Essay/ Blog 1

Dejuann Hayes

WGS-3463-995 Women and Religion

Essay Blog 1

There are two creation narratives of the origin of human beings in the book of Genesis that assess the matter of gender and the creation quite differently. In the first narrative, man and woman were created separately, but at the same time in the image of God and were equally given reign to govern over the earth (Gen 1:27-28). Man and woman were both equal in God’s eyes, and both had authority. In the second narrative, man was created first from the dust of the earth and given reign to govern over the earth (Gen 2:7). In this account woman was only created after God seen that man was alone and needed a helper and companion that was just right for him (Gen 2:20-22). She was created from man, meaning that they were one whole union, and she was not given dominion over the earth. The implication of differentiation of gender in the accounts shows that in the first account man and woman are equal to one another, and in the second account the man is superior to the woman. Another thing that I noticed from the second account is that if man was never created, the woman would have never been created since woman was created from the man’s rib. She was also only created because the animals were not suitable companions for man. She came after man, and she was given no power or authority, which makes it seem like women are to be inferior to men or submissive.