Religion Makes Women Subservient to Men

Annelore Wolfelt hu human beingkind Religions Mr. Rocco Final Essay Religion Makes Women Subservient to manpower The differences amidst easterly and western sandwich religions be many and varied precisely there ar some fundamental similarities within all religions. One of the common threads that run through almost every religion is that women are make to be subservient to men. The ingest to control and dominate women is found in both eastern and western religions. Confucianism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam all discriminate against women (to varying degrees), by placing women beneath men.Each religion states the need for male dominance over women as a divine order that must and will be obeyed. Women are non featured much in the Bhagavad Gita except as a reference to something else. Therefore based off of classroom sacred textbook al peerless it is hard to tell what womens status is in Hinduism. Although one may look at the lack of women in sacred al-Quran as an obvious sign that women mustnt be very important if they arent even worth mentioning. However in the Laws of cosmosu, another Hindu scripture, women are briefly referred to.It states that it is womens nature to seduce men in this (world) for that reason the wise are never unguarded in (the phoner of) females (2213). For women are able to lead astray in (this) world not only a fool, besides even a revealed man, and (to make) him a slave of desire and anger (2214). Fear of being seduced by a charwoman and becoming powerless to her is a contributing factor to the need men have to dominate women. This fear that men have of womens sensuality is a common thread through appear other religions and cultures. Mens need to control women might stem from the fear that they themselves offer be easily controlled by women.In Confucianism we find the idea of equality amid men, but that equality is based on a affable pecking order organized by the Five Constant Relationships 1) sovereign to subjec ts, 2) father to son, 3) keep up to wife, 4) older brother to younger brother and 5) friend to friend (Smith 175). This power structure establishes relations of dependency between men, including the duty to offer respect and obeisance from those in a lesser position to those in a high position, as well as the duty to show benevolence from those who piss a position of power over those who turn int.The relation between the keep up and wife shows the position of the woman as one dominated by the husband within the marriage. In all of the other relationships age and social standing is what decides who will hold the position of power within the relationship. exactly in the relationship between males and females, age and social standing dont play the deciding factor of power in the relationship, sex activity does. By purely being a woman she is automatically addicted the role of obedience instead of one of power.But in all honor Confucianism does not show the systematic discrimi nation against women that is found in western religions. In Christianity women are blatantly made to be the weaker sex. Wives, submit yourselves unto your sustain husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. (Colossians 318). Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing. (1 Timothy 211-15) Christians put the full blame of the Fall of part on Eve, (and therefore all women). Because of this women are seen as easily bribable and in need of the rule of man. Merely being born a female is seen as some sort of penalty if a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child then she shall be unclean seven days according to the days of the separation for her malady shall she be unclean. (Leviticus 122) But if she bears a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation and shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days. (Leviticus 125) Since its beginning Christianity has seek to dominate and discriminate women, and it continues to this day with women fighting for their reproductive rights against the Catholic Church. The due west has (hypocritically) accused Islam of degrading women, chiefly because Islam permits plurality of wives. But the reality is that Islam gave more than rights to women by making a stronger emphasis on the sanctity of marriage, great(p) girls rights to inheritance and outlawing female infanticide. But that is as far as Islam got to grownup females any sort of equality.Islam states that there is no equality between men and women The wives have rights corresponding to those which the husbands have, according to what is recognized to be fair, but men have a rank above them. (Quran 2228) Women are still expected to be obedient to men and to s erve them out of fear of punishment. So virtuous women are obedient and guard in the husbands absence what God would have them guard. As for those whom you look forward to infidelity, admonish them, then refuse to share their beds, and finally hit them. (Quran 434) Women are not even considered human beings but a mans property Your wives are your fields.Go, then, into your fields as you will. (Quran 2223) The mere fact that women must cover themselves when they are in the presences of males so as to not tempt men (Quran 2431) puts all of the responsibility on the woman instead of the man. I find it ironic that it is the womans intermission for being desirable and not the mans fault for having no self-control. As Simone de Beauvoir said in her book The Second Sex, Man enjoys the great advantage of having a god endorse the code he writes and since man exercises a sovereign authority over women it is especially halcyon that this authority has been vested in him by the Supreme Bein g.For the Jews, Mohammedans and Christians among others, man is master by divine right the fear of God will therefore strangulate any impulse towards revolt in the downtrodden female. When I am asked if I belong to any religion I say, No. As a female I dont want to belong to an mental hospital that routinely discriminates, dominates, and exploits women the way these four religions do. Works Cited The Bhagavad Gita. Ed. Betty Radice. Trans. Juan Mascaro. London Penguin Books, 1962. Print. The New volition of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.A Revision of the Challoner-Rheims Version. Edited by Catholic Scholars Under the Patronage of The Episcopal Committee of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. New tee shirt St. Anthony Guild Press Paterson, 1941. Print. Laws of Manu. Trans. George Buhler. Sacred Texts Archive, 2011. Web. 1 June 2012. http//www. sacred-texts. com/hin/manu. htm Quran. Ed. Farida Khanam. Trans. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. New Delhi Goodword Books, 2009. Print Smith, H. The earths Religions. New York Harper One, 1991. Print.