How Men Agonise Over Feminism
FEMINISM: The Agony Of Men is a book on spirituality written by Michael Owhoko. Published in December 2018 by the American publishing house, Westbow Press, Bloomington, Indiana; the paperback novelette makes compelling reading. The 100- page volume has seven chapters, an introduction, a preface and a conclusion. Most people think marriage is an easy venture, which is why they jump into it without due diligence. It is later that they realise the complexity of the institution they have committed into.
To complicate men’s agony, while God created marriage in a specific way, women of today now believe and claim the same rights and authority as the men, leading to undue unrest in marriages.
Thus, agitation by women has forced marriages to become an institution where there are no longer definite roles for husband and wife as God intended. Feminism: The Agony of Men shows how the feminist movement which advocates equal rights, opportunity and authority between men and women, has caused unending tension between men and women both in marriages and relationships outside of marriage.
The feminist agenda has left men agonising in the world as his spouse now claims equal partnership in marriage with equal rights, privileges, authority and opportunity.
Until the philosophy behind feminism is curbed, connubial friction will continue to plague marriages and this will eventually lead to the collapse of the marriage institution in the world.
Therefore, Owhoko’s feminism is an exegesis on the agony of men since the emergence of the feminist ideology in the world today. In the book, the author calls for restraint from women, allowing the old order to prevail. Which is why the first two chapters are devoted to marriage, and the pillars of marriage. While the author based his research on the Bible, it appears the feminists rely more on normative logic as a new epistemological system of analytical reasoning and cognition. Though the author excels in presenting the biblical points of view in marriage, there are good points to imbibe in the feminist ideology.
Owhoko, here, unveils the woman, the mystery behind her and the subtle contradictions between the two sexes. He blames the woman for veering away from her natural role to question the leadership the man over her.
According to the author, Genesis 2: 18 sets the tone for marriage with insight that marriage is an institution ordained by God, who has instructed us to solemnise the act. “Implicitly, God wants us to be involved in the institution of marriage as part of a commitment to fulfil its command of procreation aimed at populating the earth. God wants us to develop the earth, as the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof, as expressed in Psalm 24.1. Just like the way a landowner would want his property developed, God wants the earth to be developed, as He abhors v a c - uum. T h i s c a n only be brought to pass through the institution of marriage.”
And with the five factors, “namely God, love, money, sex and health, which I have termed the five pillars of marriage, the union is bound to experience peace. On the contrary, the absence of any of these catalysts could trigger crisis in marriage.” But even then, in all of these the woman’s role as helper, supporter and pillar is clear. “The woman was not created to compete for the leadership position with the man under the same roof, nor was she made to nurse an ambition to play the role of head within the same household.” However, the World Conference on Women at the forefront of the fight for the emancipation of women, agitating for gender equality is propagating feminism to the detriment of family unity and world peace.
The World Conference on Women has not been helpful “to the natural essence of womanhood on earth. Its position clearly negates the natural role and position of woman in creation. The objective of the conference has certainly crossed the naturally assigned jurisdiction in its fight for gender equality.”
This, certainly, was not the intention of the United Nations General Assembly when it passed Resolution 3010, stating that 1975 should be celebrated as International Women’s Year, which was the precursor to the first Conference on Women held in Mexico City in 1975. Though the conference asserted the contributions of women to world peace, it failed to target the home as the sphere where their efforts are needed.
Accordingly, the author affirms, “feminism is antithetical to a peaceful marriage... responsible for unnecessary tension resulting from gender crisis in corporate organisations.”
Thus, feminism is not needed to advance the cause of women’s rights and opportunities. “What women need is humility to accept the role God has given them as helper, so that the marriage institution can be preserved and enjoyed.”
What is needed is gender partnership that will support the common good of both the husband and wife. Working at cross- purposes will only inflame passions and ruin marriages. Mankind must be rescued from feminism. It promotes discontent in the home.
“Let the world move to save the marriage institution from the raging scourge of feminism.”