Organized Religion or Organized Oppression: Religion's Role in Female Oppression. By Holly Zell

Transcription

1 Organized Religion or Organized Oppression: Religion's Role in Female Oppression By Holly Zell Strayer University - HUM400 - Religion/Philosophy/Ethics - Dr. Benzarour When mankind first walked on the earth he was a hunter-gatherer. The female had an equal role in their survival. But once we go past the basic need for survival, patriarchy became the norm in society. With the addition of religion as a driving force of culture and society, the role of the female changed drastically. And the rise of organized religion only perpetuated the problem with its blame of women for "original sin". Women as a people have been subjugated and controlled in the name of God and, according to scripture, by divine providence. Even in the economically prosperous and God-fearing country of America, women still have not achieve true equality but it's closer than we've been in a long time. Religion as we recognize it today dates back to 2000 BC with the establishment of Hinduism and Judaism followed by Christianity whose ethics grew from Greco-Roman society and mores. All religions have seen rebellion and upheaval over time with all splitting into separate sub-branches based on belief and interpretation of various religious scriptures or prophets. Buddhism grew out of Hinduism. Christianity is currently divided into many difference branches representing different cultures, practice, doctrine and history. The major branches of Christianity include Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant (both liberal and conservative) and Pentecostal. So how have women faired with these differing religions? Once these religions matured, all were similar in their treatment of

2 women, with women playing subordinate roles in the church. The church still represents society even when church and state are kept separate, as in the United States. Religion is generically defined as a specific system of belief about deity, that promotes a code of ethics, a philosophy of life, and a worldview. Religion provides structure and expectations. With the advent of religion, the church became the center of life for many. The culture at the time of the establishment of religious practices was primarily patriarchal in organization. Patriarchy translates literally as "rule by the father" and is a social system that grants privileged status to males and permits their domination of females. For most of the established religions, patriarchy fits nicely with its teachings. The man is the ruler and the woman's purpose is to serve man. This is accomplished in many ways based on which religion you look at. Some of the most damaging subjugation of women includes being deprived of education and restriction of activities and social contact. Extremists within each religion typically treat women most severely. Let's look at five major religions and examine their treatment of women. Judaism is the parent of both Christianity and Islam and is the oldest of the world s monotheistic religions. Their scriptures are the Torah (the Old Testament of the Bible) and the Talmud or laws. Judaism literal interpretation is "one who struggles with God". Where as most women consider themselves equal to men in society, they have assumed the role as wife and mother, tending to house and children with pride and acceptance and without struggle. But as in many religions, women are segregated from men during synagogue services and considered temptresses of men based on Old 2

3 Testament writings. Even acknowledging there satisfaction with their societal roles, women have begun to challenge patriarchy of the Jewish religion by becoming rabbi's and joining the men at services. Whether or not this spills over into cultural norms is still to be seen. Christianity still claims to most adherents today, 2.1 billion, and is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, considered the son of God and born during Roman time. Despite initial resistance by Rome, in 400 AD Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire via the inquisition. Jesus' teaching center around belief in God and love of one another. He had women as disciples and women had major roles in his life. But the Roman Empire saw women as inferior to men, for serving man's sexual desires and procreation purposes. Using the Old Testament stories as evidence of God's will, the Christian religion adopted this same attitude toward women. The exaltation of Mary the mother of Jesus as celebrated within the Roman Catholic branch of Christianity can be seen as advancement in the status of women within religious context. Many are attempting to make the language of the Bible gender-neutral in an effort to portray women and men as more equal. But there are still many who will continue to subjugate women and use the Bible as justification. Islam is a religion of approximately 1.3 billion world wide and is the largest growing religion in the United States today. It is centered on the revelations received from God by the prophet Muhammad. The Muslim faith believes in one God who guides and intercedes in human endeavors via angels and the sending of prophets. They believe 3

4 entrance into heaven (or hell) is based on human deeds and will be determine on judgment day when the world as we know it will end. Islamic society has embraced its faith and has been ruled by many devoutly religious figures. Women s rights have risen and fallen based on the leader in power at the time but mostly women have few rights and men decide their fate. Women are veiled in public, if allowed out of the house at all. Marriages are arranged with men having the ability to dissolve it at any time. Women who disobey the laws are punished more severely than men with death being required for certain offenses. Women aren't just subjected by men in Islam society, the female members of the male's family will force the bride to serve within the family structure as a servant. A woman who does not please her husband and his family is returned home to a family which does not want her. Many Muslim women commit suicide to relieve their guilt of bringing shame to their household or family. Islam is not good for women and the worst in treatment of women. Hinduism is the third largest world religion and the dominant religion in India. Hinduism is considered a philosophy. They are called polytheist because they worship many gods and goddesses but are also considered monotheistic because most believe there is one true God who is capable of taking on multiple forms. The Hindu religion does not determine worth based on gender but on the caste system. Your caste is decided by birth and only by living a merited life will you be reborn into a higher caste until you finally reach Nirvana, reincarnation ceases and the soul is at rest at last. An unmerited life results in being reincarnated into a lower caste and finally, as an animal which marks the end of reincarnation for that soul. Though Hinduism means the search for liberation, 4

5 women have not found it in Hindu society which is still patriarchic in nature. Buddhism developed in the sixth century and sprang from rejection of certain aspects of Hindu culture (the caste system, reincarnation, animal sacrifice). It is not a religion of God since it worships none but a religion of self-improvement and enlightenment through meditation as first experienced by a man known as Buddha. Some sects teach to live an ethical life you must renounce all earthly goods and agree to monasticism and celibacy, becoming a monk. Others are more lenient in their attempt to reach out to the average person today who is also involved in family and world affairs. Women were included in the Buddhist village (their church) early in Buddhist history. They allowed women to become nuns but they were still considered subservient to monks and could not advance into leadership positions. Ordained Nuns disappeared from the Theravadin branch a thousand years ago. They considered women a hindrance to a monk s spiritual development. A return from extinction of the Theravadin ordained nun occurred in 1998 and women again are taking there places in the Buddhist society but the rules have not changed. As you can see, even enlightenment did not lead to equality for women. Based on the examination of these religions, female equality is a myth that will never be achieved. Women are inferior and will stay that way until men and women are willing to see them otherwise. The women speaking-up from the pews will be the ones that eventually will cause change within the church. We need to reconsider religious truths and scriptures as they pertain to the role and status of women. The socialization 5

6 aspect of religion is an essential part in this effort. Women must be included in worship and service to the church so they can alter the beliefs regarding the place of women learned within the church environment. As a Christian, I feel we need to return to the lessons of Jesus which are that all are equal in the sight of God. It is a shame that Christians have lost site of this most important message. All of the world needs to become intolerant of sexual discrimination for real change to occur. Let us pray it happens soon. 6