Gender and Relgion

I never remember seeing it in my childhood, but something I remember seeing as I grew more and more was women wearing the traditional coverings of islam. I immediately saw it as bizarre. In suburban Pennsylvania it is rare to see such things ever, and catholicism didn't require any special dress.

When I was 14 I met a girl named Megan that went to my middle school. Eventually she invited me to her church and I went to see what it was like. When we arrived at her church she put a doily on her head and all the other women in the church were wearing them as well. Their church had no pastor, and so the elders (men) of the church would speak for a few minutes on scripture or ask to sing a hymn. She explained to me later that only the men were permitted to speak during the service and that it was the women's job to pray for the men and ask God to guide their thoughts. I didn't think much about the service at the time, though it was much different from the mass I attended on holidays. As I grew and learned more about feminism I have begun to wonder about the way their service was organized.

One thing we talked of many times in past weeks has been the issue of Abraham and Isaac. We discussed how it took an irrational leap of faith for Abraham to be willing to kill his son. The intersection of these two issues is this: what is the role of gender in regard to religion.

This week I'd like to explore God's commandments about women. Here are some verses that may be helpful:

Ecclesiastes 7:28
while I was still searching
but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
but not one upright woman among them all.

I Peter 3:1-7
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without talk by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self; the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women, of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master...Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
(Emphasis added)

1 Corinthians 11:4-16
Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.

In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

1 Corinthians 14:33-35
As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

There are many more examples of scripture like this so we should this week examine the role of women in the church.

1. What ought to be the role of women in the church? Is this the same as what the bible teaches on the subject?

2. What role should context play in this discussion? Should context influence our understanding of all other issues?

3. How does the role of women in society impact our concepts of gender and religion? Should it?

4. How do you feel about submission? Is it incorrect for one gender to be asked to submit to another?

5. Think about other religions, is it acceptable for a society to do something thought harmful to one gender because of divine motivations?