We were off to Tyler, TX this weekend to attend the wedding of one of Robin's relatives. The wedding was held at the Roseland Plantation, an 1850's cotton plantation that has been beautifully restored by a Tyler family. The plantation consists of several houses, a chapel, and a ballroom and was quite the setting for a wedding. Robin and I stayed at the Windsor House Bed & Breakfast located on the premises along with his family. It turned out to be a quite fun little country get away this weekend. Here are a few pictures of us before the ceremony:
The whole wedding was beautiful and surprisingly the weather cooperated. However, one part of the ceremony bothered me. In fact, it annoyed the hell out of me and I cannot help myself from commenting on that part. It occurred during the vow part of the ceremony, when the minister stressed the biblical notion of woman's submission to man in marriage. Not only did he repeat this point several times, stressing the importance of this archaic principle, but also made it clear that the Bible clearly stated this principle and that there was no sugar-coating it!
Now, call me progressive, but why on earth would anybody agree to enter into a marriage when one spouse was the master and the other the servant??? Isn't marriage about a partnership, an EQUAL partnership? Since when did marriage become a hierarchy, with one spouse above the other? And, more importantly, what female in today's society would agree to such an unequal union?
Women have been fighting for advancement for years. Little was I aware of this until I entered a predominantly male profession (medicine) and especially in the last year or so when I entered an even more male predominant sub-speciality. Thank goodness we are now at the point where women fill over 50% of medical school classes, because I am tired of being called a nurse when I enter a patient's room . Women are finally catching up to men when it comes to job advancements and salaries, though there is still some headway to make. I could go on and on about points of inequality and how many women devote their whole lives to helping bridge the gap. But, leave it to religion to help hold women back. I could ramble on and on about this topic and the draconian vows some women choose to make, but I will leave it at that for now. But just be aware....if I ever find myself at the altar taking my marriage vows, you WILL NOT find me submitting to my husband. You will find me entering into an equal union, where we have equal say on topics such as children, finances and managing the household. We would agree to work together in our partnership. And if I ever were to mistakenly say I submit to my husband, Ms. Kung-Fu would be there to stop me!!!
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