Feminism and the Whore of Babylon (Part 1)

photo credit: richyvk. All photos via photopin cc,

(From the comments at Alpha Game Plan, a diversion from the ostensible topic of Vox's post, but one still well worth thought.)

Trust said... "In jest, I used to say "i think feminism is the false religion in Revelation, where we are warned to 'stay away from that Woman.'"Now I seriously wonder if it may be, with its denominations including even supposedly patriarchal Christian churches. Nothing has corrupted our society more than feminism, and there is no place where more blood has been spilt more so than in a feminists womb, and no class of despot with more blood on their hands than a feminists hands soaked in the blood of their own children."

Although my personal suspicions lie elsewhere, he raises a good point. While feminism is largely seen in American culture as innocuous, and promoted heavily by the media, educational, and business elites, feminism is an ideology that has shed the blood of hundreds of millions (1) throughout the world, and brought further harm and suffering to billions. In America alone, the death toll due to abortion equates to 57 million since Roe v Wade, almost 6/8 of the total deaths caused by World War II. Add in the number of suicides caused by rampant divorce, and we have ourselves a truly virulent ideology and a horrifying death toll.

photo credit: x-ray delta one

Feminism might be drenched in blood, but sadly, so is much of our world. The question posed today is does feminism rises above that, to a level of apocalyptic evil? Does it swim in the blood of the saints, and draw the particular wrath of Almighty God? In order to tell, we'll have to delve into the Biblical text, examine what exactly has been said about the Whore, and line that up with the attributes of feminism, as well as other selected contenders for the position. That being done, we will be in a better position to make the call. 

(To warn you at the outset, this post and those subsequent will be quite long; quoting Scripture chapters at a time. They will also be highly speculative, as matters of eschatology, and particularly eschatology tinged with ideology, always are. Don't take my word for anything, that's what the block quotations are for. Go beyond them if you can, to any passage that might help. Read, think, and pray.)

The Faithful Bride. photo credit: Lawrence OP

It must be noted to start that while the image of a woman is used often in the Bible, it does not refer to a religion. A woman in scripture represents a people, whether the unfaithful brides that were Israel and Judah(Ezekiel 23:20), or Mary clothed in the sun (Revelation 12:1), which is the new Ekklesia. Where religion enters this metaphor is in the marital relationship, good or bad, between God and the woman in question. When a nation, that is, a woman, goes aside into idolatry, the Bible calls this lewdness and whoredom.(Ezekiel 23:5,49) The woman in question here, Babylon, we will see does not have a true marriage at all. 

The first mention of this character dates back to book of Isaiah and just prior to the fall of the first Babylon, the empire which drove the Jews into exile from their homeland. Isaiah gives us a poetic description of the empire and its fall.

“Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, queen city of the Babylonians. No more will you be called tender or delicate. Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams. Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.”  

Our Redeemer—the Lord Almighty is his name— is the Holy One of Israel. 

“Sit in silence, go into darkness, queen city of the Babylonians; no more will you be called queen of kingdoms. I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke.

You said, ‘I am forever—the eternal queen!’

But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen.“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself,

‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.’ 

Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day:loss of children and widowhood.They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. 

You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, 

‘No one sees me.’ 

Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself,

‘I am, and there is none besides me.’

Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you. 

“Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!  

Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up.They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame.  

These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by. That is all they are to you—these you have dealt with and labored with since childhood. All of them go on in their error; there is not one that can save you. (Isaiah 47)

While the picture of the decadent center of empire is clear (all too much so for those of us who dwell in the modern West) these passages also would do a passable job of describing the effects on Western society of modern feminism. We see a woman who has gone out into the workforce. Her skirts are high, and her nakedness exposed. She lays a heavy yoke on the aged, and has been worn out by ineffective counsel. She is solipsistic and deluded as to the loss of her children. Babylon even has a set of ineffective beta orbiters, men seen solely as objects of provision, who, oddly enough, are pushing what we now consider chick crack!

photo credit: Ben Thompson

Of course, these things are also strongly descriptive of the nations where feminism has taken root. America in particular comes to mind, especially given its:

1. Arrogance
2. Security
3. Love of Pleasure

While arrogance and love of pleasure (libertinism) may not seem unlike your standard feminist SJW, an unjustified feeling of security is not easily associated with the movement, whose "rape culture" hysteria sees danger around every corner (except, of course, those where it actually lurks).


Additionally, astrology, as well as the broader category of chick crack, is not merely of interest to feminists, but bears an appeal to women in general (2). Worthless predictions in the 21st century are no longer merely the province of astrology. Look at how many economists, business analysts, and futurists make a name for themselves by spouting an endless stream of predictions. Failing to predict major events is no obstacle for advancement to even the highest positions.  While Babylon might have been known for its astrology, our modern global economy is defined by a desperate straining to see the future.

photo credit: i am indisposed

Therefore, while feminism does share significant traits with the Babylon of old, there are many other groups that do as well. We'll need to look much deeper into the Biblical text to sift through these contenders and figure out which best fits the description of Babylon Revived.

UPDATE: This series is continued in Part 2. Part 3 is yet in the works. Check back frequently (but not THAT frequently) for updates.

(1) The entirety of the 1.3 billion number cannot be solely laid at the feet of feminism, as China alone amounts to 1/5 of the world's annual total. If anyone wishes to dig deeper, the Guttmacher Institute has put out a paper on the subject (albeit one that is pro-slaughter) that delves down into the figures. While I admit that other causes might contribute to this disaster, the changes in society wroght by the feminist movement surely rank quite highly among them.

(2) "Curious to know her future marital status , Elizabeth, together with her cousin Abigail Williams, cautiously experimented with fortune telling." This isn't merely a symptom of our current culture.