After I got married, I was diagnosed with mild postpartum depression. Since then, I realized that the world has deliberately given girls some deceptive education.
Let's talk about ancient China first. Males dominated Chinese society for a long time. Women were thought to be inferior to men. For example, men were educated to fear nothing on earth. However, a woman without talent was thought to be virtuous. There was also a famous saying "only women and base person are difficult to raise".
We have been taught to be a good girl at a young age. Being a good girl is the principle of our life. However, a good girl must endure a lot in reality. The world always tells women: You are born weak, so you don't have to take on too much. It is sad that society treats an underdog as a slave and ultimately imposes more burdens on the shoulder of women.
Let's take a look at our modern society. Modern society is much better than ancient society, but many out-of-date ideas still remain in practice. For example, many families still prefer sons to daughters. If a family has both a son and a daughter, it will spend more money on the son while the daughter has to wait to marry a good husband. Most of leaders in all walks of life are men. Men and women may gain the same money for same work. However, women have fewer opportunities in terms of education and employment.
What's the situation in religion? I grew up in a Christian environment. I can see that many churches still give female believers the following teachings:
1. Women should be gentle and quiet.
2. A wife must submit to her husband.
3. Women can't preach on Lord's day. The leader of a church should be a man.
4. The husband is the head of a family. The wife should respect her husband.
5. A woman's mission is to give birth to children, take care of the family, and do housework.
The teachings above are from the Bible. However, if we don't experience or think, we may probably be ruined by these doctrines which are interpreted out of context.
The Bible has shown us a wide variety of women. Some of them are married and some are not. Some women degenerated but reformed themselves at last. We should learn from their faith and confidence. There is such a phenomenon in the church. Women suffer from domestic violence and illness. Their world is full of negative feelings and bitterness. However, the church just gives them spiritual instruction and brainwash them with meaningless words. The church asks those poor women to tolerate whatever their husband does to them.
I suffered from mild postpartum depression because I gave birth to a daughter. When I was pregnant, both my husband's family and my family were looking forward to a boy. When my daughter was born, I was very disappointed. I have already felt the girl's embarrassment and sorrow to live in this world.
I used to fall into a state of despair. However, the grace of God has always been with me. Though I walked through the shadow of death, I didn't fear anything. God is my shepherd, and He revived my soul.
Let's trace back to the book of Genesis. According to chapter two of the book of Genesis, both men and women were created in the image of God. Men and women are different; but, it doesn't mean they are unequal. They are only different in material. Men are created in the image of God, so are women. Women are even more elaborate.
Translated by Emma Ma
