Why Radical Feminism Bothers Me

And How it Affects the Church

According to the dictionary definition of feminism, “an organized movement for the attainment of women’s rights,” I am a feminist. I believe that women on a social, political and economic level deserve to have equal rights with men. I believe they should be able to vote and to work outside of the home, to name a couple… all beliefs that general feminism supports.

On the other, more important hand, I believe in the Bible. That’s where feminist issues of abortion and other such topics are lost for me. My stance as a believer and follower of Christ far outweighs any belief of equality that I hold between men and women.

The problem with feminism, is that many people don’t understand the difference between common feminism (what I described above) and radical feminism. Radical feminism, to me, is the “bra burning” and “I don’t need a man to tell me how to think” sort of mentality. These women feel the need to shove their views into other women’s faces on a daily basis, especially if they don’t believe in living the same way. This is where radical feminism finds its “fatal flaw,” its Achilles’ heel, so to speak.

Supposedly, feminists seek to lift fellow women up and empower women to live an extraordinary life. The problem that they don’t realize is by having such radical beliefs, they are also tearing women down. Now, before anyone gets up in arms, I am generalizing right now. I am not in any way claiming that each and every woman with radical beliefs also shoves it on other women. To speak in generals, I have seen a lot of feminists on social media and other outlets speaking their views of “empowerment” in a very degrading way. Which brings me to my main point.

One huge belief of radical feminism is that a woman should not need a man to tie her down. Even though I believe that this is true for some women, feminists take it to a whole new level. They inadvertently knock women down who have chosen this as their lifestyle. By bashing the white picket fence, married young, bare-foot and pregnant lifestyle, they are destroying that which they seek to build up, women’s confidence.

For a woman that is happily living that lifestyle, radical feminism is a big thing that can really strip her of her feelings of self-worth and value. Some of the ideals make her feel as though she is not contributing to society because she doesn’t work 40 hours a week and can be like poison to her confidence and identity as a valuable woman.

As women we must ask ourselves, are we truly building up other members of our gender? Or are we just putting them in a box? These questions are especially important to ask ourselves if we consider ourselves members of the Church.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 it says, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

Radical feminism does not offer unity, rather; it offers conformity. I think the true goal of feminism should be to build each woman up, remembering that we are all baptized in one Spirit and make up one body. Let us be wise in the ways that we use our words, so that we can effectively be one body of women, united for the purpose of spreading the Gospel and the love of Christ to all those that we encounter. Whether in the workplace or in the home, we can all work together and encourage one another to be beacons of light in a dark and dreary world.