Sexism in Religion: Christianity and the War of the Sexes

Any time that proponents of combining secular governance principles with the (Christian) church profess their belief that this nation should be a religious nation, they should be reminded of the many sins committed by the religious states of the past and how our Constitution was created to prevent those sins from being used against American citizens. The United States Constitution is a unique document; a living, breathing piece of legislation that protects all citizens through a combination of its original words and amendments, from maltreatment by the government based on certain innate traits. It is a question asked by many who wish to uphold the sanctity of a state free from religious intervention as to why someone would wish the inherent inequality that is sometimes found in religion upon our nation’s government.

Sex and the Bible

In many religions, the sexes are not treated equally in some very important ways. Take for example Catholicism. A majority of Americans both male and female state that they are affiliated with the Catholic church, yet the priesthood is only open to men. One may argue that female followers of the faith are able to pursue the noble profession of becoming a nun, there exists a very wide divide between the power wielded by the two religious professions.  

Realizing the difference between a priest and a nun can be as simple as examining the hierarchy of the church: Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests and Deacons. None of these positions is open to even those women who reach the highest level available to nuns in the Catholic church. One explanation for such separation can be found here, and should provide pause to anyone seeking to blur the lines of our Constitution which mandate a separation of church and state.  

This is not to be a lesson for or against any one religion, but merely a study of how one of the largest religions in the country does not conform to the promise of equality to all citizens. While some leaders of one branch of Christianity have decided that they would like to change this seemingly inherent inequality, all branches have not made great strides to follow suit. Some religious-minded individuals may argue that the sexes were created to be separate but equal, but history has proven time and again that this concept cannot be implemented successfully. As one protester stated, there are certain “privileges of ordination” such as the ability to preside over conferences, organize a church, and ordain others in the service of the faith that are currently off-limits to women.  

Fight Injustice

The Constitution and its amendments were written in such a way as to provide equal protection of the laws to all citizens, male and female. As litigators file cases in our court system and attempt to breach this idea of fairness in the name of religion, the ULC  will be there to monitor the case’s progress and report the findings of the court to all citizens.