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THE QUESTION
Women and Religion
Have women fared well or badly in the world's religions down through the ages? Why?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on January 17, 2007 7:05 AM
FROM THE PANEL
"Everybody Talkin' About Heaven Ain't Going There"
Let’s not tempt people to hypocritical statements of faith just to satisfy a superficial test of “character.”
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on January 24, 2007 8:45 AM
Women Still Reminded To Know Their 'Place'
My wife was dismayed that the other women were focused on what to call their spouses in public conversation.
Posted by James Anderson, on January 23, 2007 9:50 AM
With A Loving God, Gender Equality Reigns
Things are getting better in some religions but the list of atrocities and discriminations against women is still appalling.
Posted by Sally Quinn, on January 23, 2007 8:50 AM
Women and the Goddess
Some early cultures in Western civilization became less egalitarian when they grew more focused on war.
Posted by Starhawk, on January 23, 2007 6:13 AM
God's Hostages
The net effect of religion (especially in the Abrahamic tradition) has been to demonize female sexuality and portray women as morally and intellectually inferior to men.
Posted by Sam Harris, on January 22, 2007 9:10 AM
The Question: What to Do About Discrimination Against Women
Providing inspiration to contemporary women, past heroines, saints, mystics, social activists are making up for lost time.
Posted by Martin Marty, on January 22, 2007 8:15 AM
It's All About Eve
For me, the worst slights came from within the church, not from the outside.
Posted by Jane Holmes Dixon, on January 22, 2007 7:45 AM
Stereotypical 'Female' Qualities Are Core of What Jesus Taught
To a woman came the privilege of being first to see the first resurrected Being.
Posted by Michael Otterson, on January 22, 2007 7:13 AM
Dancing Backwards In High Heels
For many women in ministry, the expection that they be a dutiful daughter of the patriarch ransoms their ability to speak truth to power.
Posted by Lauren Artress, on January 21, 2007 12:07 PM
Religion Has Double Role In Completing Women's March Towards Equality
Jews and Protestants today look back in astonishment that only two decades ago we questioned the fairness and value of ordaining female clergy.
Posted by David Saperstein, on January 21, 2007 11:15 AM
Jesus Planted Revolutionary Seed Of Male-Female Equality
Chasm exists between Scripture's teachings on women and how many Christians act toward them.
Posted by Welton Gaddy, on January 21, 2007 10:29 AM
Many Religious Traditions Created by Men, But Presented as Sacred
Men, the patriarchs, "the good and not-so-good old boys" were the primary religious scholars and leaders, the interpreters of sacred texts and laws, ritual makers and architects of religious institutions.
Posted by John Esposito, on January 20, 2007 10:10 AM
Original Egalitarian Order of Most Religions 'Hijacked' by Men
Most religious lawcodes were devised in premodern era, when all women were regarded as second-class citizens.
Posted by Karen Armstrong, on January 19, 2007 11:20 AM
Christianity One of Greatest Defenders of Women's Rights
While the woman is to submit to the husband’s leadership, the husband is to treat the wife as Christ treated the Church, that is, sacrifice himself totally for his wife (Ephesians 5:22-33).
Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on January 19, 2007 10:50 AM
Testosterone Trumps Theology (Always?)
Women need beware men in unchecked charge.
Posted by John Dominic Crossan, on January 19, 2007 9:13 AM
Meltdown of Religious Ice Age Bringing More Gender Equality
Institutionalized religions all too frequently have blunted theological teachings so that there is no religious distinction between God’s will and trivial human cultural customs.
Posted by Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, on January 19, 2007 8:36 AM
Respect For Women Yes, Worship of Goddesses No
Goddess feminists are whistling in the dark when they argue that everyone used to worship goddesses and that this was a Good Thing for women-the assumption being that women are more compassionate than men.
Posted by Wendy Doniger, on January 18, 2007 10:07 AM
Moves For Equality May Have Ancient Roots
There are some hints in the Hebrew Bible of a better situation before the patriarchy that seems ingrained in the text.
Posted by Julia Neuberger, on January 18, 2007 9:45 AM
Women, More Than Men, Are Faith-Filled
Religion--institutional and formal--would fare better if it had higher regard for the faith that women bring with them.
Posted by William J. Byron, on January 18, 2007 9:08 AM
Religion and Women: Chains That Still Bind
I admire the determination of women who have fought for equal status within their religions but I am happy that replacing a patriarchal God with a matriarchal Goddess, or unisex Spirit, is not my problem.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on January 18, 2007 8:39 AM
Women Benefit More Than Men from Religious Involvement
The feeling of being connected, the observance of the laws, and the inner devotion were always – and continue to be – stronger among women than men.
Posted by Adin Steinsaltz, on January 18, 2007 7:07 AM
Unitl Recently, It Was Widely Assumed God is a 'He'
We have to wait patiently for the total revolution of modernity and postmodernity in the struggle between the genders in the field of religion.
Posted by Sulayman Nyang, on January 17, 2007 5:41 PM
Women: Second-Class Citizens in the City of God
Prejudice against women is related to a desire to control their reproductive capacity.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on January 17, 2007 7:51 AM
Cultures Can Overpower Egalitarian Impulse of Religions
The full and equal status of women is not only one of the fruits of modernity, but consistent with the originative impulse of Christianity.
Posted by Marcus Borg, on January 17, 2007 7:40 AM
Jesus Would Be Offended by Church Discrimination Against Women
Jesus Christ raised women to a new level in culture and in His church.
Posted by Cal Thomas, on January 17, 2007 7:08 AM
Patriarchial Attitudes Still Abound in Religion
It will take another major reformation to turn Christianity's ecclesiastical sexism around.
Posted by John Shelby Spong, on January 16, 2007 1:49 PM
Save & Share:
News Cynic: If human beings are just animals then perhaps how we treat women is not a moral question (there are no moral questions) but rather a matter ...
Bob: Woman have been completely dominated and suppressed by all religions down through the ages. It is only in liberal democracies, based on non ...
Candadai Tirumalai: In orthodox Hinduism, women do not actively participate in some rituals (things may well be changing in this regard, however), but they enab...
