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Inequality in religion on the basis of gender
Reflection of adam and eve story
Inequality in religion on the basis of gender
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Recently, within the past few decades, the role of women in Judaism has dramatically improved. The rippling effect of the Women’s Rights Movement empowered Jewish women to push for widespread reform of Judaic law. Since Biblical times, women in general were held to an inferior level compared to men, and this was no different for Jewish women. However, big strides have been made within the past century to elevate the status of the Jewish woman in the public sphere as well in the privacy of their homes.
The depreciation of women and their overall inferior position in society can be attributed to the androcentric interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, especially the story of Adam and Eve. Throughout history, the story of Adam and Eve has been used by men to point out the inherent evil in women by pinning the eventual expulsion of Adam and Eve from Heaven on the neck of Eve. Eve has long been blamed for the expulsion from Heaven and in effect, women, even up until today, are portrayed as the “gateway to sin.”
The Torah, in general, does not exactly alleviate the situation of women. Many Jewish feminists argue that a big chunk of the misogynistic views of men stem from the exclusivity of God as male. Judith Plaskow says, “There is the fact that we address God as he. And it is not just that we use the masculine pronoun in the absence of neuter ones – we image him in male terms. Thus he is King, Lord, Shepard, Father, etc.” She goes on to mention the incredulous arguments against the ordainment of women. Arguments that stated things like because a Rabbi or Minister is in effect a Godly figure, and since God is used in exclusively male terms, it is not fitting that a woman should take a role in the clergy.
When examining Judaism, there ...
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... one of its modern forms.” For many feminists, until an entire transformation of Judaism and its fundamental principles is actualized, the fight for defining the woman’s role within the religion is far from over.
Bibliography
Plaskow, Judith. Essays on Feminism, Judaism, And Sexual Ethics, 1972-2003. Boston: Beacon Press, 2005. Print.
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Rabbi Fine, David. "Women and the Minyan." Conservative Judaism Journal (2002): Print.
Waxman, Ruth. "Women as Prayer Leaders and Their Role in in Communal Prayer." Judaism 42.4 (1993): Print.
Golinkin, David. "The Participation of Jewish Women in Public Rituals and Torah Study 1845--2010."Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues 21 (2011): 44-66. Print.
Women had important roles in seventeenth century Eastern Europe; they were mothers, wives, and businesswomen. They cooked meals, cleaned houses, and educated children. In addition to the domestic roles women played in society, they also played roles in the trade and commerce. Gluckel of Hameln authored one of the earliest-known Jewish memoirs detailing the rise and fall of her own fortunes (Schachter.) She had great judgment for business transactions, and when she was widowed at age 54 she took over her husband’s business to ensure her children’s future. In her memoir, Gluckel describes her marriage as a business partnership, boasting that her husband would turn only to her for business advice. Jewish women of Eastern Europe were far more influential than the commonly believed. In addition to being housewives and having the daily responsibility of cleaning the house, they were also businesswomen and religious teachers. Gluckel of Hameln’s autobiography was a powerful story that showed the importance of hard work, religion, and family to the common Jew in a Christian dominated Germany.
Judaism." Proc. of 1999 Pittsburgh Convention Central Conference of American Rabbis. A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism - CCAR. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
United Jewish Communities. (2003). National Jewish Population Survey 2000-01. Retrieved October 8, 2033, from: http
This essay will focus on the Jewish women living in the medieval society of Ashkenaz, a region of northern France and Germany, around the time of 1000-1300 CE. Several questions will be addressed pertaining to the social status, educational opportunities, and their participation in society will be examined. Although not much was written about the women of that time, scholars who have analyzed translated Hebrew texts, laws, religious rituals, municipal records, and medical texts can provide arguments with careful insight into their lives. Avraham Grossman, a Professor of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Elisheva Baumgarten both advocate the argument of women advancing in society, however they also provided some contrasting insight. In Grossman’s Pious and Rebellious: Jewish Women in Medieval Europe, he examined how several legal rulings made by Rabbi Gershom empowered women in the social, religious, and economic sphere, while discrimination in education held them back. Baumgarten, who mentions Grossman’s work in Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe, and her other novel Mothers and Children: Jewish Family Life in Medieval Europe expanded Grossman’s argument further into the religious sphere, focusing on rituals ,which dominated Jewish society. She focused on empowerment and discrimination women went...
Although the purpose of the Bible is to teach us the right way to live with its numerous rules, the book “The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J. Jacobs, exposes the less publicized rules and how contradictory some of them can be. The main propose of the author of this book is not to criticize or make fun of religion in his quest to “follow the Bible as literally as possible”, but to demonstrate that he enjoys the learning experience. A.J. Jacobs suggests that people claim to be religious when in fact, they only take the rules and ideas they want, this is the reason why I think gender inequality continues to penetrate society today.
The purpose of this research paper will be to examine how Judaism rituals have helped the religion remained amongst the most prominent in the world. The use of tradition and rituals has been at the very core of its existence. Birth, adolescent, marriage and death rituals will be used to highlight how the Judaism way of life is not dependent on the written word but rather the actions of those who follow this historic Hebrew religion. The paper will begin with a brief outline of Judaism and its relationship with God and then continue with how the written word of the Torah has laid the basis for the many traditions still practiced in Judaism.
The status of women within the Catholic Church is often deemed a controversial topic. In particular, the position of females in the contemporary Roman Catholic Church is an interesting notion to consider. By considering the roles of women today in the Roman Catholic Church, this essay will analyse the trends and difficulties regarding women and describe the necessary steps to take to advance steps to equality. Furthermore, official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church will be referenced. Upon concluding this essay, it will be obvious that the challenge in the contemporary Roman Catholic Church is to reclaim a rightful status for women by recognising their value as equal members of their community.
Tong, R. & Williams, N. (2009) Feminist Ethics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, CSLI, Stanford University. Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-ethics/.
The number of feminist scholars critically assessing Biblical narrative has risen since the second feminist movement of the 1970s (Scholz 2014). A common theme of their scholarship has been to what extent the Bible may be seen to favour men. Some feminist scholars may not be able to legitimately assess the Bible and remain faithful to it because of such outdated views on women in a time when women’s equality is encouraged. I will firstly discuss the difficulties of being a feminist scholar and a Christian or Jew with particular reference to belonging to men, being of less value in society, and finally with a focus on key issues arising from Genesis 2 and 3 whereby gender roles and woman’s blame for the Fall of Man have been central to feminist interpretations. I will then assess ways in which such difficulties may be overcome with a different interpretation, beginning with refuting claims concerning the Creation story. This will be followed by analysing how the Bible is read and the value of historical context when doing so. By discussing these aspects, I will reach a conclusion as to how far you can be both a feminist scholar and a faithful Christian or Jew.
Elizabeth A. Johnson draws attention to how, despite being considered equal in Genesis, women had their worth ignored “Consistently subordinated and demeaned in the theories, symbols, rituals,
...ction of Classic Texts." Special Issue: Feminist Philosophy of Religion. Hypatia. 9/22/94. Retrieved from Electronic Library April 16 2001. http://www.elibrary.com
The stories about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Women were slaves, concubines, and child bearers; they were also wives, matriarchs, and prophets. Although, some women had less important titles than others each served a purpose. Even if the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates the love and dedication women had for Him. The scriptures describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
Today, women share the same equal rights and opportunities as men; nevertheless, that has not invariably been the case. Before the Jazz Age era, gender discrimination between men and women in society was considerably popular. Women were seen as inferior to men. Their jobs were to care for the home, children, and other domesticated duties while men were able to work, get an education, and become doctors or lawyers. Many women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Zora Hurston, to mention a few, seen the unfairness in women's rights and fought for equal rights for women through different movements, efforts, protests, and even marches to abolish women’s rights. As a consequence, women now pursue not only higher education and higher paid jobs/ businesses, but their rights. One of the world’s most controversial issues among churches of today is the role of a woman. Many people are confused about the duty of a woman and how she is supposed to serve God because of history. History taught us to never deny someone of gender, race, or even diversity since he or she has human rights. However, this issue should not be viewed as men versus women because this is not a political issue; instead, it should be viewed as the structural of a church. Women should not be priests, pastors, or even rabbis for God condone women for being priests, pastors, and rabbis as well as proscribed.
The books of the Old Testament, and variations, are recognized by the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths. Each paint women as the temptress responsible for the mistakes of men. Women were the cause of the first punishment given to mankind. Eve persuaded Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, from the tree of knowledge. For this act, inspired by woman, mankind was forever punished and expelled from paradise.
Women have always been essential to society. Fifty to seventy years ago, a woman was no more than a house wife, caregiver, and at their husbands beck and call. Women had no personal opinion, no voice, and no freedom. They were suppressed by the sociable beliefs of man. A woman’s respectable place was always behind the masculine frame of a man. In the past a woman’s inferiority was not voluntary but instilled by elder women, and/or force. Many, would like to know why? Why was a woman such a threat to a man? Was it just about man’s ability to control, and overpower a woman, or was there a serious threat? Well, everyone has there own opinion about the cause of the past oppression of woman, it is currently still a popular argument today.