"Uh, those women in my family I was referring to were the ones who made everybody tow the church line as strictly as possible."
That's not the point, LadyH. The point is that the women are leading when they should not. That is the problem.
Bibically, women are not supposed to lead. That the church is in that state means that it is in the same state as Adam, letting his wife lead him into a fall. This is the same reason that the church is in the poor state it is in today... the men have been listening to their wives instead of leading.
Genesis 3:17, "To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife..."
You only have to observe the opposition that I get to this position to see what I meant when I said, "That is a woman who is 'of the world' and if Matt was a 'by the Bible' kind of guy, it's no wonder she hated him to death."
We've covered this in Sunday School and Bible classes. Men are also to love their wives as themselves and honor their wives..
The Bible also says:
28 Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his own wife loveth himself: 29 for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church;
Colossians 3:18-25 18 Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.