Women like men have been regarded as saints and sinners in the world's religions. Many have found meaning and guidance, enjoyed rich spiritual lives and reputations for religious scholarship and sanctity. However, unlike men, women have also been the victims of religious traditions delineated in patriarchal societies.
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. As they dominated the political sphere and power, so too did they enjoy religious power.
While one can find sacred texts that speak of women's spiritual and moral equality before God, more often than not theology and religious law reflected the mentality and customs of male-dominated societies. Its effects could be seen in the male- dominated religious leadership and hierarchies; regulations governing marriage, divorce and inheritance; male dominance of public space; the tendency to emphasize and contrast male rationality with female sexuality and emotionalism.
In recent decades, the male-dominated patterns of the past and of religious authority have been challenged and in some cases reformed.
However, many deeply rooted traditions, male-generated but presented as sacred or divinely mandated and sanctioned, continue to prevail.
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