My Sunday Thought for 07102016: Religious Oppression of Women

"Anyone who argues that men and women are fully equal must not study religion very closely. While most contemporary religious views support equality of the sexes, there still exist plenty of traditional religious sects and organizations which teach otherwise. In some cases, this unequal treatment is justified with statements such as “women need to be protected for their own good”. In others, they are sheltered in a supposed effort to preserve the “moral integrity” of society. No matter the justification, these perverse attitudes and policies are hardly distinguishable from outright oppression."

-- ULC Visionary (July 2016), Religious Oppression: A Female Struggle

For the most part I agree with the opening quote, above, with some minor, personal, observations, like India still struggling with their own oppressive beliefs.  I begin this post looking at the first sentence.

Study religion, not even that closely, and you might see how the Abrahamic religions all approach women from a male's egotistical, superior agenda of control and submissiveness.  It would seem Hinduism also has a problem moving into the 21st century with any mature, civilized sense of humanity. The problem with scripture taken from multiple sources is continuity.  The problem with scripture taken from verbal history is that "history" tends to reflect the agenda of the storyteller.  The problem with scripture written by one person seems to rely on which faction of the family in control of the writings is interpreting the intent of the deceased author.  But, then, this all has to do with the historical treatment of women and why that maltreatment has followed mankind into the 21st century.

"Most contemporary religious views support equality of the sexes," primarily because women no longer "need to be protected for their own good."  Even Judaism understands that women in combat are a formidable and necessary component in their armed forces, and the multi-religious United States is relaxing its own rules on women volunteering for combat roles.  Without much research, I can take wild guess that women in other religions either voluntarily opt out of combat, or the men are scared to death of arming them for obvious reasons, not the least of which is that payback is a bitch.

There was a time, in the far distant past, when survival dictated that women not only needed to be protected for their own good, but for the survival of the species.  But that was also a simpler time, and I will not besmirch the memory of our Neanderthal ancestors by assuming they disrespected their women.  Men did what men always do, we took something meaningful, necessary, and beautiful if you think about it, and we turned it into something ugly.  Did religion have a role in this cruel heresy against the mother of life?  The way mankind has twisted that as well, I would have to say yes. 

In today's world mankind can ill afford to leave women in a poorly conceived role of subservience to any man.  They have proven themselves, time and again, in strength, bravery, tenacity, creativity, and intelligence, and many while also performing the dual role as mother and homemaker.  Most governments and their respective legal systems protect women's rights to pursue their own lives and happiness right alongside their male counterparts.  If these countries evidence a monetary disconnect in comparative salaries, this should be addressed with women admitting that "maternity leave" does present a definite difference in one's ability to perform the same job without causing a hiccup down the road.  That being said, what of men?  We still excel at grunting and bringing home the bacon, but women are catching up fast and filling the shoes of management more frequently, and for good reason.

I'm not certain how one can make an argument in modern society that women need to be "sheltered in a supposed effort to preserve the 'moral integrity' of society."  The only "moral integrity" being protected would be the man's selfish, imagined, carnal right to take the woman at will.  When it comes right down to it, the author of this piece is totally correct in saying, "No matter the justification, these perverse attitudes and policies are hardly distinguishable from outright oppression."

People wish to immigrate into the modern era of the First World.  They want a better life for their family and more opportunities.  They wish to bring along their rich culture, and this is a good thing for all of us.  But, the civilized societies of the first world have laws which need to be abided.  If culture runs contrary to civilized law, you must adjust your culture; you must adapt.  In the United States we also have cultures.  We have cultures of rich heritages which have been brought to our shores for over 200 years; cultures of religion, business, and personal belief.  For the most part, these cultures, our own cultures, have been adapting to our ever changing society and laws.  We, also have a bit of a journey ahead of us.  

Mankind needs to learn from history.  We need to understand that laws, rules, requirements, religious edicts, are put into place to ensure order and survival.  But as order and survival are ensured, we find these laws, these edicts, are outdated and have no use.  The rules we put in place to ensure our ability to move forward end up holding us back in our pursuit of life, happiness, and knowledge.  There is no reason, in today's market why Jews cannot eat pork, other than tradition.  There was no reason for Catholics to eat fish on Friday, other than tradition.  Men don't need to have women subservient to them when the women in their lives can make both their lives so much richer when she is set free and seen as the equal she has certainly earned the right to be.  No one is going to die anymore, and nobody is going hell for abandoning outdated traditions which have no purpose in the modern world.  We need to praise God for the sage advice which has kept us safe in the past, when we needed it, and learn to move forward, which is really all God wants in the first place. 

Just saying...  

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.