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originally posted by: pthena
What would be the religious status of a midwife? Would she be perpetually unclean, therefore permanently excluded from shrine activity? Or any person engaged in helping others with health issues? Permanently excluded?
The stigma on being barren is exactly in line with my main theme, that bringing forth life and being able to bring forth life is thought to be a good thing.
I said: Why should a woman have to present an offering of a yearling lamb to a priest for atonement, from God, for the issue of blood, if it was merely a cleanliness issue? That doesn't make sense.
You said: It doesn't make sense to us, because we don't merge the concepts of sickness and uncleanliness and sin, which is what the Israelites were doing.
I've pointed out that hygiene, for the Israelites, is a sin issue. So the question is where the sin lies in this instance.
As I pointed out in the OP, they were demanding sin offerings from men who suffered "discharges" of almost any kind. Again, with one very significant exception. In their minds, they associated sickness and uncleanliness with displeasing God.
The idea that it relates to the fact of bringing forth new life is ruled out by a number of factors;
So the most sensible explanation of that sin-offering is that it relates to the temporary hygiene implications of the birth event itself.
originally posted by: windword
And a woman's period means they are unable to bring forth life, at least at this time.
This is your interpretation, not theological fact. Menstruation, as well as giving birth are not sinful or unclean acts.
Diarrhea and puss sure, But not sperm. There's your superstitious and misogynous exception.
NOT treating menstruation as a sinful act. Since we agree on that issue, what's wrong with dwelling upon it and finding significance in it?
They are getting equal treatment. That's genuine equality, madame.
originally posted by: windword
When a man masturbates, he's unclean, after washing, until the sun sets...like thats logical and godly, but a menstruating woman is unclean for 7 days!
originally posted by: windword
But giving birth, and the bloody discharge, IS treated as sin!
The fact that the blood from menstruating women announces infertility and/or miscarriage belies your whole OP about blood belonging to Yahweh, because of it's life giving properties.
Nevetheless, it is also a symbol of the fact that they are the kind of humans who can bring forth life.
Once again I must draw attention to the fact that menstruation requires no sin-offering. It is NOT being treated as sin.
originally posted by: windword
A menstruating women, whose blood announces either a miscarriage or infertility, is unclean, but not sinful.
The second half of your post goes off the topic of the thread. You know I don't do off-topic.
This topic was written around menstruation rather than birth.