Are gender roles a good or a bad thing? This can be a confusing topic, but I was wondering what people think about the place of marriage in life, how genders interact, and how this should fit into traditional Christian Morality.

As Christians are we called to marry? Should gender roles be adhered to, the women looking after children, and men working to win the money? Has a breakdown in traditial family roles made it difficult for newer generations? Is it harder now to find a wife/husband for example.

This is a serious question and discussion so no matter what your view try to keep it civil.

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As Christians are we called to marry? Should gender roles be adhered to, the women looking after children, and men working to win the money? Has a breakdown in traditional family roles made it difficult for newer generations? Is it harder now to find a wife/husband for example.

Whoever makes the most money or can make the most money should be the one in charge of making money. If it's the wife, so be it.

Granted, I do have a thing for strong women

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My brother and his wife have been together for almost six years and even had a little girl (god rest her soul)

They've been together so long they are practically married in my opinion

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Christians are not called as to marry as a command, though it is certainly a noble institution for those who want to.

I do not think that women should be confined to a housewife role in marriage, but that may mean that the husband should agree to stay home.

Its important for a child to spend a lot of time with at least one parent, so either one should stay home or they should alternate somehow.

I'm sure some children have come out fine with less time with their parents, but I think its generally unhealthy.

Traditional gender roles are one way of filling this need, but we should be free to come to other arrangements.

2123140 God commands in Genesis that we should go out into the Earth and make it fruitful, that is, have children. So, my answer is yes. As Christians, we are called to marry and make the earth fruitful.

2123140 Independence, Revolution, the American Dream! I believe that women should and do have the right to be badasses, and look good doing it. A strong independent woman is better than an arm hugger. Trophy wives are good for one thing, trophy walls.

2123233 I don't want to list all of the double standards in that...

Marriage is a vocation, just like the priesthood is a vocation and just like the religious life (monks, nuns, etc.) is a vocation. So yes, God can call us to the married life.

2123140 While I believe that we were made to be male and female for a reason, your gender does not have to limit you to the roles that nature has bestowed upon you.

That said, I think it best to follow nature's path. Men are born biologically stronger and emotionally tougher then their effeminate counter parts. If a family relies on the hunting of animals to survive, then it would be rather obvious that the men should bring home the bacon. They were just made to be more durable and stronger than women (physically). This doesn't mean that women somehow have a smaller role in the family, their role is extremely important. They raise the children. Why? They too were biologically made for it. This isn't degrading the role of women, if anything, it should enhance it. Women are more emotional and natural nurturers. When you were little and you had a nightmare, who did you go to first to fight the monsters away? I remember my mom, and you would too.

Biologically it's rather obvious where the roles lie, but what does the Bible have to say?

Titus 2:1-5
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Ephesians 5:22-33
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ...

So in the Bible there seems to be a clear '1, 2' combination. The husband is supposed to lead the household with wife second in command. This seems to be in line with nature. However, some may take verses like these and say that the Bible is displaying clear sexism... Not so fast.

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 11:12
For as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.

Clearly the Bible teaches that no one man, or woman, is above or below another, but what we must understand is that these rules exist for a reason. They exist so that the human race may rule over the earth and multiply. And they can only do that if we have a system that remains consistent with the world around us, both biologically, and spiritually.

Genesis 2:18
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

P.S. Ever wonder where gender roles started?

Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

It started after Adam and Eve sinned. Interesting, gender roles are a curse for man's (and woman's) sin.

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That was a command for Adam and Eve...and I'd say the earth is fruitful at this point.

2123548 But, I think that applies to everyone. Does God just want us to stop having babies? I believe the Creation Mandate was addressed to all the world.

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Every couple is different really, and it should be up to them to decide.

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It sounds like you interpret it as a command for ceaseless population growth.

I find "go from two humans to many" to be a more likely explanation.

2123574 What if I put it as this? (this may not be the best example, though) God commanded Jesus' followers, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit." Was that just directed towards those present? Does he not want all the disciples of Christ, past, present, and future, to go out and share Christ with the world?

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I think we could be said to have multiplied to the point of filling the earth and subduing it.

In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul actually said that he thought it better not to marry, though I certainly don't elevate the words of the apostles to those of God.

Also, bringing people to God is a much more obviously universal command than what was spoken to humanity before the first human birth.

2123538 yes, and in Genesis, God commands that a woman must be submissive to her husband, but the husband must be equally submissive to the wife. Take of it what you will. Oh, and love the Galatians quote, used that for a Freshmen project speech I did against the Westboro Baptist Church.

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It depends; most gender roles are stupid and inconvenient, and even kind of interfere with God's exact plan, but there are a few exceptions.

2123548 I'm not saying we aren't fruitful, but we aren't exactly overpopulated. I remember hearing a lecture about how we are actually not having enough babies.

The problem is that a lot of babies are concentrated in one point, or spread thin in another place.

I can't remember the exact numbers though.

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I hold that we are not commanded to have more babies if we, as individuals, do not want to.

2124641 Oh I completely agree.

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Read First Corinthians Chapter 7 on Christian's view point of marriage and gender roles.