I fear that worldly influence has just about replaced the Church and home in molding the opinions of the majority of the American people. Much of the moral decay of this nation can be attributed to the rejection of God's word concerning the man and woman he created. Could it be that the needed instructions in the home and pulpit are lacking? Paul instructed Timothy to ²"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." The next verse gives the result of not following that pattern. ³"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables"' (2 Timothy 4:3-4) We are in such a time as described by Paul. God's people have settled on their lees (see Zephaniah 1:12) while groups such as 'National Organization for Woman', ACLU and other activist Politicians, using the drum beat of equal rights, has permeated our society with blatant departures from Godly principles.

God created the first man, Adam, from the dust of the earth and placed him in the Garden of Eden which God himself planted. Adam was put in this garden to dress and keep it and was commanded to not eat of one of the trees in the garden. "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17)

The Lord God formed every beast of the field, every fowl of the air and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field which illustrates the mature intellect that he was created with. He did not evolve as the majority of the scientific world claims. Of all the life that God had created there was none suitable as a help meet for Adam. "But for Adam there was not found an help meet for him." (Genesis 2:20) It pleased God to make Adam a suitable help meet by taking a part of Adam (a rib) and creating woman. . "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." (Genesis 2:18) The definition of the term 'help meet' is: a suitable help or aid. Thus God's purpose in making the woman was that she was to be an aid to man, not a competitor, ruler or a hindrance to him. Our forefathers taught and indeed the scriptures confirm that Godly woman should focus on the home and not engage in usurping authority over man.

The Lord God joined Adam and his help meet together as man and wife. "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, And brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 21-25) The order and manner in which God created the first man and woman and the joining of them together as man and wife teaches us about the sacred design of marriage and sets the framework for understanding the position the man and woman should fulfill in their relationship.

After the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, God pronounced judgement on the man and woman He had created. Part of that judgement concerned their relationship with each other and the position each would properly have in that relationship. "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." (Genesis 3:16) "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying. Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all he days of they life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:17-19) God changes not and the laws God instituted in the Garden of Eden along with all the other laws revealed in His Holy Scriptures apply to us today. Of course we believe the Ceremonial law and the laws governing the lives, conduct and punishment of lawbreakers in national Israel were only to them in particular. But the moral laws given to them apply to us today. Changes in society, the teachings of man or any other persuasion does not override any of God's laws. We are instructed by God's word to avoid those worldly changes, 'And be not conformed to this world:' (Roman 12:2)

The world claims that women have been mistreated and denied equal rights to compete and advance above men as their abilities would allow them too. This worldly doctrine is even spilling into some churches which are now saying that women should be active in church leadership and that God not only called men to preach the gospel but that God called some women to that office also. But God's word says:"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. ³⁵ And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church." (I Corinthians 34-35) Paul wrote the same to Timothy and also included the reason it is so. "¹¹Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. ¹²But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. ¹³For Adam was first formed, then Eve. (1Timothy 2:11-12) The order in which God created Adam and Eve has purpose and meaning for us today and nothing society does changes that.

The world claims that a woman's body is her own and she has reproductive rights which should not be challenged. According to the world this right gives a woman the freedom of choice to either give birth to her unborn child or as she chooses, to kill it. But the word of God says: "Thou shalt not Kill" (Exodus 20:13) under the law of Moses men were punished for inadvertently causing an early loss of an unborn child "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall surely be punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life," (Exodus 21-23) Child bearing is a responsibility of the woman and she has no civil right to terminate a pregnancy by her choice only: ¹⁴And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. ¹⁵Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety". (1Timothy 2:14) God's word clearly describes the help meet's purpose and calling in marriage: "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully". (1Timothy 5:14)

Our young people are being taught to reject the feelings of shame a person use to feel when they were not dressed properly. They are being taught that it is a person's right to dress as they want too in public and no one has a right to stop them. But God's word says: ⁸"I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. ⁹In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; ¹⁰ But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. (1 Timothy2:9-10) When Adam and Eve sinned, they felt shame over their nakedness and attempted to cover themselves with fig leafs. "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons". (Genesis 3:7) But their effort was not acceptable with God for He properly clothed them himself. "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21) Surely that should teach us to wear modest clothing in all situations and be more covered than uncovered which the coat of skins, which God clothed Adam and Eve with illustrates. God's word also teaches us to not wear clothes that pertain unto the opposite sex. "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God." (Deuteronomy 22:5)

This subject, as with most biblical subjects, has a wide range of views which varies from outright denial of clear bible passages to using certain verses out of context in order to subjugate the woman unto the Man. It should be noted that none of the scriptures quoted in this article or anywhere in the scripture is it taught that a woman is subservient to her husband to the extent that he can mistreat her. The scriptures do not prohibit a woman from working outside the home where proper circumstances dictate. Neither do the scriptures teach that a woman cannot audible speak in the church. But the scriptures surely do teach that a woman is not to usurp authority over the brethren nor attempt to fill either office of the Church. The scriptures do teach that men and woman alike should dress modestly. The scriptures surely teach that the woman has a special responsibility in the home and to the children under her care or influence.

It is sound doctrine to teach these things: "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the world of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded." (Titus 2:1-6) Elder Claude McKee