Nonverbal communication and culture. Identity, stereotypes and prejudices, страница 27

Gender. The enduring legacy for women is, of course, the Garden of Eden story. This view of women is perhaps best illustrated when Paul speaks in 1 Timothy: I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became the transgressor.

While this story is often used to justify placing women in second-class positions, more recent interpretations of the Bible reveal a view of women that is more consistent with current perceptions. For instance, some biblical scholars are asserting that Jesus might well have been a feminist. They offer some of the following examples to justify their claim. First, prior to the coming of Jesus, Roman society regarded women inherently inferior to men. Husbands could divorce their wives but wives could not divorce their husbands. Jesus banned all divorce. Men could even marry girls ten or eleven years old. Jesus challenged all of these practices.

Second, although he called only men to be apostles, Jesus readily accepted women into his circle of friends and disciples.

Finally, Jesus helped define a new role for women by giving them greater responsibility. For example, they shared with men the cultural responsibility for teaching children, as reflected in the Proverbs: 'My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not your mother's teaching.'

Courage.A strong message in Christianity is courage. A careful reading of the life of Jesus reveals a man who would not be intimidated by his opponents. On occasion after occasion, we have accounts of Jesus' strong personality emerging. His strength and courage are traits that all Christians are reminded of repeatedly. As you know from your own experience, these are also two powerful values in the American culture. Here again, you can see the link between world view and communication styles.

2. Judaism

Background.Judaism is the oldest of the religions being practiced today and is monotheistic, worshipping one supreme being. Abraham is thought to have founded it, when twelve Israelite tribes came to Canaan from Mesopotamia. Later many of them settled in Egypt where they were held as slaves until they fled to freedom under the leadership of Moses in about 1200 B.C. During the last five thousand years Judaism has spread throughout the world. Although Jews represent less than one-half of 1 percent of the world's population (approximately 13 million Jews), and only 2 percent of the entire population of the United States, their interest in politics, the arts, literature, medicine, finance, and the law has, for thousands of years, made them important and influential. It has been estimated that one-third of our Western civilization bears the marks of its Jewish ancestry.

Basic Concepts. The Jewish faith is unique in that it is both a culture and a religion. It is common, for example, to find nonreligious Jews who identify fully with the culture but not with the theology. Judaism has no single founder, no central leader or group making theological decisions; Judaism is a people, a very old family. This family can be defined either as a religious group or a national group.

At the heart of the Jewish religion lies the existence of a covenant (agreement) between God and his people. Although Jews believe that God's providence extends to all people, they also hold to the notion God entered into this special covenant with them so that they could carry God's message by example. From circumcision to the keeping of the Sabbath, signs of the covenant abound in Jewish culture and religion. It is this covenant that is at the heart of why Jews consider themselves God's "chosen people." In Jewish theology this special consideration never meant advantages for the Jews, only increased responsibilities and hardships.

The Jewish world view is expressed through a number of concepts basic to the faith: