WOMEN AND RELIGION – AN ACT OF GOD OR AN ACT OF MAN
By Silva Redigonda
Several years ago, before alter girls were popular a friend living in a rural area, informed me that her priest wanted alter girls in their parish and her daughter, would probably soon be accepted. She said the priest was contacting all the alter boys to ensure that they were not opposed to the notion. “He is asking boys permission for girls to be alter girls?” I expressed shocked.
At times it is difficult to distinguish what God wants and what the men in organized religion want. Jesus welcomed women as equals. As I study about different religions, I realize that women seem to serve and have a place in all religions. This position is normally subservient to men. This paper will begin with the image of women in the Classical world and will depict what the Christian and Muslim religion experience is for women in the church/mosque and outside of it.
Growing up in Toronto I was offered the opportunity of equality by my parents and then by school. I was informed that I could do anything I wanted with my life because I was living during a time of opportunity and equality. My first hint that this may not be so was within my church when I wanted to be an alter girl. I was told I could not. When did this division of boys and girls occur? When did it begin that men were elevated by gender alone? This did not make sense to me, even as a child.
Let us begin during the era of the Ancient World. Here women are described as “empty-headed; vengeful, dangerous, and responsible for men’s sins; medacious, treacherous, and unreliable; fickle” etc… Men appreciated a good wife but women as a group were not well thought of.”[1] It is clear that women were suspect and unequal to men. Women’s status in pre-Islamic Arabia was observed in the marriage agreement that resembled a contract in which a woman became the property of her husband. This lowly status is depicted in Quranic condemnations, “When news is brought to one of them of the birth of a female child, his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people because of the bad news he had! Shall he retain it on sufferance and contempt or bury it in the dust? XV1: 58-59)"[2] One gender is not only supreme over another, one is shameful and not worthy of life. Daughters were often buried alive in their infancy. The koranic reforms forbade infanticide and required that daughters be included in inheritance.[3] In Arabia, men also had a right of unlimited polygamy based on the male’s ability to capture or purchase women. Islam brought a shift to the status of women. A strong family theme of Islam meant recognition not only for males, but rights for females as well (Esposito, p 15). The Koran permits a man to have four wives simultaneously, though monogamy is encouraged. Many Muslim men now insert a clause, in the marriage deed, excluding the right to a second concurrent spouse, with the exception of African tribes where polygamy is still a custom (Smith, p 252). The Qur’an provides no account of the creation of the first human pair that favours one over the other. The story of the creation of Eve from Adam’s rib only occurs in Muslim traditional literature in the period following the Muslim conquests.[4] Muslim women do not have the stigma that Christian and Jewish women have, being blamed for the fall of humanity due to their primal ancestor. Adam and Eve share disobedience equally and Adam and Eve are restored to Allah’s mercy and forgiveness (Geaves, pp 225-226). Did Jesus feel that women were less worthy than men?
Jesus treated men and women with equal respect. Women were among the inner group of disciples who followed Jesus in public ministry. It was also women who were particularly responsible for the financial support of the movement of Jesus. The parables of Jesus depict what Jesus thought about women as persons and in their roles in society. Women appear as key figures in the parables with equal frequency with men. There is a comparable balancing of male and females. It is ironic that Jesus is willing to be subjected to the anger of a synagogue leader by healing a woman on the Sabbath. Jesus declared the woman a daughter of Abraham with the same status of any of his males. It is also to women who Jesus first appeared to after his resurrection (Drummond, pp 213- 214).
How did Muhammad react to women? Muslim women argue that during the time of Muhammad, both men and women sat before the Prophet when he preached (Geaves, p 234). The Qur’an’s teachings about women, is “enormously progressive in their original historical context.” [5] The legal and financial rights became dramatically advanced (Renard, 128).
The Christian and Muslim Woman in the Church/Mosque
While women comprise the large majority of active church membership, there is no sustaining force in almost every congregation. Women have virtually no power within its structure. This is dominated by men. [6] A woman pastor is more readily accepted by laymen than by the clergy. Not only is she the pastor of his church, she also has a degree in theology, plus approval, since she is ordained (Doely, p 68). It is not the congregations who have recently protested against women clergy in the Anglican Church, it is the male counterparts who have complained of ordained women.
It has been established that women are subservient to men within the church. Does this extend to the Muslim woman? Of course, most Muslim societies segregate males and females in public. This is also found in the mosque, which remains a male’s domain. It is not uncommon for a mosque to forbid entrance to women for public prayer. Other mosques provide a segregated space for them. The majority of Muslim women pray at home. Women are therefore denied the religious equality which is central to the Qur’an’s message (Geaves, p 234).
The Christian and Muslim Woman in Contemporary Society
An increasing number of Muslim women are “challenging the overwhelmingly male voice of religious authority, and reassessing the roles of prominent women in early Muslim development.” (Geaves, p 224) Nowhere does the Qur’an indicate that women are to wear veils. The Qur’an indicates that women dress modestly at all times (Renard, p 129). However, the idea that all Muslim women must wear the veil is not accurate. In certain cultures it is mandatory and in others, among young and educated women, wearing the veil is a symbol of resistance and cultural authenticity or as a symbol of their Islamic identity (Geaves, p 232).
Women in the Western world can wear what they want. However, some churches may request a code of dress for women. I have been stopped from entering an Orthodox Christian church where there was a claim of the Madonna statue crying. My T-shirt was considered inappropriate and I was provided with a shawl. I later learned that the Madonna mystery was a hoax. I cannot recall what the young man who stopped me was wearing because from my perspective, clothing has no significance.
Culture is very important regarding how religion is viewed and practiced. In certain extremist Muslim societies, the punishment for adultery is death by stoning, a repetition of Jewish law of death by stoning, and social dancing is proscribed (Smith, p 253).
Women definitely have a role in the Christian and Muslim faith. It is clear that this role is controlled not only by men, but by the culture. This subservient role that women have adopted is contrary to Jesus and the prophet Mohammed. How does this experience of women have pastoral and theological significance?
THE THEOLOGICAL AND PASTORAL SIGNIFICANCE
Jesus and Mohammed both liked and respected women. Women were provided with an opportunity to grow along side men towards God. Yet, somewhere this has taken a turn favoring men over women. Women are told that they have a place in the church/mosque. Some women internalize society’s norms and accept what is, as justified. It is a form of conditioning. If society is not challenged, than change is not possible. Jesus made changes and was crucified. Mohammed also made changes which favored women, especially for his time. Yet, somehow these messages got lost.
I have met one woman who said she left the Catholic Church to become a priest in the Anglican Church. Is she happier? What is the concept of communion now for her? Is it a memory of the last supper or does she believe she is receiving Christ. This can cause serious theological consequences for her if she is torn between two belief systems but belongs to one to be a priest. I have had female Anglican priests tell me that they go to the Catholic mass and receive communion. When I say that this is contrary to the Catholic faith, a debate arises. I do not understand the theological objectives in their need to do this? I ask but I am informed that it is I who do not understand that they are able to have communion without being a Roman Catholic in a Catholic Church. Since Catholic priests have agreed with them, this misconception is encouraged. After all, I am not a priest and they are supposed to know more than I.
In another situation, I asked a student during a course if she was a Catholic because of something she said that led me to believe she was. She became angry and said she was Catholic but not a Roman Catholic. I dared not ask what the difference was because her face became red and she looked furious. What could cause such anger? How does this extend to Muslim women?
Muslim women I have met and have been friends with in Toronto, inform me that they refuse to wear the veil and adopt the customs of the Muslim Culture. They inform me that the veil has nothing to do with their religion. They also inform me that their husbands understood their wishes prior to marriage. This has taken a toll on their husbands when they are ridiculed by their friends and co-workers of the same faith in Toronto. Subsequently, this has caused their husbands to challenge them on their clothing, considered inappropriate and too revealing. One friend who believed her husband loved her, felt deeply devastated when he left her. Was it because she refused to accommodate cultural norms? I do not know. She left the country shortly afterwards.
Theology and culture takes a toll not only on the women but on the men who try to support them. Men in Christian Churches as well as Muslim men agree and support women in issues of inequality. If men did not support women, change would not be possible in the religious tradition or outside of it. God is there for everyone equally and this has been taught by Jesus. Mohammed too supported women and elevated them in the society in which they lived. Yet, men still dominate and regulate the church/mosque to serve God in the manner which keeps women subservient. These norms become internalized and that makes it difficult for change. People who recognize these differences can become a source of comfort to those who suffer because of it. Women should never forget that they are no better and no worse of any man and that Jesus and Mohammad did welcome them and made changes for them. Somehow this change has been lost in translations through the ages. Men and women need each other to pro-create and raise families. How wonderful it would be for men and women to walk side by side, in peace.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Drummond, Richard Henry. A Broader Vision Perspectives on the Buddha and the Christ. A.R.E. Press: Virginia Beach, 1995.
Esposito, John L. Women in Muslim Family Law. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1982.
Geaves, Ron. Aspects of Islam. Georgetown University Press: Washington, 2005.
Renard, John. Responses to 101 Questions on Islam. New York: Paulist Press, 1998.
Smith, Huston. The World Religions. 50th Anniversary Edition. Harper Collins: New York, 1991.
[1] Drummond, Richard Henry. A Broader Vision Perspectives on the Buddha and the Christ. Virginia Beach: A.R.E. Press, 1995. Pp 211 – 212. Further reference to the text will be indicated by author and page number.
[2] Esposito, John L. Women in Muslim Family Law. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1982. Pp 14-15. Further reference to the text will be indicated by author’s name and page number.
[3] Smith, Huston. The World Religions. 50th Anniversary Edition. Harper Collins: New York, 1991. P 251. Further reference to the text will be indicated by author’s name and page number.
[4] Geaves, Ron. Aspects of Islam. Georgetown University Press: Washington, 2005. P 223. Further reference to the text will be indicated by the Author’s name and page number.
[5] Renard, John. Responses to 101 Questions on Islam. New York: Paulist Press, 1998. Further reference to the text will be indicated by author’s name and page number.
[6] Doely, Sarah Bendley., ed. Women’s Liberation and the Church. The Need For Freedom In The Life Of The Christian Church. New York: Association Press, 1970. P 19. Further reference to the text will be indicated by Author’s name and page number.
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