The Role of Women in Religion :: Religion Religious Females Gender Essays

The Role of Women in ReligionThe role of women in religious watchword dictates an inferior position in society. Beginning with the creation of Adam and then Eve, as his helpmate. Her purpose was that Adam would not be lonely. This origin provides the ground piece of work for inequality of genders on the basis of religious scripture. The roles prescribed determined that women should be in a subordinate position to man. The female role and relationship with god is defined by the various books of the Old and New Testaments, the reported actions of the Naz bene Christ, and finally the Quran. Initially, Old Testament describes women as the corrupter of man. However, through interpreting the action of Jesus Christ, we see that he holds women in equal roles as men, to include detect of female apostles. The New Testament does not promote equality but does mention the acts of Jesus. Finally, the Quran places women in a subservient role allowing men to keep their under control, by any mean s. Interpretations of the Gods word under the disguise of organized religion are the product of the gender discrimination of the time and continue to paint women as lesser creatures in the eyes of God. 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, shake up by woman, mankind was forever punished and expelled from paradise. There are numerous examples of womans negative influence in the Old Testament. In genesis 1930-36, Lots two daughters made their father intoxicated with wine on two successive nights. Each daughter committed incest with her father, and became pregnant.8 This is illogical, if Lot was so drunk he probably could not have performed physically and it occurred over two separate nights. H e could have been unwitting the first night but not the second. Again in Judges 16, Delilah seduced Sampson in order to find out the secret of his great strength. This ultimately led to Samsons death.8 1 Kings 11 describes how Solomons many foreign wives and concubines convinced him to worship other gods and build Pagan temples. This led to his downfall.8 The moral to these stories seem to be that women are responsible for the mistakes and men are soft corruptible by women.