Pertanyaan: 574. Apakah Alkitab Menentang Hak Pilih Perempuan?
Bahasa dari I Tim. 2: 11-15 dan I Kor. 14:34, 35 sering dikutip oleh lawan hak suara perempuan. Sikap gereja pada zaman Paulus jelas dan tegas. Rasul tampaknya berpendapat bahwa ada panggilan yang tidak cocok bagi seorang perempuan menurut kodratnya, bahwa dia memiliki lingkup yang jelas yang dapat diisi dengan anugerah dan kepuasan. Kita tidak dapat menyatukan pandangan ini dengan gagasan saat ini. Namun, mungkin ada kebutuhan akan pengajaran seperti itu pada saat itu, terutama di Korintus, di mana sekelompok perempuan tertentu (non-Kristen) sangat terlihat. Paulus tentu saja menginginkan agar perempuan Kristen berbeda secara mencolok dengan perilaku perempuan pagan. Dalam pandangan ini, aturannya mungkin memiliki aplikasi yang lebih lokal daripada umum. Paulus hampir sendirian, di antara penulis awal, dalam ketegasan sikapnya terhadap perempuan. Dia percaya pada ketaatan istri dan kesopanan dalam perilaku dan pakaian, dan dia tidak ingin melihat perempuan Gereja Kristen meniru perilaku terang-terangan dari sekelompok perempuan Yunani tertentu. Pada saat Paulus menulis, moralitas Korintus dan Efesus memiliki karakter yang sedemikian rupa (dengan kehidupan yang bebas dan ajaran palsu) sehingga dia menganggapnya bijaksana untuk mendorong perempuan Kristen untuk hidup dengan lebih tenang dan sopan daripada teman seiman pagan mereka. Surat-suratnya sesuai dengan waktu, tempat, dan kondisi. Saran Paulus dalam I Tim. 5:11 berkaitan dengan pemilihan perempuan yang cocok untuk menjadi anggota dalam daftar presbiteri. Dia menarik garis pada orang-orang yang ceroboh, berpikiran duniawi, yang sangat menyukai kesenangan dan pergaulan, dan lebih cenderung mencari pernikahan lagi daripada mendedikasikan diri sepenuhnya untuk pelayanan gereja. Paulus melihat pernikahan kedua dengan tidak setuju. Selain itu, presbitera janda, ketika mengucapkan sumpahnya, berjanji untuk tetap sendiri karena kepentingan gereja membuat hal ini diinginkan.
Question: 574. Is the Bible Opposed to Woman Suffrage?
The language of I Tim. 2: 11-15 and I Cor. 14:34, 35 is frequently quoted by the opponents of woman suffrage. The attitude of the church in Pauline times was clear and emphatic. The apostle evidently was of the opinion that there were callings for which a woman was unfitted by nature, that she had a welldefined sphere which she could fill with grace and satisfaction. We cannot reconcile this view with present-day ideas. It may be, however, that there was a necessity for such teaching at that time, especially in Corinth, where a certain class of women (non-Christians) was very much in evidence. Paul naturally desired that Christian women should be in marked contrast with the conduct of the pagan women. In this view his rules might have an application more local than general. Paul stands practically alone, among the early writers, in the rigidity of his attitude toward women. He believed in wifely obedience and modesty in behavior and apparel, and he did not wish to see the women of the Christian Church emulate the brazen conduct of a certain class of Greek women. At the time when Paul wrote, the morals of Corinth and Ephesus were of such a character (with loose living and false teaching) that he deemed it advisable to urge the Christian women to a quieter and more seemly mode of living than their heathen contemporaries. His epistles were suited to the time and place and conditions. Paul's suggestion in I Tim. 5:11 was with relation to the choice of suitable women for membership on the presbytery rolls. He drew the line at lightheaded, worldly minded persons whose fondness for pleasure and society was pronounced and who were more likely to seek marriage again than to devote themselves wholly to the service of the church. Second marriages he regarded with disfavor. Moreover, widowed presbyteresses, when taking their vows, engaged to remain single because the interests of the church made this desirable.
