But Seriously...

On the Possibility of a Republican Woman President

I know it probably will not happen for this election, but there is a definite possibility of a woman from the Republican party being elected in the future. This had me thinking that if one got elected, would we really be electing them? According to the two current probables (Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann) and a lot of the modern Christians that share their beliefs, maybe not.

The Bible lays out a clear marriage hierarchy throughout the books. Here are some examples (emphasis mine):

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. - Ephesians 5:22-24 (NIV)

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. - 1 Peter 3:7 (NIV)

But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. - 1 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV)

To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” - Genesis 3:16 (NIV)

While most do not take verses like these as explicitly literal, it’s close. Some of these verses are read at most Christian wedding ceremonies, and many couples base their marriage on them. How would this affect decision making in the White House? By most interpretations, the First Gentlemen should have final say on any decisions being made. This is disconcerting to say the least. Michele Bachmann has already demonstrated that this is a possibility. She has said that she only pursued a law degree because her husband, Marcus, told her to (http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/07/06/261363/bachmann-women-submissive-to-husbands/).

This subject has been covered in a few liberal blogs but no real main stream media coverage. It even got brought up in a national debate, but was quickly deflected and dismissed without following through (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/12/michele-bachmann-deflects-submissive-question-at-gop-debate.html). I understand why this has not really been discussed, because the Bible is seen as untouchable and any Republican who would speak out against its teachings would surely lose votes. But I think this is important and needs to be explored further.