Contemporary Challenges for Religion and the Family from a Woman’s Point of View

Contemporary Challenges for Religion and the Family from a Woman’s Point of View

Religion consists of beliefs, symbols, and practices which signifies human spiritual nature. It explains the meaning of life basing on a significant lesson about life experiences referring to the truth. Before talking about challenges, we must first understand its meaning. In today’s life, individuals have a mindset that family life and religion are in crisis. The responsible individuals have a notion of responding defensively with the aim of preserving their lives which is being weakened by external forces. To determine gender bias in religion, it is essential for one to be knowledgeable about the history and role of men and women in various denominations.

“The roles played by both men and women in the society indicate whether gender bias exists in religion” (Leszczyńska, and Zielińska). This paper answers the question of whether gender bias exists in religion drawing its main argument on various faiths; Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Christianity is a religion whereby teachings of Jesus Christ regulate the practices and religious beliefs of human beings. Christians have a mandate to follow and obey the lessons and ideas taught by Jesus. Gender bias in Christianity is connected to the primary role of men in the society compared to that of women. The bible states in Genesis 1:26-28 that man and woman were equally created in God’s image. The Bible considers a woman to be the origin of sin. Some individuals have used this point of view to criticize women and consider them inferior. Another example presented in the Bible justifying gender bias is that the bulk of the Holy Scriptures was written by men excluding the book of Esther. Only a small number of women engaged in writing the scriptures. None the less, women are highly recognized in the Holy Scriptures. For example, Mary Magdalene and Naomi have a strong presence in the bible.

Beliefs and attitudes of an individual depend on the community within which one has been brought up. The holy scriptures in the Bible prescribe roles for both men and women, though little participation of women involved in church leadership positions is viewed to be gender bias in Christianity. For instance, women were not allowed to take leadership duties during the 19th century. Only men were allowed to vie for those positions this fact is still influential in today’s Christian religion. For example, the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodoxy still have their church leadership positions dominated by men. Despite that women may run for church leadership, the roles given to them remains minimal. For instance, the high leadership positions like those of priests and bishops are left for men while women are given a minor duty in top leadership

The principle that women are unable to run for high leadership is viewed as gender bias in Christianity. The tasks of women in places of worship are considered to have been denied throughout the Christian religion. The little number of women engaged in leadership duties has led to the domination of men in government leadership and society in general. Only men were permitted to take sacramental ministries during the Patristic age.

Since the beginning up to now, the Christian society has failed to consider the importance of women in church leadership. On the contrary, the early century churches permitted women to run for church leadership up to a limited extent. By considering women as deaconesses. In today’s churches, the position of a deacon is only left for men. In the modern churches, for example, the Roman Catholic church and the Eastern Orthodox church used to and are continuing reserving church leadership positions for men alone such as the position of bishop and pope.

A large number of women act as nuns in the church. Another point to support gender bias in Christianity is based on the argument that all the disciples of Jesus were men. The Bible teaches Christians that Jesus is the son of God who came to undergo suffering, torture and later resurrects for their deliverance. Christian view Jesus as a role model who delivers Gods message. The history of Jesus life is well written in the new testament gospels. According to Christians, Jesus appointed twelve disciples, who were all men to lead the church. It is the primary reason as to why church leadership is left for men. Since church leaders such as priest act on behalf of Jesus, then having male leaders is acknowledged to be correct. In Christian churches women are not considered as priests; this fact is still based on the traditional stand of having women church leaders. Women lack the command ability as they are vulnerable and can only work as nuns.

In early Christianity, the individuals who were concerned in making religious laws discriminated women using those laws. According to the gospel of John, the lawmakers who were also called Pharisees at one point brought a woman to Jesus claiming that she had committed adultery. During this time the Pharisees were governed by the law of Moses that states anyone who commits adultery should be stoned to death. Jesus responded to them that no one should stone the woman unless they had never sinned. None of them was willing to stone the woman as they had all committed sins. Jesus protected the woman from injustice only because the woman’s sexual partner was not punished.

Besides the ill-treatment of women, the Jewish leaders viewed women to be inferior to men. For instance, men were not allowed to speak publicly to women. Current Christian religion educates against women discrimination. A Christian values family and view men as head of the family. Christians believe that woman was created from man as a companion and helper; this strengthens the belief that man is more superior to woman. Applying this belief promotes gender bias in the society. The fact that a man is still superior to a woman has continued to be supported by scripture about women’s perception. Christians argue that men are the best representatives of Jesus according to the Holy Trinity doctrine which considers Jesus as a son of God and a ‘Him’ just like in Judaism and Islam.

Marriage is a critical issue in the current world based on the respect and loves a man and woman share. Jesus criticized the early Christian communities which segregate women. To add up, Jesus showed compassion for women and preached against discriminating them. Christians are said to accept the importance of women in the church because Jesus, who is a role model to all Christians associated himself with sinners. Early churches portray the ability of women to act as teachers and leaders.

Islamic teachings are linked to prophet Muhammad teachings which require all Muslims to obey the five pillars of Islam. It is true that Islam promotes gender equality theologically. However Islamic religion is viewed to contain distinctions between men and women. For instance, Islamic teachings indicate that women shall have rights, similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable, women and men are equal beings. In the Islamic religion, gender bias is based on the Sharia laws which are disadvantageous to women. The Sharia laws strictly exclude men from women at worship places, yet Islamic tradition allows polygamy. It is viewed by many individuals to be in contrary to the equality of men and women. Muslim women are not given a chance to run for religious positions as they receive disputes and critics from many.

Early Muslim women experienced more trouble accessing religious education which was accessible to men. Islamic religion does not allow women to lead prayers in the places of worship since worshipping in the mosque is done in separate rooms for men and women. This religion also denies women the freedom of travel as the law strictly states that a female can only travel with a male relative. In various nations, the Sharia law discriminates women by denying them a chance of learning how to drive. Certain Islamic believes may lead to women discrimination. For instance, females have been denied the right to education and job vacancies in Afghanistan. Islamic laws have also discriminated women in participating in leadership activities. Another incident that expresses gender bias in Islamic religion is the fact that evidence provided by women in court is viewed to be weak as compared to the one provided by a man. Islamic goes ahead to discriminate women whereby they are expected to respect a man and do whatever they are asked without question.

The Sharia laws allow intermarriage between Muslim men and non-Muslim women but do not let Muslim women to be married to non-Muslim men. The rules also prevent women from conversing with men who they do not share blood with except in the presence of their relatives. This fact discourages socialism among members of a chosen society. Apart from the lousy treatment women receive from the laws, Islamic has remained to encourage equality amongst its members. It is clear that the practices that exist in Muslim communities are the contributing factors to gender bias.

Buddhism is another type of religion whose texts are based on the lessons from Siddhartha Gautama. This religion is categorized into two; Mahayana and Theravada. All Buddhists observe and respect the truth. In this society, women are given free will to interact with everyone despite gender and also are also given leadership positions. In the ancient times, the women in this society were allowed to engage in religious activities and given access to religious information, although the religious roles of women are different as compared to that of men. For instance, religious duties were only performed by monks and not religious women.

According to the Buddhist religion, marriage is an agreement between two people who are bonded equally. Buddhist support for fundamental male superiority is a way to portray gender bias. Gender bias in this religion can be observed in the control of men as religious leaders. Women in this culture are considered to be insufficient as they entirely depend on men to make progress. This religion allows a man to have many wives but restricts a woman to one husband. On the contrary, gender bias is highly condemned in Mahayana Buddhism since women are allowed to go for religious leadership positions. For instance, women can work as Bhikkhunis or nuns in places of worship. Buddhism enhances equality between a man and woman.

This belief stops superiority of men in the religion. Buddha Himself stated that both man and woman have the same spiritual context. For example, to work as a nun was a great way for women used to show their importance in the society. This religion contains a body called the Sasana which is made up of monks, laymen, nuns, and laywomen. The presence of women in this body is a clear indication that women are not drawn away from religious activities. Buddhist religion permits widows to carry on funeral rites indicating that daughter’s births are of great help to the society. On the contrary, male children or infants in Buddhist communities are the most accepted due to superiority ability. Buddha commented finally about women that, “in whatever religion women are ordained, that religion will not last long. As families that have more women than men are easily destroyed by robbers, as a plentiful rice-field once infested by rice worms will not long remain, as a sugarcane field invaded by red rust will not long remain, even so, the True Dharma will not last long” (Bhikkhu).

“Gender bias in Hindus is based on their sacred text which is called the Vedas” (Williams). It indicates that the core duty of a woman is to help her husband and make him able to continue the family traditions. Her primary responsibility is to produce children and look after them. This religion was recently reported to have been dominated by men. Research proves that earlier, during the Gupta time, women use to enjoy free will and leadership positions. Women were so respectful as they acted as role models, teachers and shared their ideas while debating about public matters. The Vedas is evident as men are given more obligations to perform in the community with women to act as their helpers. The position men and women acquire in the city is based on a specific text from the Vedas. For example, the Ramayana and Mahabharata show essential roles women play in the society, while the Manu Smriti shows restrictions on the type of roles to give women. The religious activities in Hinduism are a significant cause of gender bias (Dustin). For instance, the birth of female children alone in a specific community is observed as a complaint as male children are considered significant during funeral rites. In case a dad dies in Hindu society, it is the responsibility of a male child to ensure that the family is happy and carry out funeral rites.

Another challenge facing Hindu women is the fact that they cannot “manage and oversee traditional rituals” (Dustin). They are only allowed to participate in small domestic ceremonies like the puja, though the host of the service must be a male member. On the contrary, Hindus worship female goddesses and show association with male gods. The laws protect women as it warns men on the consequences of neglecting women and teaches them that it is their concern and duty to protect their wives. Hindu tradition states that a woman contains limited freedom as she is dependent on a man. As an infant, she is protected and brought up by her parents or guardian. At a mature age, she gets married and lives with her husband, providing help and encouragement to him. As a guardian, a mother shapes the future life of children.

In Hindu community, in case a married wife fails to provide a male child to her husband, the husband is allowed to marry a second or even third wife. It indicates that gender bias exists in this culture as the boy child is considered more critical compared to a girl child. There exists a religion called Sati among the Hindu community which treats women harshly thereby enhancing gender bias. In Hinduism, the Sati community encourages the sacrifice of women after the death of their husbands. In short, widows undergo a very tough life after the end of their husbands. This kind of hardship has recently increased for young widows. Women were also considered responsible for the early deaths of their husbands. For example, if the end of a man comes early, family members and close friends will begin to point fingers to the wife and blame her to be the cause of her husband’s death. The Hindu discriminate females from the religious practices they carry of paying dowry. This fact makes female children to be viewed as burdens in the community. Their usual religious custom of having the woman’s family be accountable for the endowment has made females to down-looked about cases of female discrimination. Hindus have also restricted the amount of ownership to be possessed by a woman and have even separated Hindu widows from the society thereby being a cause of gender bias in religion. In some Hindu communities, females are married at a very tender age and denied the right to marry again in case their husband dies indicating that gender bias exists in this society. Despite all these discriminations towards the female, Hinduism is a religion that supports the involvement of women in religious activities.

Historically, a large number of Indian women lead challenging lives as they are slaves to their husbands. It is based on the argument that Indian men are given free will to marry the desired number of wives one wished or keep mistresses. The highly ranked members of the society like ministers, merchants, and landlords engaged themselves with prostitutes with no sense of humanity or guilt. It indicates that women are discriminated in Indian communities. On the same point, women in charge of household chores were confined as the laws just stated that a woman is not allowed to meet and have conversations with other men outside her family.

In conclusion, whether gender bias exists in religion remains to be a debatable topic in all regions of the World. It is clear that gender bias still exists in today’s culture as I have elaborated. Some incidences of gender bias have been linked to religious practices and beliefs of members of the society. Some preferences can be compared to people’s culture and not religion. Various controversies have been discussed to prove that gender bias exists in the different religions. All faiths contain customs and beliefs which have an enormous impact as they shape our future lives. So, the role played by each gender in the society is connected to religious traditions respected by community members.

Work Cited

Bhikkhu, Mettanando. “Was the Lord Buddha a Sexist?” Issues | Was the Lord Buddha a

Sexist?, Bangkok Post, 9 May 2006.

Dustin, Moira. “Deference Or Interrogation? Contrasting Models For Reconciling Religion,

Gender And Equality”. Religion And Gender, vol 2, no. 1, 2012, p. 9. Uopen Journals, doi:10.18352/rg.27.

Leszczyńska, Katarzyna, and Katarzyna Zielińska. “Gender In Religion? Religion In Gender?

Commentary On Theory And Research On Gender And Religion”. Studia Humanistyczne AGH, vol 15, no. 3, 2016, p. 7. AGHU University Of Science And Technology Press, doi:10.7494/human.2016.15.3.7.

Williams, Rina Verma. “The More Things Change: Debating Gender And Religion In India’s

Hindu Laws, 1920-2006”. Gender & History, vol 25, no. 3, 2013, pp. 711-724. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1111/1468-0424.12044.