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The "rules" of certain religions prohibit women from preaching or becoming spiritual leaders. Some societies in our world still see women as objects that belong to men. In some countries women can still be stoned to death if they don't comply with the law that requires them to completely cover their bodies and their faces. In some states a woman cannot file for bankruptcy without her husband's permission, even she is legally separated from him.

Much of this suppression of women is directly related to the religious values of the countries in which they live. Based on ancient texts and teachings, women in general are not a whole lot better off in many respects then they were thousands of years ago.

Before the onset of the religions that formed around these ancient texts and teachings, there were many flourishing matriarchal Goddess worshipping societies.

Should women be allowed to preach, to become spiritual leaders in the major religions, shed the veils, and become equal partners in every aspect with their male counterparts? What say you all?

Love and Light.. Linda

Yes, I think that women should be able to do anything they want, anywhere in the world, at anytime! That said, I do wish that they'd let them take off those bleeping veils and breath a little!

Those veils were originally given to the women in order to protect them from marauders that would rape and kill the women of the tribe, village or whatever. But those times have long past? And the women should be free to wear nothing on their faces or body's that covers them from head to toe. Times are a changing, but maybe not so much in countries like those?

Just some thoughts. Thanks, BeReal.

I believe those "rules" were made to help keep men superior and women inferior and should be a thing of the past.

I use to think that women should be able to walk down the street half naked if they want and not be afraid of glaries and stares or of the church folks belittleing them!!! the person makes the cloths not the other way...

but now it is here you see almost naked people on tv and in the stores. Now we have kids that have moms that dont have the sliteds idea who the father is and they dont care!!!

I think Every responcible Woman should be able to do what she please but I think for the ones who are so irresponcible that they dont know who the father of there kids are should be limited to what they cant wear and where they can go until they can prove they are responcible!!!

We use to do this here it was called good parenting!!!

I dont like to see kids of 5 or 7 in there underwear in public and nothing else I really hate to see kids that age or above wearing something that you see on mtv that is ment to be sexy and make them look older!!

Young girls Teens and preteens should be covered up of course not face and head to toe but they should not have there butts and boobs or anyother part hanging out for every prev in town to see!!! they dont understand the difference between love and sex when a boy or anyone else starts saying nice things!!! they just think Oh He loves me and they dont think oh he wants my....body!!!

I also dont think boys should run around with there underwear showing above there jeans either!!!

I think after a person get to be older and wiser and can stand on there own feet and think for them selves that they have the right to wear anything they want when ever where ever however.....even if i dont like it!!!! lol

but kids NEED to be covered for there own protection!!!

Isn't it sad that we live in a world where women and children have to cover their bodies in order to protect them from men who would wish to inflict violence upon them?

Rape is not about sex, it is about power. Raping someone forces them to submit to an invasion of their body, mind and spirit. And, it has long lasting effects.

In many primitive societies women and children were considered to be sacred. The birth process was seen as the greatest of mysteries and respected as a sacred event.

It was not until much later in history that women became thought of as unclean and bearers of "original sin." And, that thought process was brought about by men who were responding to the "laws" expressed by a male deity.

Apparently, according to both the Koran and the Bible, God and Allah don't have a whole lot of respect for womankind. Buddha on the other hand was a whole lot more flexible in that regard.

I don't quite understand why women suddenly became the "bad apples" figuratively speaking with the advent of both of those texts, after thousands and thousands of years of living without the stigma of original sin stuck to them.

I recently had an interesting conversation with a Pentacostal Minister. A friend that I hadn't heard from in years called me and invited me to lunch. Well, lo and behold, said friend had become a born again Christian!! And, she had brought her Pastor with her. She had heard that I had taken a "fall from grace" as she so aptly phrased it.

"Let the games begin," was my first thought. I listened as my friend and the Pastor explained why it was that I needed to IMMEDIATELY be saved. When they had finished they looked at me with great expectation.

"Thanks for caring, but no thank you." I said. I explained that my foundation of belief was quite different, and that I could not become something I am not.

The Pastor looked me the eye and said... "Well you do that when you pretend to be a Minister." "The scriptures quite clearly state that women cannot be Ministers." "So, you are living a lie."

There was a time when that would have sent me through the ceiling.. but not now. I realized that he really believed what he was saying.. and that no amount of argument on my part would or could change that. I reached over and touched his clenched fist, and smiled into his eyes, and said.. "Then, I would never ask you to come and listen to me preach, since the thought of that causes you such discomfort." I said "Goodbye" and left the diner.

As I drove home, I thought about the conversation, and I realized that even though there were people like him that felt that women could not be Ministers, there were just as many who go to church each Sunday and listen to what spiritual women in the form of Ministers have to say.

Fortunately, in the diverse world that we are all a part of, women are beginning to take a much more active role as spiritual leaders in their societies. Not every faith is going to agree on the subject, but at least the subject is open now and not a totally closed door for the women among us who are drawn into the Ministry.

Love and Light...

Funny, our pastor's wife is a pastor and she gives the message on Wednesday night and sometimes on Sundays. Lightning hasn't struck them yet.

I just did a report in my History class at college on Women of Ancient Greece and how little they were respected and how little they were allowed to do and was able to compare it to the women of today and they have a few more privileges than in Ancient Greece but are not as respected or revered as men are today and how they still have restrictions and prejudices on them.

I may get my "man card" pulled for this but I believe that women should be just as respected and revered as men. After all, if it wasn't for women, men wouldn't be here.

why get your man card pulled? I completely agree. It takes a real man to understand and appreciate a woman and what they do and accomplish.

Sorry to contradict you, but matriarchal societies have always been few. Religion has nothing to do with the impulse of men to opress women, though it can be the excuse/justification. Animist Japan, Confuscian/Buddhist China, and Hindu India were hardly beacons of female equality. Pre-Christian Egypt was male dominated, regardless of Isis worship. for every Hasheput or Cleopatra there were dozens of Rameses. Female subjugation in Africa predates Islam by millennia.

The flip side of the coin is that even in the "oppressive" religions, there are (and have been) sects that celebrate/promote/mandate women's equality. The religions are tools of people, not the other way around.

Often, we have a group we use as a general scapegoat (Christians, the federal government, a particular race/gender/class/political party, whatever) that we blame first for whatever social ills we see. And that group will probably be contributing to the ill. Not because the group is inherently more predisposed to that particular phychic flaw, but because that group is made up of people. Bad behavior is very human.

I think the point is people should take responiblity for that they do or dont do and stop the whole scapegoat thing!!!

It is sad to think that we as humans are so afraid or so coward that we need to have a scapegoat to blame everything on....

men say she seduced me because she wore a short skirt or we he said he would love me if i have sex with him and now im pregent and hes gone!

Its like we dont think we have brains or something!!! Gee the devil made me do it!! Come on now THINK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol welcome to planet earth!!! lol

Should women be allowed to preach?

I answer this question with a question...what are so many women doing when they're asked to stay at home and teach their kids? The ironic thing is that it is the same sexist people who say women should not preach but instead stay at home and teach the kids.

Agreed that responsibility should be taken by EVERYONE.

Women should stop acting like victims. If one day we can unite and recognize that we're half of the equation, we're different than men and that we have equal say, then I wonder if we'd be in the same situation?

Honestly, if women take our rightful place as the equal but different partner...can men procreate without us? Can men rape us and say they�re superior? Can tradition or religion deny the privilege position given to us? We're the ones not claiming all these for ourselves.

Most men are just enjoying the better end of the deal we give freely to them.