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“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” is the
famous intro to one of the most popular and highly influential books known to
mankind, the Bible. With over 6 billion copies in existence and over 1,300
translations, it’s no wonder the creative passages within this book have been
taught to kids over hundreds of generations. Growing up in a very religious
home, and going to a religious Christian school, I was exposed to the stories
within the bible repeatedly and was taught to believe that they were true
stories that once had occurred thousands of years ago, much as my fellow five
year olds were taught that Santa lived in the North Pole, and the Tooth Fairy
would collect their teeth in exchange for a dollar. I was taught if I did not
say my prayers or sing songs to God that I would end up in a fiery pit within
the depths of the earth, condemned to burn for eternity along with murderers, wives
out of the kitchen, and men who liked men. The bible had a powerful influence
on my ideas of heteronormativity along with my view on the roles of men and
women in 21st century society, which has led to years of anguish and
confusion.
Heteronormativity is defined as the “cultural bias in favor of opposite-sex
relationships of a sexual nature, and against same-sex relationships of a
sexual nature” (Head) and is prevalent in many stories including the bible,
fairy tales, and almost all children’s movies. There are many passages in the
bible condemning homosexuality, for example, Leviticus 20:13 from The Bible in
basic English by Hooke says “If a man lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them
have committed an abomination and they shall surely be put to death.” This passage makes it clear as
day that homosexuality is not tolerated, is wrong, and will send one straight
to hell. Growing up during a time when gay rights propaganda and LGBT movements
were everywhere, I was presented with two conflicting views of homosexuality.
However, the first view I was presented with, being that homosexuality is
wrong, was the one I chose to believe in simply because everything I was
exposed to dealt with exclusively heterosexual relationships- Adam and Eve, not
Adam and Steve. Not only were the stories I read in the bible about
heterosexual relationships, but the TV shows and movies I saw, such as
Berenstein Bears, Little Bear and several carefully selected Disney classics
such as Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast also very heterosexual. As such, I
developed a black and white mindset; boys had cooties and tried to kiss, while
girls were the ones I played heterosexual Barbie with. This mindset lasted
until I was 14 when one of my good friends came out as bisexual which resulted
in a serious evaluation of my ideologies and a consideration of where I had
gotten such a negative view. My conclusion is participating in the Nativity
play in elementary school as Mary put the now upturned roots of
heteronomativity in my head.
A similar subject of much debate and
confliction to heteronormativity is masculinity and femininity. The difference
between the two is made very clear in almost all narratives I have read,
especially the stories told growing up from The Bible. From David and Goliath,
to strong Samson and his long hair, I knew as a child that being a man meant
having huge muscles, tons of testosterone and a beautiful wife who cooked and
cleaned all under the dominating arm of man. In The Bible, women do not play a
huge role in any of the stories, in fact, there are multiple passages which
state that woman are to submit to their husbands, as their husbands are to
submit to God. This creates inequality between men and women where men have the
final say and the power to do what they will. Being taught that I was lesser
than man, because I was made from the rib of Adam, had profound effects on my
perception of my ability to lead, and my self-esteem. No girl likes to be
taught that she is automatically unequal from the day she was born, so I took
on the challenge of trying to be equal to man by dressing like a tomboy, doing
pushups and sit ups to be as strong as my brothers, and getting a horrible
haircut because I saw femininity as a very undesirable trait. However, a girl
is only stronger than a boy for so long, and when that day rolled around, I
soon realized that though I was never going to be as physically strong as a
boy, being a boy does not necessarily equal physical strength. Furthermore,
being a girl does not mean submissiveness and weakness, being a girl means
being different yet equal to man.
Though the bible contains fun
stories to read with moral lessons which are vitally important to humanity, I
do believe that it could use an update to 21st century thinking
where men and women are equal, and can be with whomever they wish to be with.
These days, men and women are equally heroic, where women have the same
opportunities as men and are not stuck mending clothes. It would be great to
see this reflected in the most popular book known to mankind so future
generations do not receive conflicting views as I did and can use their mental
energy to find cures for disease, instead of worrying about finding
heterosexual Barbies husband.
Works Cited- Don't forget this
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