Religion Versus Womankind

Source:₂₆

The graph (right) clearly shows the negative association between religion and gender bias. None of the most equal countries are highly religious, and, all of the horribly inequal countries (scoring worse than 0.4 on the index) are highly religious.

Ordinarily, such statistics are mostly a side-effect of general development. I.e., prosperity, education and stability might be causing both low rates of religious adherence, and, increased gender equality. But there are signs that this is not the case: Arab states (all highly Muslim hover around a Gender Inequality Index of 0.563 regardless of their development level. For example, the desperately poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa have about 20.3% of their parliament being represented by women - a terrible score and a sign of male bias. Yet in the Arab world the rate is a meagre 12%, with not much variation in the numbers. This shows that culture and religion are often a more important factor in gender equality than development, and unfortunately, the effect of religion on gender equality is harmfully negative for women.

Note that not all the countries in the charts on the right comparing countries, appear in the graph above, and this is because there is not reliable information of religiosity rates for all countries - for example the Netherlands doesn't appear on the scattergraph.

Compare international statistics: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

4. Buddhism and Women₂₈

#buddhism #christianity #women

The religious hierarchy in Buddhism is typically male-dominated, as it is in most traditional religions. Moojan Momen writes: "Even in Buddhism, where Buddha himself gave permission for the setting up of an order of nuns, the Buddhist scriptures represent him as having been very reluctant to do so [...three times] saying, 'If women go forth under the rule of the Dharma, this Dharma will not be long-enduring.' He said that it would be like a blight descending upon a field of sugar cane. Eventually he relented, however, and allowed an order of nuns. However, the nuns were to remain subordinate to the monks in all ways"₄.

Nuns in Tibetan lineages of Buddhism can never be more than 'novices' because there is no ordination process for them; and female Therevada Buddhists cannot become ordained either because the lineage required died out and has not been revived due to opposition from male-dominated Buddhist authorities₂₉.

Lama Choedak Rinpoche explains a little of the current situation in an article celebrating his organising of an ordination event for female Buddhists in Australia:

“The controversy surrounding female ordination is not a problem restricted only to Christianity. Even though ordination of women in Buddhism occurred during the life of the Buddha, his initial reluctance to ordain women seems to have been misinterpreted by many people. This misinterpretation has left a legacy of doubt and indecision among the orthodox Buddhist leaders. Some Buddhist countries did not even introduce the Bhikhuni ordination while others who did could not sustain the lineage for long. The Bhikhuni ordination was never introduced to Tibet even though there are hundreds of nunneries there. Theravadin tradition lost the lineage that they once had and initiatives to revive the tradition in Thailand have faced stiff opposition from the mainstream Buddhist leadership.

Tibetan Buddhists proudly claim that theirs is the complete form of Buddhism, but it would be hard to maintain this if Bhikhuni ordination is not established. It is said that in order to say that there is Dharma in a land there should be Sangha consisting of four members, including fully ordained Bhikhunis. Whatever are the reasons, there are miserably few female teachers in Tibetan Buddhism and a few seem to be in that position because of the merit of there being sisters or daughters of well known male teachers. Nunneries do not have qualified female teachers and even countries, which have a Bhikhuni ordination system, are reluctant to have female Buddhist teachers.”

"The First Bhikhuni Ordination in Australia" (2007)₃₀

Some authors such as Rita Gross, are positive about the relationship between Buddhism and women. She says that "a reconstructed authentic core of Buddhism reflects and supports feminist values, in so far as it is 'without gender bias, ..., and that sexist practices are in actual contradiction with the essential core teachings of the tradition'"₃₁. Given the actual historical relationship, how can she hold to this view? Well, she adds two caveats. Firstly, presumably when she says "core teachings" she defines it in a way that removes social teachings, and secondly the caveat in the middle of her statement (replaced by an ellipsis, above) adds: "whatever the practical record may reveal". Unfortunately, even if Buddhist philosophy was gender-neutral, it is only the practical side that has any meaning! There is no difference between being denied equality and standing by someone who backs it up with a proper understanding of their own religion, and, being subjugated by someone who backs it up with an improper understanding of their own religion. Either way, the religion's teachings ought to state gender equality, especially as no text has been written in times when misogyny and patriarchy have not been infamous. Nonetheless Rita Gross's position is further undermined "when she starts generalizing that all religions were originally non-patriarchal until they were subverted by men" (Hawthorn 2011), and other historians have criticized her approach as "unhistorical".

For more, see:

• "Criticisms of Buddhism: Its History, Doctrine and Common Practices" by Vexen Crabtree (2011).

5. Christianity

#christianity #christianity_and_women #gender_equality #women

For nearly all of its history, Christianity communities and institutions have demanded male-dominance, and treated women as inferior beings, subject to a wide range of rules and prohibitions that men have not had to bear. Based on canon law, legal prejudice became part of the fabric of Christianized countries, affecting areas such as inheritance and voting rights, and a legacy of cultural acceptance of female subjugation to men.

In particular, the injunctions found in the epistles of St Paul have had negative impact on the legal status of women₃₂. Here are the worst injunctions, although there are many more: Colossians 3:18 states that wives must submit to husbands "as it is fit in the Lord" as does Titus 2:4-5. 1 Corinthians 11:3-9 states outright that women are inferior to men. 1 Timothy 2:11-14 and 1 Corinth. 14:34 has women be quiet and in full submission to men, and should never have authority over men, because Adam was formed before Eve. This is why women had long been barred from positions of power in Christian churches. What should women do instead? 1 Timothy 2:15 states that woman's role is childbirth, and Titus 2:5 adds that women should be obedient and "busy at home" (repeated in 1 Peter 3:1 and Ephesians 5:22-25).

Religious apologists such as Karen Armstrong₃₃ and Moojan Momen₄, who normally speak positively of religion in general, both sound warnings when it comes to the effect of religion on womankind. Armstrong says "Christianity does not emerge well from this story of Western women"₃₄ and "in traditional Western Christianity women have been kept out of the male world of action and thought"₃₅. The cause of these issues is that from inception the Bible, and Christian doctrine in general, following on from Judaism, has represented a purely male point of view of family, relations and power disparencies, resulting in an enduring doctrinal subjugation of women._3,36.

In the 21st century, some liberal branches of Christianity are now normalizing their stances, although many conservative wings oppose these moves. The greatest steps forwards have been when secular, democratic governments have removed the influence of Christianity from law, and asserted the validity of gender-neutral human rights, although powerful and well-funded Christian lobbies oppose this wherever they can.

For more, see:

• "Christianity and Women: Biblical Misogyny and Male Dominance" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

6. Islam and Women (Qur'an 4:34 and more)

#christianity #islam #misogyny #religion #religion_and_women #violence

Islam has oppressed women more comprehensively than any other force of history. Although Christianity was once the greater oppressor, where women were forbidden to preach and learn, and were subject to their husbands' rule, the restrictions under Islam are much worse and enforced more strictly. There are many barbaric practices associated with Islam that negatively affect women, such as female segregation, female genital mutilation (FGM: which removes the clitoris in order to prevent women wanting to cheat), male ownership and domination of women, restrictions on work and education of women, honour killings and forced marriages. Some of those, such as FGM, are nothing to do with Islam and occur in only some Islamic countries, and predate Islam. Although in its day Islam granted some rights to women that they did not otherwise have, the unfortunate side-effect is that women's rights have been frozen at a partial state in Islamic countries. Almost half of all women in Muslim lands are illiterate. No matter to what extent misogynistic and patriarchal brutality have been cultural rather than Islamic, in Muslim lands women's rights have remained severely restricted because the religion does not promote women's rights apart from a few specifics. Many practices which subjugate women are derived from the Qur'an so that in "most Muslim countries privilege a system that [...] gives priority to the husband in divorce proceedings"₃₇. Even in places like New York City, far removed from Arabic culture, Mosques refuse to let a woman speak an address.

Much of the negative doctrine about women comes from the Qur'an and the canonical hadiths which record Muhammad's sayings. Suras 24:30-31 and 33:59, and hadiths 4092 and 4092 of Abu-Dawud, instruct that women must dress modestly, completely covered, with only hands and face showing. Sura 4:34 states clearly that men have authority over women, and can beat disobedient women. Recorded hadiths confirm that men can beat their women, and that the women who complain about it are reprehensible (Abu-Dawud 2141,2142); rates of wifebeating are very high in Muslim countries, according to Pakistan's own medical institute the rate there is 90%. The hadiths have Muhammad preach that women are inferior intellectually and religiously (Sahih al-Bukhari 6:301, Sahih Muslim 1:142). Sahih al-Bukhari 59:709 states that a nation ruled by a woman will not be successful. Muhammad's most beloved wife Aisha says that men have such rights over women, that if women understood, they would happily wipe the dust from their husband's feet with their faces. Women's testimony is worth less than a man's, and women inherit less. The Qur'an is addressed to males and the text assumes that males are reading it, males are enforcing the rules, and women are subordinate (i.e. Sura 4:15-16). Wives are given permission to do things by their men; never the other way round. Hadiths 3367 and 3368 in Sahih Muslim record that God is only happy with a woman if her husband is happy with her, and, if he calls her to bed for sex, she should comply. The language in the Qur'an is objectifying and talks of women in terms of ownership. Qur'an 2:225 says that "women are fields: go, then, into your fields whence you please". The influence of the Qur'an and the Hadiths, and the entire religion of Islam and all of the countries where it is dominant, have in total formed a system of thorough male dominance and the systematic abuse of womankind. It is rooted in the core of the religion. Like the Christians, Muslims must learn to ignore and overlook the misogynistic verses in their holy text. Until they do that, Islam will remain an enemy of women.

For more, see:

• "Islam and Women" by Vexen Crabtree (2011).

7. Honour Killings

#afghanistan #christianity #egypt #honour_killings #iraq #islam #jordan #murder #spain #sweden #syria

Honour killings are when the male members of a family murder a female, typically at a young age, for what they perceive to be misconduct. However, this includes things like not following the religion of the parents, not dressing as is their cultural norm, refusing an arranged marriage, dating someone not approved of by the parents, blasphemy against the family religion or for being raped. Although that last one sounds especially horrible, the Qur'an stipulates that if rape cannot be proven then the victim is as bad as having committed infidelity (the punishment for which can be death), and that a requirement for proof is four male witnesses. Women are sometimes at such a disadvantage that little can be done and unfortunately, these types of judgements are often brought into otherwise modern countries by immigrants from places where misogynistic patriarchalism is unquestioned. Honour killings stem from countries which observe strict monotheistic religions, or, from cultures that are still under the sway of such religions. Even if those religions do not actually endorse it, they often endorse male dominance in such a way that allows the practice of honour killing to continue.

“'Honour killings' for alleged sexual misconduct by women are far from being limited to mountainous, tribal regions [such as Afghanistan]: they occur in many other parts of the world, and though Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Iraq furnish numerous examples, honour killings are far from being confined to Muslim societies. The culture of 'honour and shame', in which masculine honour and identity are predicated on female virtue, was until recently just as prevalent in Catholic Spain and Sicily, and the Orthodox Balkans, as it [is] in Muslim lands.”

"Fundamentalism" by Malise Ruthven (2007)₃₈

Even in "While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within" by Bruce Bawer (2006)₃₉, which is a book that actively reports on problems with Islam, the author has to admit that honour killings are not just a problem with that particular religion; in modern times "the first one uncovered in Sweden was by a Palestinian Christian who murdered his daughter in 1994 for spurning an arranged marriage"₄₀. He provides multiple examples, which can serve as examples of what type of thing we mean when we say 'honour killing':

• Rape victims are sometimes killed by their own family to restore 'honour'.
• In the Hague in 2004-5, eleven women were victims of honour killings.
• In 2004, Britain's public prosecutor began reinvestigating 117 suspicious deaths to determine if honour killings had taken place.
• In 2003 Sahjda Bibi was murdered in Birmingham for marrying someone who was divorced man, and a non-relative.
• In 2003 a Yorkshire teenager was murdered in Pakistan by her father for having a boyfriend that the family didn't know about.
• In 2003 Heshu Jones was stabbed 11 times and then had her throat slit by her abusive father for falling in love with a Christian.
• In 2002, Sweden, Fadime Sahindal was murdered by her father for refusing to submit to a forced marriage. She spoke out to the media about the torment and threats she was receiving from her family, and went into hiding. She made the mistake of secretly visiting her sister and mother, but her father found out and turned up, and shot her, even though her chosen boyfriend had himself died four years beforehand.
• In 2000, a twelve-year-old girl in Sweden was shot 86 times by several relatives for accepting a lift in a car of a male friend (although in a previous meeting of 60 relatives about this crime, they'd agreed death was too severe, some had disagreed).

8. Modern Hope: Secular Society and New Religions

#bahá'í_faith #education #hinduism #israel #paganism #satanism #secular_morals #wicca #women

Secular society has made massive progress and in most developed countries there are few areas where women are routinely discriminated against. Where it exists discrimination in workplaces is largely indirect and accidental. This is because the masses have largely grown beyond any systematic subjugation of women: any prejudice that remains is widely condemned. In a recent talk at the Women Worldwide Advancing Freedom & Equality event, the invited speaker Naomi Phillips spoke on women's reproductive rights and said that although secularism doesn't guarantee fair rights for women, it is still a necessary prerequisite simply because of the limiting harm that religion has so far done; the biggest threat to such rights still come from strict religion-based lobby groups.₄₁

Many new offshoots from traditional religions are still steeped in all the old theories regarding gender. For example the Hare Krishnas, of Hindu heritage, was founded by Prabhupada, who instigated many misogynistic practices and teachings within his movement₄₂.

New religions have tended to practice and enshrine gender equality. The Bahá'í Faith (1844CE+) is a liberal Abrahamic NRM. Most Bahá'í doctrine suggests greater equality for women₄₃ but the ruling body of its largest two denominations (the Universal House of Justice, based in Haifa, Israel and the Orthodox Bahai Faith) is strictly limited to male delegates_44,45. Despite that limitation, it is overall a vastly more equal religion than its Abrahamic predecessors.

Pagan and Earth-centered religions not only to treat women fairly, but are sometimes dominated by women. Neopaganism and Wicca formed strong associations with early feminists. Feminists joining Dianic witchcraft in the 1980s (influenced by authors such as Zsuzsanna Budapest and Starhawk) outnumbered all other kinds of convert in that decade₄₆, and Paganism in general attracts those who are interested in feminist spirituality and goddess worship₄₇.

“Feminism has always been a significant feature of Paganism and Wicca₄₈. As the decades wore on, feminism and gender equality became an increasingly pronounced stance rather than an implied one₄₉. The presence of feminism in Pagan groups is one of the six reasons that American Pagans gave for having become involved in Paganism, according to a study published in 1986₅₀.”

"Modern Paganism (Neopaganism): 5.2. Tolerance for Others' Beliefs"
Vexen Crabtree (2015)

The 1960s also saw the rise of organized Satanism. You might assume it to be no place to look for good examples but although in the 1960s Anton LaVey, its founder, sounded misogynistic in his more personal writings, The Satanic Witch₅₁ (1970) was a highly progressive and liberal volume for its time. Since then, the Church of Satan has thoroughly shed any gender bias, and a female high priestess followed on from LaVey.

Whether it is possible for new religious movements to encourage older religions to embrace good morals is not yet proven; it seems for every step forward there are popularist grassroots backlashes (e.g. - women bishops in Christianity, liberalisation in Iran, etc). It may be the we as species can only progress once we've outgrown our more primitive religions completely.