Posted: August 11th 2010
SmartLX www
Because the men who founded the religions thought so, or wanted women to think so. A curious truism is that gods share their believers’ opinions.
Posted: August 20th 2010
logicel
Both genders are considered to be inferior to god. It is actually a small number of men, that is, the priests/the official hierarchy (god’s earthly representatives) that are considered superior to most of the members (both genders) of the church. Essentially, most religions are equal opportunity sexists—they disparage both genders.
Posted: August 19th 2010
Blaise www
I think the last answer touches on why the anti-feminism in religions is so persistent. Organized religions are not about religion itself, they are about control. They are organized in the first place by someone who wants to exert secular power over others, to control their lives as much as possible.
Given the “will to power” inherent in these organizations, it is inevitable that they will form hierarchies, bureaucracies, etc. much like a government. Also because of this power issue, these organizations will tend toward a “totalitarian” setup, with one or several at the top whose will is unquestionable.
If such an organization first formed in a patriarchal society (as most primitive cultures were), it is almost certain the those top spots would be filled by men. Also like a a totalitarian tyranny, each successive leader would choose his successor, making it very difficult for new ideas and attitudes to penetrate the power structure.
Thus, an ancient, outdated value system is preserved nearly forever.
Posted: August 18th 2010
George Locke
The question of how women came to be viewed as inferior at all is an interesting one, but it’s a very big question and I’m not really in a position to answer it. Suffice it to say that men have some physical advantages, and that pre-historic men used these advantages to put themselves in power. Any group in power propagates an ideology favoring itself.
I don’t think there’s anything intrinsic to magical thinking that leads to misogyny. Religion is a product of culture, and if a culture is sexist, then it should come as no surprise that the religions emerging from that culture are sexist. That’s a pretty simplistic view, glossing over the feedback between the various forces within cultures, but that’s basically the story.
Posted: August 18th 2010
brian thomson www
My take on this: because religions are a reflection of the societies that created them. In the case of the Judeo-Christian religions, which include Islam, the societies in question were Bronze Age tribes of desert nomads, where physical prowess was highly prized and violence part of life. I don’t think it’s sexist to say that women are (generally) less willing and able to be violent thugs, and thus of less value in such societies. I know that may sound simplistic, but we are talking about the era before the invention of philosophy, before anyone asked existential questions.
What about Scientology? Many accounts such as this paint it as deeply misogynistic. Which is no surprise, since it was invented by one mysoginist, L. Ron Hubbard. His book Scientology: A New Slant on Life was originally published with a chapter called “A Woman’s Creativity”, which included lines such as this:
A society in which women are taught anything but the management of a family, the care of men, and the creation of the future generation is a society which is on its way out.
(source )
Posted: August 13th 2010