No Women or Christians Allowed?
Dan Barker wrote:
“What group of people will make it into the heavenly choir?”
He answers his own question thusly:
“144,000 male virgins who have not been defiled with women.-No women allowed! Notice the sexism: women ‘defile’ men.
‘And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads…And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth.’ (Revelation 14:1-4)
No Christians allowed! These singers are made up of 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4-8).”1
There you have it: “women ‘defile’ men,” “No women allowed!” and “No Christians allowed!” The quotations prove it right? Nay. As I pointed out in my essay To Lie, or Not To Lie: That is the Question
Dan Barker appears to have a propensity towards the logical fallacy of the false dichotomy. He is quick but not careful. His rapidity is in referring to males who have not been defiled with women. He quickly states concludes “No women allowed!” and even quicker to a charge of sexism. Yet, the text does not state that “Women defile men,” it states that these particular men have “not been defiled with women.” But does this not imply that women defile men? No, do not let Dan Barker lure you into his faulty inferences. An elucidating question is whether it is possible for men to be defiled “with” (not “by”) women and visa versa. What is the answer? “Yes.” Consider, adultery, prostitution, unmarried sex, etc. which the Bible considers defilement. The text is not making a blanket statement to the effect of “women ‘defile’ men,” but that these particular men had not engaged in any sort of act which would amount to defilement.
Moreover, notice the convenient citation of Revelation 7:4-8 in making the point “No Christians allowed! These singers are made up of 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.” To begin with I should perhaps point out that I am a Jew who believes that Jesus is the Messiah and am therefore also a Christian who is “of Israel.” That one can only be Jewish or Christian is another false dichotomy that is both logically and theologically fallacious (even according to the Halakah: Judaism’s religious law). But most importantly, if Dan Barker were to have read all the way from verse 8 to verse 9-10 he would have fond the following statement:
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'”
“No women allowed!” and “No Christians allowed!” no, rather a great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues. Simply stated, the 12,000 from each tribe are mentioned in particular and the diverse group in general.