A Traditional Gordian Knot

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PoetMary

PoetMary

Banned
#1
Nov 25, 2014
942
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0
#1
So imagine there is a husband and wife who have a young toddler. The husband is pressuring the wife to go back to work and leave the toddler in the care of family members. She wants to stay home with the child. She presents various options....working part time, working from home, all of which are rejected by her husband. Her husband insists that she needs to go back to her job away from the home.

What does this woman do? Does she submit to the authority of her husband even though it's violating her conscience, or does she defy her husband and live up to her conscience?

And which decision would make her more "traditional?"
 
K

kenthomas27

Guest
#2
#2
I'm out of here.
 
M

Mitspa

Guest
#3
#3
PoetMary said:
So imagine there is a husband and wife who have a young toddler. The husband is pressuring the wife to go back to work and leave the toddler in the care of family members. She wants to stay home with the child. She presents various options....working part time, working from home, all of which are rejected by her husband. Her husband insists that she needs to go back to her job away from the home.

What does this woman do? Does she submit to the authority of her husband even though it's violating her conscience, or does she defy her husband and live up to her conscience?

And which decision would make her more "traditional?"
Click to expand...
you want the biblical answer...or the practical answer?
 
M

Mitspa

Guest
#6
#6
Well I think biblically the mother/wife has a sound biblical position that her obedience to the Lord would be in the raising of the child. Now if the husband is a true godly man, he should be able to see that?

The practical answer is most likely some compromise between the two where each feel they are answering to their own conscience before the Lord and as it relates to the family.
 
maxwel

maxwel

Senior Member
#7
Apr 18, 2013
9,526
2,608
113
#7
Alexander the Great hacked through the gordian knot with a sword.

So...

that is my advice.
 
PoetMary

PoetMary

Banned
#8
Nov 25, 2014
942
44
0
#8
maxwel said:
Alexander the Great hacked through the gordian knot with a sword.

So...

that is my advice.
Click to expand...

Would hacking at one's husband with a sword be considered "traditional" or "modern"?
 
PoetMary

PoetMary

Banned
#11
Nov 25, 2014
942
44
0
#11
Mitspa said:
Well I think biblically the mother/wife has a sound biblical position that her obedience to the Lord would be in the raising of the child. Now if the husband is a true godly man, he should be able to see that?

The practical answer is most likely some compromise between the two where each feel they are answering to their own conscience before the Lord and as it relates to the family.
Click to expand...
There's not really a biblical mandate for a wife staying home to take care of the children. Even Proverbs 31 presents a woman who is busy with all sorts of activities to benefit her home.

However, the husband could argue (as some men in here have) that the verses in Ephesians, for example are very clear regarding how a wife should submit to her husband.

So, which is more weighty...that women should be stay-at-home moms (even though there is no biblical mandate against a woman working outside of the home).

OR

A woman submitting to her husband. Which is clearly stated as necessary in Ephesians.
 
M

Mitspa

Guest
#16
#16
PoetMary said:
There's not really a biblical mandate for a wife staying home to take care of the children. Even Proverbs 31 presents a woman who is busy with all sorts of activities to benefit her home.

However, the husband could argue (as some men in here have) that the verses in Ephesians, for example are very clear regarding how a wife should submit to her husband.

So, which is more weighty...that women should be stay-at-home moms (even though there is no biblical mandate against a woman working outside of the home).

OR

A woman submitting to her husband. Which is clearly stated as necessary in Ephesians.
Click to expand...
Of course we will disagree but I think there is a rather clear mandate for the mother to raise the child. I think any godly husband would see that and yield to that desire?
 
PoetMary

PoetMary

Banned
#18
Nov 25, 2014
942
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#18
Mitspa said:
Of course we will disagree but I think there is a rather clear mandate for the mother to raise the child. I think any godly husband would see that and yield to that desire?
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"Raising the child" and working outside of the home aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

And, btw, where is that clear mandate in scripture?
 
PoetMary

PoetMary

Banned
#19
Nov 25, 2014
942
44
0
#19
Mitspa said:
Of course we will disagree but I think there is a rather clear mandate for the mother to raise the child. I think any godly husband would see that and yield to that desire?
Click to expand...
Except the husband in my scenario isn't yielding to her desire. Perhaps you would characterize this as inherently "ungodly"...which is actually beside the point. According to the bible, isn't a woman meant to be submissive to her husband even if her husband is say...an unbeliever, so that she might win him through her wifely behavior?

So, even if you call this man ungodly, the woman is still left with a choice:

Submit to her husband OR
Follow her conscience
 
V

VioletReigns

Guest
#20
#20
PoetMary said:

However, the husband could argue (as some men in here have) that the verses in Ephesians, for example are very clear regarding how a wife should submit to her husband.
Click to expand...
Jesus doesn't argue with His bride (the church) and demand we submit to Him. He opens His arms and says, "Come to me, My Beloved." He is our Loving Shepherd and says, "Beloved, follow Me." We love Him because He first loved us.

A husband arguing with his wife and demanding she submit to him is the opposite of that.
 
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