Women and religion

[2] Christians have vastly diverse views on women's rights, responsibilities, and roles in different times and places.

While some perspectives within the religion uphold equality between the sexes, others more rooted in the patriarchy of the ancient world equate cultural principles with religious ones to oppress women.

Lastly, in terms of how women are suppressed by scripture, the specific passage in Titus calls for a woman to not teach or preach in public assembly.

Although ordaining women as deacons fell out of mainstream practice many centuries ago, many Orthodox Churches have re-instated them to varying degrees.

From what history tells us, it is safe to conclude that the mainstream Christianity's hierarchy has benefitted women by putting them in places of authority over men.

Many Christians in mainstream denominations not excluding Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians and others[19] disagree with the idea that women should not have leadership positions.

There are New Testament texts which exhort Christians not to discriminate between men and women; for one example, Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

"[20] A small minority of women are also mentioned in the New Testament as probably holding leadership positions, such as Phoebe, Junia, Priscilla and a few others.

Modern popular female preachers like Joyce Meyer, Paula White and Kathryn Kuhlman have had or have leadership roles in Church.

The Gospel of Mary, a work tied to Christian Gnosticism, is the only known surviving apocryphal text that is named after a woman.

[24] Women's role in Judaism is determined by the Hebrew Bible, the Oral Law (the corpus of rabbinic literature, including the Talmud), by custom, and by non-religious cultural factors.

"[28] According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, women (aged 20 years and over) are slightly more numerous among the worldwide Jewish population (52%).

[9] Women have been highly regarded within the Jewish community because they are capable of a great degree of "binah" (institution, understanding, intelligence).

Traditionally, she devoted all her energies towards the “physical and spiritual well-being of her family.”[29] Her continuous care enabled her husband and children to flourish, her personal reward being their successes.

[31] Women in the Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Renewal denominations are now able to lead worship services, read the Torah, and give drashes (sermons) just as men do, often contributing a different perspective.

Thus, Islamic scholars formed consensus around a set of secondary sources, the most notable being the ijma, qiyas, ijtihad and fatwas.

Islam recognized men and women as equals in their ability to carry out God's wishes and Muhammad's teaching.

It also restricted polygamy, by limiting men to marrying a maximum of four women at a time, requiring the husband to take care of each wife equally and properly.

Buddhism can be considered to be revolutionary within the social and political realms of ancient India in regards to the role of women.

[42] This also meant that women would not attain positions of leadership because that they could not reach enlightenment, unless they “gain good karma and are reborn as men beforehand.”[43]

[45] According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, women (aged 20 years and over) are slightly more numerous among worldwide Buddhist population (54%).

This leads to a higher status for the woman than the man, because everyone has to respect her in order to have a smooth life and live longer.

Another important female figure is Shakti or Adishakti or Adiparashakti, the divine feminine - a goddess that embodies the energy of the universe, "often appearing to destroy demonic forces and restore balance".

Throughout history, Hindu women have held public religious positions as practitioners and conductors of Vedic Rituals.

[52] According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, women (aged 20 years and over) are slightly less prevalent among worldwide Hindu population (49%).

One of the cornerstones of the religion is the “fourfold" sangha which describes the Jainism community, which is made up of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen.

While Svetambar Jains have opposite beliefs, believing that women are able to become renouncers, are capable of enlightenment and can become religious role models.

As a woman, if her heart is pure, she becomes a man in this world.”[58] Women are important in Jainism, playing a major role in its structure (nuns and laywomen), making up two of the four categories within the community and participating in the continuation and spread of the religion.

Laywomen play a very important role in ensuring that the rules surrounding dietary practices are followed, as their first and major responsibility is the preparation of meals.

Guru Nanak preached about a universal God which is not limited to different religions, race, colour, gender, and nation.