By Chief Editor Lauren Cho, South Korea
Image: Books of Days Tales
Christianity holds a deep-set taboo against periods that stems from its most important doctrine—the Bible. In the Bible, it is stated that the origin of menstruation was the curse that was put upon Eve for eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge. According to chapter 3 of the Book of Genesis, in punishing Eve, God declares, “I shall give you intense pain in childbearing, you will give birth to your children in pain.” As menstruation is necessary for the process of reproduction and childbirth, many interpret this text to mean that periods—and the horrific pains that come along with them—are a part of the overall curse that God placed on Eve and all women for her sins.
Given this background, you can guess how periods are regarded in Christianity and Christian doctrine. The clearest example of an orthodox Christian perspective on periods can be found in Leviticus 15: 19-30—an entire section of the Leviticus devoted to describing the “unclean” nature of menstruation. To state some examples, “19 When a woman has a discharge of blood which is her regular discharge from her body, she shall be in her impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. 20 And everything upon which she lies during her impurity shall be unclean; everything also upon which she sits shall be unclean. 21 And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. 22 And whoever touches anything upon which she sits shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.”
This kind of address in Christian scripture can be seen as deprecating to women, especially because it’s targeting an inherent aspect of a female that cannot be controlled. It’s also swayed many Christian women into believing that their periods are shameful and dirty, thereby lowering their self-esteem.
Beyond the individual level, this description of periods in the Bible has led to many institutional rules excluding women. For one, some churches justify the exclusion of women from the ministry with this logic that women, due to their periods, are “unclean”. Others interpret the scripture differently—some churches state that menstruation should not become a handicap to women in any way regarding their participation in Christianity. In justifying this opinion, they look to this excerpt from the Apostolic Constitutions: “For neither lawful mixture, nor child-bearing, nor the menstrual purgation, nor nocturnal pollution, can defile the nature of a man, or separate the Holy Spirit from him. Nothing but impiety and unlawful practice can do that”—meaning, that menstruation does not “taint” people with its supposed “uncleanliness”. Some take this to mean that menstruation should not be considered “dirty” and a reason for women to be excluded in certain Christian traditions.
On a slightly different note, some orthodox Christian denominations encourage women abstain from communion while menstruating, not so much because the act is “sinful” as it puts a strain on the body during the intense preparation to unite with Christ. Still others believe that this opinion is completely outdated and that menstruation should not be a determining factor of whether or not a woman should be able to receive communion.
Overall, although some interpret the text to mean that periods are taboo and should restrict women from certain Christian practices, others disagree.
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