The position of women in religion is often encircled with stigma. The religious stigma towards women is present within the texts of the Bible, Quran as well as the Torah this stigma is found in almost every religion. These religions preach messages of discrimination and degradation towards women. Women are portrayed as adulterers and temptresses and are cautioned against in the religious world. In the Bible Proverbs 5:3 states “For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech.” Proverbs 7:5 states “They will keep you from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words.” Man is considered to be the son of God however women is considered to be the daughter of man and not the daughter of God. …show more content…
For the purpose of this paper the position of women before the start of Buddhism in India, Women and the dharma of Buddha, the secular position of women in Buddhism, Order of the Bhikkhunis as well as the women of early Buddhism will be explored to determine the position permitted to women. The position of women within the Buddhist religion has been greatly discussed within the teachings of the Buddha. As a result women are able to increase their social status and fully participate as members of the Buddhist religion with admission to the Bhikkhuni Sangha - the Order of …show more content…
The duties of women usually consisted of cooking, cleaning as well as managing the affairs of the household according to their husbands. During this time in Ancient India women were considered to be part of the Sudras the lowest of the four castes (BDEA Inc., 2008). Women were considered to be the possession of their fathers in childhood, husbands as young women and the possession of their sons in their old age. The position of women in Hinduism, the pre- Buddhist religion of India, is understood within the “Laws of Manu”. His compilation best describes the duties that a woman must abide by.
“By a girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house. In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman must never be independent”. (Laws of Manu, V, 147-8).
During the dominance of the Brahmins also known as the priestly caste, sons were required to carry on the family name and must perform the families sacred rites in order to ensure the happiness of their fathers and grandfathers in order to assist with the continued cycle of rebirths (samsara) (Goonewardene, n.d.) Due to women being considered inferior, they were unable to perform religious rights, worship without a male present, as well as attain religious merit (Goonewardene, n.d.).
Women and the Dharma
In the Hebrew Bible, women are viewed as minor and inferior figures. Women are given a secondary place in society, nonetheless they play a crucial role and have a number of vital figures in the Biblical history.
It is through this process that demonstrated the power relations within gender, cast and class. The ideologies and believes of the people in Mangaldihi came from the religion it self in which, through the nature of creation Brahman was considerate to be the high cast as they are the followers of Lord Brahma, who created the four varnas. This ideology of creation has not only dictated the norms of cast division, which separates the pure and impure, but also has played its roles on gender roles. Women were always seen to be lower than men, since they were considerate to be a part of the male bodies. This is shown in the notion of men encompassing the women body. Encompassment is also seen in the construction of family norms as children’s are considerate to be part of the their parents bodies. Therefore they must respect and take care of their parents when old, as they are considerate to be in a higher position. Looking at the everyday practices it could also be said that there is hegemony, as the ruling class manipulated and dictated the cultural, values, ideals, beliefs and perceptions. Within this power relation, women were subject to be part of a subaltern culture. Since they had no voice in a society and were often excluded from political structures. Although, as the women age there status changes to be almost equally to men, they were never totally considerate to be
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.
Buddhism is considered as one of the leading religions throughout the world today. In order for a Buddhist to follow the religion, there are certain set of guidelines that one has to follow to gain a better life, but most people have other factors that they have to face along this path. The story, “The Journey of One Buddhist Nun” by Sid Brown, is an account of a Thai woman, Maechi Wabi, who entered a spiritual life along with life struggles and outside influences. According to Brown, Wabi faced many challenges along the way to liberation and two challenges she faced most are the gender and socioeconomic issues which she overcame during her spiritual journey.
As a Collective human element, women in Genesis often appear as obstacles to these broad-overriding goals through nonfulfillment of their particular roles in the divine scheme. From the Garden of Eden right through to the story of Joseph, women, as wives, mothers, and daughters, are typically unreliable, inadequate, deceitful or, simply by virtue of their womanhood, an outright liability, and they frequently threaten to undermine God's will as it is expressed in the opening book of the Bible.
In her article, “Feminist Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies”, Phyllis Trible discusses the issues centered toward women in the bible (Trible). She addresses issues not just concerning equality, but also how men viewed women in biblical times. Trible examines the role of women in the bible, and the misconception they carry, that leads many into harms way.
There are many socially constructed beliefs that help feed gender inequality. One of the primitive and initial source that influences gender inequality is tradition developed by religion.
The first religion and its views on women that will be discussed in this essay is Islam. Islam is a religions founded in Saudi Arabia almost two thousand years ago, by the prophet Muhammad. In fact, Muhammad dedicated much attention towards women in the Koran, the holy book of Islam. However, even though much was dedicated to women in the Koran, it was not dedicated to them in the sense of equality. Women in Islamic culture were apparently much lower on the totem pole than men, "The men are made responsible for the women, since God endowed them with certain qualities, and made them the bread earners...If you experience opposition from the women, you shall first talk to them, then [you may use such negative incentives as] deserting them in bed, then you may beat them (129)." Excerpt...
Women of these times were obviously not equal to their male counterparts. In modern days however, women are thought of as equals in society. The problem is that they are still not being treated as equals in a religious aspect as well as many other aspects. 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, A large wave of pro women thinking has arisen in the form of feminist theology. This line of thought draws from Genesis and the idea that men and women were created equally.
Indian society was patriarchal, centered on villages and extended families dominated by males (Connections, Pg. 4). The villages, in which most people lived, were admini...
“In Tantric Buddhism, we are dealing with a misogynist, destructive, masculine philosophy and religion which is hostile to life – i.e. the precise opposite of that for which it is trustingly and magnanimously welcomed in the figure of the Dalai Lama.”[1] Within Tibetan Buddhism, there is an inherent contradiction regarding the status of women. Although in many aspects women are seen and treated as inferior to men, several of the ancient and fundamental values of Tibetan Buddhism, and more specifically Tantric Buddhism, emphasize equality of the sexes, universal compassion, and most importantly the significant and essential role of the woman. Tibetan Buddhist nuns have been trying to correct this contradiction for years to remove the inferior and degrading stereotype that defines them and to be seen as equal to men. Beginning with the emergence of Tibetan Buddhism from India until today, the status of women, both physically and symbolically has declined due to the patriarchal system adopted by Tibet. “The mystery of Tantric Buddhism consists in the sacrifice of the feminine principle and the manipulation of erotic love in order to attain universal androcentric power.”[2] In their patriarchal society, the symbol of the woman is used by men now as an instrument; manipulated by men in order to acquire control and power.
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 everyday role of women in many countries is quite different from that defined in Buddhist scriptures. Pure Buddhist ideology The Buddha originally banned women from monastic practice (nuns) but later reversed. his decision, allowing them to practice in separate quarters. The Buddhist scriptures say very little about women, treating them as equals. In one scripture, the Visuddhi Magga, a monk asked, “Reverend Sir, have you seen a woman pass this way?”
Corinthians 14:34 states, “Let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law” (Holy Bible, King James Edition). Edith Hamilton, "recognized as the greatest woman Classicist", says that the Bible is the only book before our century that looked to women as human beings, no better nor worse than men (Tanner). However, it cannot be said that this book was consistently favorable to women. Maybe not absolutely, but conditionally in personal opinion, the Bible shows numerous examples of a woman’s inferiority to men, an assessment that has been translated into the cultures of generations. In this essay I will address briefly instances in the bible pertaining to women, and continue on with thoughts on how I believe these notions have been interpreted into society.
There are many examples of woman’s negative influence in the Old Testament. In Genesis 19:30-36, Lot's two daughters made their father drunk 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. He 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 Samson's death.8 1 Kings 11 describes how Solomon's 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 easily corruptible by women.