The Succumbing-to-the-Curse Argument
for why women want to be in leadership
The Argument: “Part of the curse in Genesis was that women would desire to rule their husbands. It seems obvious that that’s what’s happening right now. Women are just succumbing to the effects of the curse by trying to take over men’s positions in the church and home. This is not a good thing. Women need to admit that they just don’t like being under the authority of men.”
Counterargument 1: This sort of argument is known as an ad hominem attack. It attacks a person’s motives instead of their arguments. The accusations may be true. Women may be trying to dominate men by attaining leadership positions. Women may dislike being under male authority, but this doesn’t invalidate their arguments for having women in leadership.
Counterargument 2: The accusation that women are trying to take over men’s positions does not seem probable unless women insist that only women should lead. However, if women petition for women as co-leaders with men, this accusation seems ungrounded, unless, that is, men believe co-leading is merely one step in women’s grand scheme of taking over the world.
Counterargument 3: This argument states that women’s desire to rule men is not good because it is part of the curse. However, this same judgment is not being applied to the part of the curse that says that men will rule over women. If women should fight against the desire to rule men, then it also follows that men should fight against the desire to rule women. This counterargument, though, is a rather tit-for-tat approach to this issue. Disagreements are better sorted out when both parties assume the best of each other.
Counterargument 4: This argument makes accusations against women’s desires as if those desires were rooted in discontentment, rebellion, or sin. While seeking a change in leadership parameters may be a sign of discontentment, rebellion, or sin, it may also be a sign of growth, foresight, and creativity. A tree will be known by its fruit.
Counterargument 5: The last sentence of this argument states that women just don’t like to be under men’s authority. However, this implies that women would be content with all female leaders or perhaps with some sort of democratic-voting church. However, the Apostle Paul says that he found the secret to being content in Christ. He did not find contentment in having men-only rulers or women-only rulers. Thus, according to Paul a person’s contentment has to do with their character in Christ, not with the gender of those in authority over them.
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