The Monstrous Regiment of Women

After watching The Monstrous Regiment of Women (by the Gunn Family) in class on Tuesday, I was speechless. Although I couldn’t figure out how to articulate why I felt the way I did, I knew what I was feeling: disgust, anger, disappointment, frustration, shock, panic, sadness, pity, judgement, compassion, embarrassment and ashamed. I’m not even going to touch on the level of emotional abuse this film used to try to force you into agreement. That could be a 15 page essay. I will say, however, that after watching this movie, I felt a piece of my innocence had been stolen. I felt violated.

The movie was made by the Gunn Family, a very conservative Christian family. It operates on many assumptions and premises: Christians cannot be egalitarians, womanhood is defined by motherhood, women should not be in any type of leadership position in society, etc. The one that stood out to me the most was their idea that women were made and destined by God to be wives, mothers, and homemakers, and nothing more. Period. End of story.

What was so sad to me about this movie was how it promoted such a singular, one-dimensional view of what it means to be a woman in God’s eyes, and what His intended purpose for us actually is. My mind kept racing to examples in my own life of, 1.) women who are excellent mothers, but also highly successful in the professional workplace and in leadership roles in society, 2.) women who are gifted in other areas (besides motherhood) and although they do not have children or families to take care of, they are still making a positive impact on society and influencing the lives of others. Are they fulfilling God’s calling and living a life dedicated to him? Are they still obeying God? The film’s answer would be a resounding NO.

The first clip of the movie is the mother dedicating this film to her new born daughter, and her other daughters. I felt pity for the girls raised in this insular society who feel such a pressure to conform. This has to do with how I was raised, and what my family background is. On both sides, my family is conservative Mennonite (like, super conservative--plain dresses and coverings). My grandparents had decided they were going to take a step away from such a conservative interpretation of the Bible, and my parents decided to take yet another step further. So although I was not raised with this type of mentality, I felt like I was watching my extended family in this film. What is so sad is that I have seen and heard of so many examples the girls and women becoming so frustrated with this pressure to conform and submit, that they end up rejecting the community and it’s doctrines, and ultimately their families and Christ altogether.

I felt like this movie made both “sides” (feminism and Christianity) look horrible. The feminists looked like the monsters who get pleasure from practicing partial-birth abortions, hating on men, and taking on masculine qualities while ditching or denying maternal instincts. However, the Christians (althought the Gunn family would disagree) looked like self-righteous, judgmental, Christian psychos because their beliefs are so radical. And yet this movie won a fucking award within the Christian community! It scared me that I identify with both groups, and I felt ashamed and to call myself either.

I don’t know if I recommend watching this movie. It is an eye-opener, that’s for sure. I agree with what Kevin said in a follow-up email: above all, we need to respond with love. He wrote, “One of the hardest things to do in discourse, I think, is to honor the humanity of an opponent who refuses (in our opinion) to honor the humanity of others. But if loving our enemy were easy, I imagine more people would do it.”

Here's the link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MNI3-oL4Ck