Women in western religion
Women in western religionWomen in Religion
My intent of this paper is to give the reader knowledge and understanding of women in three different religious traditions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islamic. I will compare and contrast on these three different religions and the role of women in each.
Christianity
The Bible and the church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of woman's emancipation. Women, considered a lower class than the men, wanted this subjugation changed. Part of the reason for the subjugation of women is that the Bible could be interpreted in many different ways to suit the needs of the interpreter. The interpretations of the Bible are in part responsible for the belief that women are of a lower class than men. We see examples of these beliefs when we look at the church, the daily lives of women, and the media. Looking at 1 Timothy 2:11-12, we see why our religious society could be interpret the Bible this way: Let a woman learn in silence with all submission, and do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. We must look at the historical context of the passage.
Written approximately 2000 years ago, many parts of the Bible seem outdated. The passage portrays a time when women were property and were "trained" to be weak and fragile. This stopped only about thirty years ago. Before this time, society taught women from birth to be submissive to men. What does this mean to us today? It means that although American society is no longer training women to be submissive, the problem is still present in our belief system. Many churches do not believe that women should be part of the clergy. This is because they interpret parts of the Bible, such as 1 Timothy 2:11-12, as saying that only men should preach.
Along with the belief that women must be submissive and silent, there is also the belief that women are the cause of men's downfall and therefore are evil. In the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis, God tells Adam and Eve that there is one tree in the garden of which they must not eat. Deceived by the devil, Eve eats fruit from the tree and then persuades Adam to eat it. This act historically displays the deception of man by woman and has put women in a very bad light. I Timothy 2:13-14 states: "For Adam was formed from Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." Therefore, the basic belief that women are the cause of men's downfall is obsolete.
Unfortunately, the women of our day find it difficult to effectively work in the ministry because culture, the church, religious traditions, family responsibilities, fear and economic powerlessness restrict them. Yet, women should overcome these obstacles and do what God is calling them to do. This demands total commitment. Like Esther we must say, "If I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16)
Esther has much to teach us about women's responsibility in God's plan. When she received news of the impending destruction of the Jews by Hanan, she initially reacted, as any woman would have. First, she tried to make things right by sending garments to clothe Mordecai, her cousin (4:4). But it was not good enough. The problem was too serious for a simple physical change. Then she researched the problem. She sent an expert by the name of Hathach to find out what was going on (4:5-9). Not a bad response on the surface, but when research stops short of action, it does not solve the problems. Esther had the potential, the gifts and resources to save her people, but in her role as a woman she did not think she could do anything.
Thankfully, her cousin, Mordecai would not accept Esther's "woman solutions." He demanded a life or death option. An option that went totally against the tradition of his people. "Go to the king," he commanded Esther. "Implore his favor. Plead for your people" (4:8). His words caused Esther to realize that she had been placed where she was for "such a time as this."
It was a hard decision for her to make, yet Esther agreed and enlisted others to pray although she realized her actions might cost her life-"If I perish, I perish." She risked being killed by the King. She risked breaking the traditions of the Jews. She risked her reputation. The bottom line is, her action saved her people. I think we need more women like Esther.
My understanding of the "traditional" role of the Christian women is this: I believe women must be submissive, yet militant. Humble, yet proud. Meek, yet aggressive. All of these apparent contradictions are found in the Bible. Esther is not the only story about courageous women in the Bible, there are many more such as, Deborah, Ruth, the virtuous woman in Proverbs, and Mary (Jesus' mother). You don't find them hiding in the shadows of
the men. Instead you find them doing what God called them to do in spite of tradition and circumstances. Humble, submissive and meek before Him.
Judaism
Judaism has been sexually segregated and male-oriented since the Second Temple. {1} Most non-Orthodox Jewish communities have reformed many of the rules that kept the sexes segregated and have allowed women to participate more fully in the public realm of Judaism, although the extent of participation varies from one community to the next. Women are no longer required to sit in designated women's sections of the synagogue, some may study Torah and other scriptures extensively, and a few have even been ordained as rabbis. Orthodox Judaism, however, strictly maintains its traditional attitudes regarding distinctions between women and men. Susan Starr Sered described these attitudes as such:
Traditional Judaism addresses the deity in the masculine gender, teaches that God's message was conveyed primarily through men such a Abraham and
Moses, bestows the privilege of leadership (rabbinate and priesthood) upon men, and has traditionally excluded women from such central areas of religious expression as study and vocal participation in the synagogue. It places prohibitions upon menstruating and postpartum women and discriminates against women in matters of inheritance. Men write the prayers and make the laws. (Sered, 15)
Given this male orientation, one is forced to wonder if it is even possible for Orthodox women to express and experience their religion. When Judaism is discussed in Orthodox teachings invariable it is the male role that is under discussion. Judaism becomes, in many books and articles, "what the men do". Identification of the stereotypical Jew as a male Jew is seen both in outside studies of Judaism and in the attitudes of many Jews themselves both male and female.
Even female authority like Rabbanit Zohara uses the male model, almost to the point of ludicrousness, because, Sered feels, she chooses to identify herself with the brand of Judaism that defines maleness as normative and femaleness as "Other" (Sered, 65). Even books on Judaism written from a feminist perspective, like Evelyn Kaye's The Hole in the Sheet, identifies Jewish rituals exclusively with "what the men do." They sympathize with the fact that women are excluded from participating in Judaism while simultaneously overlooking and degrading the role that the Orthodox women play.
Non-Orthodox communities allow women to participate much more in public rituals, and I suspect that in such communities this underlying female tradition has been diluted, although it probably has been erased altogether. However, in communities where sexual segregation is strong, this hidden tradition of women may be the only way women fully experience their own religion.
Sexual segregation is an integral part of Orthodox Jewish life. Samuel C. Heilman writes: " . . .segregation is one of the symbolic absolutes in a shul (synagogue) which defines itself as Orthodox. The scope and nature of this sexual segregation, however, goes beyond moments of prayer" (Heilman, 69). He goes so far as to state that sexual segregation is part of
the means by which orthodox groups identify themselves as Orthodox. The further away a community gets from Orthodoxy, the more lenient its attitudes towards sexual segregation. All aspects of life and worship are compartmentalized into "what men do" and "what women do." The segregation's can be seen in two main categories: doctrinal division of religious rituals, and spatial division of places of worship.
Most of the ritual differences stem from a single doctrine, the "time imperative exemption" (to use Blu Greenberg's term). The exemption is simple: "Any commandment that one must perform actively within a given time limit . . . is not binding up women" (Greenberg, 82). However, the doctrine's implications are vast. Most Jewish rituals are tied to a specific time of day, week, month, or year. Women are in practice exempt from many religious rituals that have designated times. {2} Because exemption often translates into exclusion women in effect become totally barred from participation.
Orthodox Jewish communities are also to a very large extent spatially segregated: the physical location of men's worship differs from women's. The main prayer area of a synagogue is divided into male and female sections, with the women's section behind the men's and separated by a mechitza, a partition. "This kind of separation is mandatory for any synagogue which wishes to call itself 'Orthodox.' While various synagogues differ as to the form or height of the mechitza and nature of the separation, . . . none allows for mixed seating by sex" (Heilman, 28) {3}. The women's section is frequently on a balcony or at the back of the room, and the mechitza often impedes the view of the service, which always takes place in the men's section.
Although the synagogues have designated sections for women they are really male-dominated. The Torah scrolls and other holy objects are kept in the men's section. Women usually attend synagogue once on Sabbath and once on holy days; devout men attend the synagogue one to three times a day. The synagogue is the physical center for male worship, socializing, and often study as well.
But while men control activities in the synagogue, the women reign in the home: " . . .it is and has always been in the Jewish home, where women reigns supreme, that Jews are made and nurtured" (Heilman, 72). The physical center of religion for women is the home.
Heilman never discusses what the female form of worship is. Sered claims that " Middle Eastern Jewish culture (like most Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu cultures) is not only sexually segregated but also male-dominated. Women necessarily know more about, and participate more actively in, the male model of religion than men do in the female model" (Secred, 9). Because Orthodox Judaism is male-dominated, and the man's sphere of religion is public while the women's locus is in the home, the women's tradition often becomes invisible.
Both men and women in Judaism are expected to marry, but for a woman, marriage and motherhood alone define her role in society. The woman is expected to focus her time and energy on raising the children and running the household. Women cannot participate in rituals that must occur at a specific time because it could interfere with their domestic duties.
This is how the Jewish women have become creative with what they have. Instead of being prevented from religious participation, these daily domestic tasks become sacred. Domestic life provides ritualistic outlets in two very specific ways. First, the household chores
like cooking and cleaning become acts of worship and religious devotion. Second, women's role as caretaker is often extended into a spiritual realm.
Although men indeed control the public realm of Orthodox Judaism, women are not prohibited from participating in religious ritual. In fact, if we view her domestic chores as expressions of religious devotion the life of Orthodox women is filled with worship and ceremony. Because the nature of this ritual is domestic and takes place mainly in the home, makes it seem hidden from society.
Islam
The image of the typical Muslim woman wearing the veil and forced to stay home and forbidden to drive is all too common in most people's thoughts. Although some Muslim countries may have laws that oppress women, this is not the case from Islam. Many of these countries do not rule by any kind of Islamic law and introduce their own cultural standpoints on the issue of gender equity. I have learned that Islamic women have much more freedom than the Orthodox Jewish women do.
Islam gives men and women different roles and equity between the two is laid down in the Quran and the example of the Prophet. Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings. The groom gives a marriage gift to the bride for her own personal use, and she keeps her own family name rather than taking her husband's. Both men and women are expected to dress in a way that is modest and dignified. {4}
Violence of any kind towards women and forcing them against their will for anything is not allowed. A Muslim marriage is a simple, legal agreement in which either partner is free to include conditions. Marriage customs thus vary widely from country to country. Divorce is not common, although it is acceptable as a last resort. {5} According to Islam law, a Muslim girl cannot be forced to marry against her will: her parents simply suggest young men they think maybe suitable.
In the Quran, reference to men and women is through attributes and deeds, by which we will be judged. Those who follow God's commands are referred to as believers in the Quran. In many references, in fact, the Quran resonates this equality by eloquently repeating "men an women" with ethical and practical qualities throughout the verses, and even emphasizes this in the following verse:
Verily, for all men and women who have surrendered themselves unto God, and all believing men and believing women, all truly devout men and truly devout women, and all men and women who humble themselves before God, and all men and women who give to charity, and all self-denying men and self-denying women, and all men and women who are mindful of their chastity, and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for all of them has God readied forgiveness of sins and mighty reward. (33:35)
There is a wide spectrum of attitudes towards women in the Muslim world today. These attitudes differ from one society to another and within each society. Nevertheless, certain general trends are existing. Almost all-Muslim societies have, to one degree or another, deviated from the ideals of Islam with respect to the status of women. These deviations have, for the most
Part, been in one of two opposite directions. The first direction is more conservative, restrictive, and traditions-oriented, while the second is more liberal and Western-oriented.
The societies that have digressed in the first direction treat women according to the customs and traditions inherited from their forebears. These traditions usually deprive women of many rights granted to them by Islam. Besides, women are treated according to standards far different from those applied to men. This discrimination pervades the life of any female: she is received with less joy at birth than a boy; she is less likely to go to school; she might be deprived any share of her family's inheritance; she is under continuous surveillance in order not to behave immodestly while her bother's immodest acts are tolerated; she might even be killed for committing what her male family members usually boast of doing; she has very little say in family affairs or community interests; she might not have full control over her property and her marriage gifts; and finally as a mother she herself would prefer to produce boys so that she can attain a higher status in her community.{6}
In todays society many have come to believe that we live in a secular age, meaning, in effect, that religion is not an especially important issue for most people. But there is much evidence to suggest that this is not true. In all three religious traditions, religion and religious values shape the lives of millions of individuals and play a key role in culture.
Notes
{1} The beginning of sexual segregation refers to the separation of the sexes in religious buildings, which first occurred in the second temple, 5th century BCE (Mann, 18).
{2} H.E. Yedidiah Ghatan lists ten time-bound commandments that are equally required of men and women: six can be found in the Talmud, the other four were enacted by the rabbis (Ghatan, 86).
{3} Non-Orthodox synagogues for the most part have eliminated sexually segregated seating.
{4, 5} I found this information from a web site called: Top Ten Misconceptions about Islam., http://www.jannah.org/articles.
{6} I found this article on the web about the difference between Islam, Judaeo-Christian Tradition. The Myth and The Reality, Sherif Mohammad, at http://www.unn.ac.uk/societies/islamic/about/women.
Works Cited
Ghatan, H. E. Yedidiah. The Invaluable Pearl: The Unique Status of Women in Judaism. New York: Bloch Publishing Company, 1986.
Greenberg, Blu. On Women and Judaism: A View from Tradition. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1981.
Heilman, Samuel C. Synagogue Life: A Study in Symbolic Interaction. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1976.
Kay, Evelyn. The Hole in the Sheet: A Modern Woman Looks at Orthodox and Hasidic Judaism. Secaucus: Lyle Stuart inc., 1987.
Kurzweil, Zvi. The Modern Impulse of Traditional Judaism. Hoboken: Ktav Publishing House, Inc., 1985
Mann, Denese Berg. The Women in Judaism. Hartford: Jonathan Publications, 1979.
Sered, Susan Starr. Women as Ritual Experts: The Religious Lives of Elderly Jewish Women in Jerusalem. New York: Oxford UP, 1992.