DEBATE: Would all religions benefit from having women leaders?

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In some religions, women can't take on the same tasks, responsibilities or authority as men. For others, the religion would simply not work at all if there were no women leaders. Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of argument presented for and against women’s leadership in religions. One is based in history, the other in ideas about gender.

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women as leaders in all religiobs

Peaches Lebeau

08 Feb 201304:36

my thoughts on this subject are deep however in summary equal and opposite and one
Hare Krsna

women as leaders in all religiobs

Peaches Lebeau

08 Feb 201304:33

my thoughts on this subject are deep however in summary leaders, religion,males or females and who makes a better leader id subjective, if relion is about faith then we are equal
an example in brief is Rada and Krsna equal opposite but are one.and science has answers to even this conciousness, One must study and trust their mentor or Guru to absolutely pass on "As it is" no opinions undiluted sanscrit krsna conciousness both male and female and leaders equally , we could not exist without the other.
hare krsna

women as religious leaders

Norm Ross

30 Oct 201221:10

It depends on who is your god. if your god says that in order to maintain peace and stability then men should have the major role in that aspect then that is how it should be.
If you want to do things your own way, then start your own religion. For me, Jesus called His Father [ He ] He called the Holy Spirit [He ] and said that the deacon and bishops should be the husband of one wife, [ which sounds male to me ]
If women want to ursurp a man's role in every field, the male becomes homosexual.

women as religious leaders

Joan Wilkinson

07 Feb 201317:10

The Open University gave me the opportunity to learn how to think beyond ingrained prejudices. For this reason I found a religion that allowed that same freedom to keep learning and growing. The Unitarians gave me just that. All narrow concepts of one, fixed male God gone, the acceptance of women at all levels - more than acceptance but welcoming the contribution of women at all levels, allowed me to continue the values of the OU. If it had been otherwise my many years of study would have seemed wasted. Some of the male comments here suggests that emotion isn't confined to women but is experienced and shown by all equally and we should use it wisely. The same argument goes beyond any feminist thinking about usurping anyone but rather includes the contributions of those of different sexual orientations too is of equal value to any narrow definition of 'you man me woman', which sounds a bit stone age to me.

Religion/Male-Female

Chris Richards

07 Feb 201309:06

In the 'book' Jesus' father is God, and his mother is Mary. Therefore, it would seem women are essential for men to even exist. Immaculate conception etc. And the lovely Nephilim were the children of Angels who 'mated' with married women. Of course, God killed all of them because they were very naughty.
Your last statement clarifies everything, it should be 'usurp' not 'ursurp'.

women equal but differnt

Carol Kearns

29 Apr 201221:44

first it must be noted that in the understanding of the trinity according to the Hebrew linguistics which influenced the development of the church saw the spirit of God is female (and in Greek neuter). this is reflected in they symbolic place of the female deacon as representing the Spirit as the male represented Christ under the bishop representing God. this gives the women a special place in the church as messengers of mercy and the first social workers caring for the poor marginalised and the dispossessed, as in Greek culture women could go where the men could not.

The senior deaconess in many churches and in Constantinople especially ran much of what the Church did and were entrusted with the running of the church while the Bishop was away, as aposed to the male prebendary (elders) and deacons who did most of the administration but less of the hands on work with the poor and marginalised. the safe house mentioned in the third program were run by women deacons who would also raise abandoned infants and orphans often at their own expense from the privet funds they brought in to the church at their ordination.

The abbess Hild is one of the many notable Celtic saints (she is from a Northumbria family not a Saxon one), she was one of many powerful Celtic abbesses and scholar who include Bridged (who in some legends was ordained a bishop) and others who's names have fallen out of history due to the medieval male dominated church purposefully forgetting them. other noticeable women in the church include the desert mothers in Egypt (who were looked to by many monks and bishops for wisdom and advice), Clare of Assisi (the sister of Frances), Julian of Norwich (the greatest English mystic).

In the Church women have left the leading to men so that they can get on with being Christlike and serving the community they are in without the hinderence of being the one in charge. the church benefits from women present as the servant ministers that they have always bean challenging the men to remember the true purpose of the church on earth, and this had always been done best from outside of the structured hierarchy but in conversation with it. All of the most notable workers in the church have spent some if not all of their lives one ring out from the leadership challenging it to live what it professes.

To my mind arguing over women Priests and Bishops is a detraction to what the church should be doing and to the advancing of the churches message. The early Church made women deacons because that is where they could do the most good and spread the gospel most effectively without raising the suspicions of the authorities and in making them the symbol of the holy Spirit they were dignified as an aspect of the ministry of God no-one else could for fill.

Yes - the balance should be evened up.

Rebekah Thornton

27 Apr 201220:47

As a commited Christian, I am still appalled at the way women are treated in all world religions, although there are many that are better than others.

As a child, I was brought up in a Pentecostal church. Men were the Pastors, the Deacons, the Church Council members. Women took on the more traditional roles of arranging the tea and coffee, the flowers, baking the communion bread, teaching the Sunday School. It was certainly a very misogynistic world to grow up in, yet I always knew deep down that women were equal and it was the patriachal tradition that was simply holding them down. The religious basis that was given for this was a passage in the Old Testament that talks about women who were talking a temple, then were told that they had defiled God's place and therefore were not welcome. I can't remember the passage exactly to quote it.

I then grew up and realised that actually, in Christianity, God, who came to earth as Jesus, included women as some of his most important survivors. God used a woman to bring life to this person. He's God for goodness sake, if he didn't think women good enough Jesus wouldn't have been born, he would have descended from heaven like a miracle. Or possibly been quarried. Or both :-)

This ongoing row about 'religious traditions' is utterly idiotic. Women make up 50% of the humans on this planet. If God intended women to be servile to men in all areas, not just religion, he would have made sure we couldn't think for ourselves. As it is, I know many, many more intellectually advanced women than I do men. So it's time that the C of E Synod (and I am a member of a C of E Cathedral congregation) just pulled their fingers out, admitted we do it just as well as men and let the women get on with sorting out the 500 + years of history men have so brilliantly messed up.

Go women bishops! Go!

I have just posted 'Yes' in

Elizabeth Peers

24 Apr 201208:44

I have just posted 'Yes' in answer to the set question about religions and women leaders in general. I am absolutely amazed that it has taken the C of E so long to appoint women Bishops, incandescent with rage at times to hear some of the pompous attitudes still prevailing among synod male members when they try to justify why they cannot 'serve under a woman' because they choose to select pieces of the bible which suits their purposes. I do not follow any of the 'set' religions but consider myself spiritual in an ethreal sense. I understand we have 26 male bishops sitting in the House of Lords, known as the Lords Spiritual and yet, to date, no women, why? In any other walk of life, such discrimination (against the appointment of women bishops) would be dealt with in the courts. However, the main religions have managed to escape prosecution because successive governments are too afraid to tackle such outward bias. Why is it that the male element in many of these religions will not allow women to be in positions of authority at the top of the tree? We hear David Cameron state that he wants more women in business to get through that so called 'invisible' glass ceiling. How come, he has not said the same about the clearly visible prejudice within our religious houses?

Women, in my opinion bring a much softer aspect to religion and yet still have steely determination. I understand that the outgoing incumbent of the C of E, Rowan Williams, The Archbishop of Canterbury allegedly stated that he believed that Sharia law should become law in this country. When I first heard this statement I could not believe that one of our most emminent leaders would say such a thing, given much of what we know about the role of Sharia law amongst women in the countries that it is now legally enforced upon. Again, from what I know of the Koran, it is a sacred text which upholds the beauty and grace of women and it is, in many ways, the male interpretation of this holy book which puts a different spin on the sayings of The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon his name) to suit a male dominated section of the Muslim religion.

Given much of the ethos of the Catholic religion in respect of the rights of women, which is dominated by an 'all male' team at the top, it seems to me that if we are ever going to get equality and enrichment in religious matters at the top, then it might be a good idea for the Catholic church to take a better stand on contraception! Only a woman knows what it is like to become pregnant and/or to have to face an abortion. Perhaps a female head of the Catholic church would soften the stance of a religion which condemns women in so many ways ......-

In conclusion therefore, I would suggest that women leaders in authority at the head of our world religions would indeed enrich those establishments with their own ethos of feminity. It may even be a case that many more women would become involved into the richness of religion when they saw that their views could be represented by a woman at the top.

I have posted no because women are emotionally charcged beings.

LBA Assefa

02 May 201214:03

Religion is very elementary EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL to controll ancient tribes remotly when there were no so many police, FBI, CIA, MIF e.t.c. Religion is telling the stupid masses, that if they do this or that there is an invisisible force punishing you for doing this and that. Imagine to control remotly your children, hasband and wife, in that way. All people with venerable emotional conditions; especially those with physical and mental problem are suseptable to that kinfd of brain washing. Do you think is that appropraite to be used by the so called university to brainwash venerable people like cosmetic advert we see on TV mainly targeted to ladies with brain washed mained set about beaty and cosmetic from the time of birth by their mothers and friends and organised cosmetic mafia?

The government or parliament is brain washing us to look at abled grown up women in line with disabled persons, sick, old and young children. Your re-programmed religious preaching is now telling all women as superiour human being and no shame in getting subsidised job, and pass marks at university based on gender and fast tracked to the post they never have neither qualification nor enough experiences. Imagine what is happening to your male son, father, and all other male relatives if this subsidised inequality is to continue in feature? What will be the crime and prision figure if men are rooted out from their job because of their gender? Simple as we are wittnessing that GB is top of EUROPE in prision population and they end up baby sitting. The job considered by most women to be deemining. Imagine what it means, raising children is deemining for female but it is ok if it happened to male.

Does the the feminist junks in WI and all over realize what they are preaching us not equality for women BUT creating an other male inequality worse than female inequality. Why it is worse? The answer is simple:
women or female species mostly use instinct not logic or brain. As the result, they don't give a s...t as far as they make money to pay for cosmetic surgery and countless shoes.
When men were bread winners at least for the last 15,000 years of recorded history; they fight among themselves to make more money for themselves and their family. They try to buy love from women by showing off their wealth.
Men are stupid animals when it come to sex. They kill eachother, just like wild animals to relif their sexual tension. Female on the other hand they control their sexual erge to BUY a male with the heighest bidder.

I remember once watching a TV program about family called “WIFE SWAP”, that a female and her boy friend finished medical school to gether and they married and have on child. The female uses her feminist university mambo jumbo and convinced the guy to look after the child and she want to pursue her medical career as a doctor. The guy started looking after the child until wipe swap wake him up and realize that they both (man & woman) can go to work and make money and pay fat salary for nice nanny instead of THIS STUPID MAN wasting his education after looking a baby. A baby can be looked by any baby sitter any way.

There was asying “Two wrongs can not …..” Replacing female inequality with another male inequality was not the intention of “TRUE FEMINISTS” if there are some left around.

Lemmen

Women do have brains and logic, but lack the opportunity!

Rukhsana Uddin

03 May 201215:28

Interesting what you have written about women not giving a ****, and make money for cosmetic surgery and countless shoes! However, lets not forget it is the men who perceive women to be objects of desire, having certain body parts and beauty, which is only 'good' enough before childbirth and women under a certain age! Also, who carries out these surgical procedures?......Men! Men who once again dominate with their patriarchal society, in a profession where only men were once allowed, and women were seen inferior and without logic as you have already mentioned. Women are not given opportunities in life, everywhere you turn it's a male dominated world. From religion, education and the workplace, women always come second or are prevented from doing so. You may also find that, where women have succeeded, they can do better than men (even as surgeons!) The logic comes in the form of multitasking! Yes, women can have a career, a family, husband/partner and the world's problems on their shoulders, yet manage to get on without a worry. How many men can do that? The answer is only a few, and if you throw in 'MAN-FLU' then you get war!
I speak from experience, as I have successfully completed an OU BSc Honours(Open) after six years of studying in a row! I look forward to graduation this Saturday, and am very proud to have studied A217 and AD317 and achieving a diploma in Religious Studies, which really broadened my mind and how the world is still dominated by men in 2012, even though we think we have some equal rights. Men, who still interpret religion to their own advantage, whether it's Christianity, Islam or Judaism, and unless women fight back, will be used and abused like we always have been. So, I have voted 'yes' and wish all women out there the best of luck, and hope that leadership in religion is on it's way!

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