Lisa Blamfort Discussion 7

As someone who grew up in a religious family, I am confident that religion is among many important characteristics associated with the differentiation of gender inequality in society since the beginning of the world and all over the world. The role of a women in religion nationwide is in the household by being mothers and wives, it is also grant on the respect for women and their vital role in family life, but church does not promote emancipation a complete equality with men because the opinion of women most of the time is hardly heard. The artifact that society uses to apply its norms to people is a holy book called the Bible for Christians, Quran for Islam, Shreemad Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and Veda for the Hinduism, the Buddhism has Tripitakas, Judaism has The Hebrew Bible, the satanic religion has the satanic Bible etc..

The connection between religion and gender equality can be interpret clearly by the very first pages of the Bible Genesis 2:4-3:24 that explain God or Yahweh created Adam who is man before and Eve a woman is created from one of Adam’s ribs to be his companion/servant. The holy Bible even accused Eve to seduce Adam to eat the Forbidden fruit and make him lose his place in the Garden of Eden.

Another artifact that really affects equality issues in the society is the most powerful characters in the bible or other holy books and religious leaders are men such as Daniel, David, Paul, Job, Joshua, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Joseph Smith for Mormon religion, Buddha, the Pope Francis for catholic church, even Yahweh AKA God who nobody never sees face to face or even talks to is considered as a white man.

Jesus did make a contrast of gender in the Bible by choosing only 12 Jewish men as apostles that means for a religious person that women can’t serve as elders or a leader in a community. Because of that theory in the Bible, women are barred from becoming pope, priest and cardinal, the catholic church even argues that “If Jesus wanted women to be priests, he would have called them to be his apostles.” Feminist in the Jewish community argue there is a cynical of the exclusion of women from traditional Judaism’s hallowed rituals and practices and the history of female barring the in Judaism continues to remain. And even in the Muslim-majority countries that are 209 countries and religion force women to live as submissive, obedient wives because women are inferior to men if they refuse obey to this norm their life will be taking away.

The Bible tell us “Obey the government and its rules, for God is the One who has put it there and if we refuse to obey the law punishment will follow.” This verse in the bible makes everybody fearful and this example is a Psychological theory include psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic feminism because most people go to church and follow their gender through memories related to their religious norms or the bible rules but not based what they truly feel inside themselves.

The Bible is known as the oldest book in history of mankind, people didn’t have access to other books in the past because books were considered as a luxury limited item own by rich people and religious leaders only, our peers did grew up through and by the bible because it was more accessible than other well informed books. And this this where the critical/Cultural theory come play a role in the inequality of gender. And unfortunately, this biblical culture was transmitted from generation to generation.

Social Constructionism play a big part also in gender aspect because those holy books have a lot of common despite their differences in name and location, all the powerful minister of religion in the Bible were male, most of them were white with green or blue eyes, rich in power and material because most of them were kings and those are the same people who wrote those holy books. This theory helps the feminist movements how to end bias in our society

It is evident that the study of the rank of women in religion also affects the status of women in society as a whole that’s the reason I choose religion. The man was created before the woman and therefore may have authority even if the first human body ever discovered was a woman named Lucy.  Man’s dominance over woman is presented as part of the consequence of sin because eve ate the apple and force Adam to do so, suggesting that such dominance was not God’s original intent. And the last page of the Bible Apocalypse concludes that a woman will give birth to the anti-Christ. The Problem with that those religious institutions such as religious school, universities, seminaries and religious homes and orphanages they are woman’s enemy. The issues with exclusion of women and girls makes our society unhealthy. We need to educate each other how to love and respect others for a better world.