What is the Proper Role of Women in Faith Communities?
This week I’ve been discussing a variety of aspects of a recent report by Maria Shriver called “A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything.” One of the other segments of the NBC series on Maria Shriver’s report about women’s lives focused on the changing role of women within faith communities.
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I can agree with many of the points that are made in this segment. I agree that women need leaders who look like them and share similar life experiences. I agree that women want to see themselves on the podium. And I also agree that women want to feel like their lives make a difference. I thought that Matt Lauer makes an excellent point when he says that women who participate in the paid labor force have less time to participate in faith communities. Correspondingly, the more religious a woman is, the less likely she is to work outside the home for wages. However, more and more women are turning to faith communities in difficult times. But the part of this segment that really made me take a step back was when Maria Shriver outright says that churches that do not accept women as priest/pastors and do not accept same-sex couples are going to have to take a step back if they are going to survive the shifting tides of Americans attitudes towards faith. Wow! That’s so refreshing to hear on the mainstream news!
I wanted to barf, though, when the pastor follows up Shriver’s statement by saying that women are the soul of their families and the heart of the church. He goes onto say that God (with a male pronoun, of course) made women to be more spiritual. Way to resort back to antiquated stereotypes and visions of women, dude. Anybody remember how the claim that women were more spiritual than men was used to prevent women from voting? “Oh, the poor ladies will sully themselves if they step in the voting booths.” Nice try, mister.
I’m all about faith and spirituality. I would say that faith has played a huge role in my life. I grew up in the Mormon Church, but I currently am not a member of any form of organized religion. I go to church occassionally, but I don’t visit the same church on a consistent basis. I go where the mood strikes me. If I want a quiet meditation, I’ll go to a Quaker service and sit in silence for an hour. If I’m looking for an invitation to play bridge or participate in a clothing drive for AIDS orphans in Africa, I’ll hit up the Unitarian service. And if I’m looking for something more structured with a little bit of the Bible thrown in for good measure, I’ll attend an Episcopal service. But I always go to parishes/faith communities that are led by women, because a feminine representation of the divine is an integral part of my sense of spirituality.
What about you? What do you think the proper role of women is in faith communities? What has your own experience with spirituality been like? Are you a seeker, like me, or do you find the familiarity of a consistent faith community to be an important part of your spiritual experience? I’d love to hear your views.
1Cecelia
wrote on 28 October 2009 at 12:10
I really liked watching this. It is great to see changes in the world. My Mom and Grandma are Catholic but are pro-choice and pro-gay marriage. My Mom attends church because she is going to be there with my Grandma since she is 80 years old. My Mother would like to check out other churches that have a female leader. As you know the Catholic church is male dominated and stuck in the past. My Grandma is also a part of the Council of Catholic Women.
I was raised Catholic with a blend of my Native culture. So I had God the Father and Mother Earth. In my teens I started to get into Buddhism and my Native heritage more. When I turned 18 I stopped going to the Catholic church. After I left the Catholic church I explored Unity, Unitarian Universalist, Temples – Buddhist and Jewish, Non-Denominational Christian churches and Mennonite churches since then. I attended Naropa University which is a Buddhist inspired university.
Today I blend my Anishinaabe spirituality, Earth based spiritualities, Goddess centered and angels in my everyday life. I crafted my own spirituality that suits my current time growth and where I am at in life.
I would like to see balance in all religions and spirituality. Even in Native cultures and traditions it can be very male dominated although many tribes are matriarchal and were before colonization. I believe there are many ways to live in the light – which is what we are ultimately seeking. To live in our light and bring more light to the world. Women have been hindered in all traditions and we are at a time on our planet where we can step into our power. It has certainly been an interesting journey for me to be where I am at right now.
2Lyndsey
wrote on 28 October 2009 at 12:22
Thanks for posting this!
3freewomyn
wrote on 1 November 2009 at 21:04
Thanks for your comment, Cecilia. I think you’re lucky to have had such a broad-minded exposure to different spiritual systems while you were young. I was raised Mormon. I think that Mormons have great things to say about family being fundamental, but it would have been nice to know Heavenly Mother’s name. They say that they believe in Heavenly Mother, but no one ever talks about her. I want to know what she’s doing, and what she’s like. To me, you can’t have spirituality without the feminine divine.