Women and Religion - Report Example

Women and Religion It has been human’s tradition, particularly male population, that women are considered as weak individuals, even among the English, American, other European countries, African countries, Southeast and other Asian countries, even in Latin America. They are often undervalued and treated unequally. Married women are considered as the property of their husbands and sexually, husbands have access to them anytime they desire. Upon marrying, they assume the identity of their husbands, they are almost under the control of their husbands, and have no right to the properties or the real estate. They are almost being under the control of their husbands even in making decision. Since women are believed to be the property of the men and that their husbands can influence them in making decision, women in the early days, both married and unmarried, were not allowed to participate in political election. During the era of slavery and colonial regimes of the European governance in the early 19the Century, slaves were educated and instructed in spiritual language.1 Living under the hardships and bondage of slavery makes the women to be more attractive to religious teachings. As weak creatures, they find self-comfort and strength in religion because of the promises of liberty God promises they would have if they follow him faithfully. To the Christians, Ruth is an example for them as good and faithful wife. A person who treated her mother-in-law respectfully and the reward she reaped was a lesson worth learning for them. Besides Ruth, Abigail and other women in the Bible who liberate the women from the bondage of male chauvinism is a promise for them who long to be free of this social segregation. Intellectual women such as Elizabeth of England and the Empress of Catherine the Great of Russia have long been fighting that women should access to education, be recognized, and urged to find their own identity or find they type of individuals they really are. They seek God with faith and hope to strengthen them that they can be free from the traditional bondage of male’s belief that they are simply a property of their husbands. They want self-respect and are treated equally. They believe that all people were born equally. Like the women of the Litchfield, they want respect and not to be underestimated. They want recognition for their talents and men should not belittle their achievements. In their work around the developing countries, particularly in the post conflict areas, Women to Women International has found that religion plays a key role and has a certain impact on women in their daily lives. It has “become increasingly aware of the important role religion plays in shaping women’s perceptions, decisions, and lives.”2 In these many countries, “religion is a pervasive influence throughout cultures and societies.3 To women who live in hardships, religion gives them hope. In the areas of conflicts or war stricken areas, and places where there is economic turmoil, crimes, pestilence, natural disaster, famine, calamities, in homes where families are suffering from diseases or even when there is death among family members, religion promises them peace and better life.4 Those who are suffering from chronic ailments or in pain religion gives them hope that God will heal them and ease their pain. Religion can also serve as a tool to make peace between parties in dispute.5 Women also tend to experience double oppression. As members of minority group, they are oppressed by the majority group and oppressed within the society where they live. During the colonial era, they were required to bow down to male subordination. When being under pressure or such control, “religious mythology becomes an important force in instilling respect for women and ending practices that demean and disenfranchise women”6 In India, the Dowry tradition or other tradition that require the groom to pay for the bride to the bride’s family is devaluing the women. They give the women no sense of self-respect but consider themselves as commodity that one can purchase and sell in the market. Laws concerning women such as marriage, divorce, and wealth distribution tend to put women at disadvantage groups. In countries where males dominate the labor force, women have to stay at home, particularly those who are married. Some may use this condition to keep undervalue the women. It may be true that in this case, they are not successful in the economy, but at least, they should be respected and valued as mothers. As mothers, they shape their children’s behavior and characters. Good women are faithful to God and they depend on God to guide them in making decision and in dealing with lives’ difficulty. They dedicate their lives to God so that He would help them to stimulate their children “toward goodness than knowledge that their best qualities are noticed and appreciated.”7 “In societies comprised of different ethnic and religious groups are competing for power, religious identity serves as a foundation for claims to political, social and economic rights, as well as the basic movements for countries asserting themselves as nation-states”8 such as in the Islamic countries. In the Muslim countries as well, religious women tend to be used as a medium by the men to promote their political activities or to support their men to fight for religious purposes. In Afghanistan or Iraq, for example, where war is still going one, the women are hired to become jihads or martyrs. Similarly, women in Afghanistan as well are made to slave themselves to their men and because of their belief and religious practices, they are forced into subordination to male authority.9 In fact, religious women are often taken for granted, abused, and oppressed more by their husbands who do not share the same belief or do not believe in God. In fact, religious women are often taken for granted, abused, and oppressed by their husbands who do not share the same belief. In this case, religion may not make women’s lives to be intellectually and morally satisfying but emotionally and mentally depressing, argued Wood.10 Following the post Second World War, common sense and skepticism penetrated the US judicial and political processes. Tapping Reeve rallied to the US Court demanding more use of common sense in the world of application. As a male chauvinist, in his first book, he claimed, “the husband of marriage acquires an absolute title to all the personal property of the wife”11 consequently, common sense and skepticism are being adopted into the US laws. Husbands have full control over their wives. Their wives have no right to enter into any contract without their husbands’ approval. The wives do not have rights and authority to act and make decision on their own. Facing this unbalance opportunity, women take up on religion as a medium that draws them to be equal to men. It sets up the issue of advancing women from the standpoint of moral principle. It is a medium to encourage women participation in social networking because they used to be oppressed and discouraged to participate in activities dominated by men. Less educated women are often feel trapped between their beliefs, confused and frightened by the complexity of the modern world, and are seeking for stable family life.12 The more sophisticated, secular, professional and successful women, on the other hand, said Dawson, are seeking for spiritual growth. They “combine work, marriage and motherhood with spiritual growth.”13 As mothers, women are also educators of their children. Religious women use religious principles and doctrine as the foundation of education for their children. It is the source of values, social standards, norms, and principles14 for them as teachers to teach their children. Through religion, women find equality. Apart from education, religion prepares women to participate in all fields. It gives them encouragement. It strengthens their role as mothers to cooperate with men indicating that they are a threat to the male population. By participating in religious field, it provides women with “the practical skills to enable them to share power and decision-making.”15 Women are conscious that they have to comply with social and cultural norms though they undervalue them and have to put up with oppressive situation such as Igbo women in Africa do. Yet, through religion, they find solace and wisdom to counter this situation without creating conflict. They tend to follow Jesus example or to adopt theological mindset when dealing with public affairs, even in politics. To those who are being oppressed, religion promises them liberty. It gives them the sense of self-respect and feel elevated for good purposes. Bibliography Dawson, Lorne L. Cults and new religious movements: a reader. Second Edition. (Toronto, ON: Wiley-Blackwell) 2003. Khan, Janet. A. Religion as an Agent for Promoting the Advancement of Women at all levels. Bahá’i Topics. http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-6-8.html. Accessed 1 May 2009. Ladd, Karol. The Power of Positive Mom (West Monroe, Louisiana: Howard Publishing Co., Inc.). 2001. Rouhana, Hoda; Dr. Sachedina, Abdulaziz; Salbi, Zainab; Spinks, Charlotte; Uchem, Rose; Vohra, Sumona; Abirafeh, Lina. The Impact of Religion on Women in the Development Process. 2003, Volume 1 (1). Uchem, Rose N. Overcoming Womens Subordination in the Igbo African Culture and in the Catholic Church: Envisioning an Inclusive Theology with Reference to Women. (Boca Raton, FL : Universal-Publishers). 2001 Wright, J. L. The trans-Sahara slave trade. (New York, NY: Routledge). 2007. Read More