship in a myriad of ways.  From the courtship fad, to eschewing dating, then turning to online dating and the corporations that claim to be able to find the perfect mate for you (or at least someone compatible enough that a marriage can be muddled through, love being an unnecessary factor), and to Christian Domestic Discipline (CDD). 

The range in interpretation is fascinating.  Both extremes of treating women are present, from seeing wives and daughters as princesses to be cared for and doted upon, to CDD which meets nearly every legal marker of physical abuse.  When examined on a surface level, the clear ‘better’ way is treating women like princesses.  However, this is, while not as clearly abusive, still harmful to the women that it targets.  They are encouraged not to explore their own interests or educations, instead, staying home to learn to worship their fathers and their future husbands (who are chosen for them).  Marriage offers them no more freedom; married women are then expected to pop out babies as soon as possible, and teach their own daughters not to chafe under restriction.

Though the interpretation of Adam, Eve, and Eden covers an enormous range in the evangelical Christian community, neither extreme of interpretation is optimal for women.  Either they are set on pedestals and required to bear children as fast as possible, or they face scheduled physical abuse in order to keep them submissive and ‘happy’ in their marriages.  Though these two are not the only options out there for evangelical Christian women (as seen by the women on ChristianCafe who stand up for feminism) they are real options, and real dangers for women in the community.