do you feel marginalized by your religion?

[footfoot]

I wrote a final paper focusing on the the role of women in Islam and Mormonism and how these women balance their identities in faiths that seemingly marginalize their gender.

For example: In Mormonism only men are allowed the Priesthood, which basically means that only men are considered worthy enough to talk to God directly. In certain places in Islam, women are forced to wear veils and cover their skin in order to stay pure and not offend others.

In my research I found women that put aside the veil and women that welcomed the veil and did not find its meaning offensive. I found Mormon women that thought men deserved the priesthood because it made them feel important and that women had enough responsibilities that they didn't need official ones. I also found Mormon women that objected to men monopolizing official religious positions.

These are just two religions.

I am curious how you feel you identify with your religion as it hinders, helps, or otherwise affects you as a woman or a man. This applies to people that belong to organized religion.

For the record, I belong to no organized religion.

[Algernon]

I actually voted Christian, but sometimes I feel rejected by both the church and the outside. More the church at this point and time.

[footfoot]

Originally Posted by Algernon

I actually voted Christian, but sometimes I feel rejected by both the church and the outside. More the church at this point and time.

Can you elaborate? Do you feel rejected on a gender level or on a imbalance in what you believe and what the church/outside wants you to believe? And

[Algernon]

Originally Posted by footfoot

Can you elaborate? Do you feel rejected on a gender level or on a imbalance in what you believe and what the church/outside wants you to believe? And

I feel that since my views are based on Christianity, but are not pure to what they would like me to believe, they feel as if I'm a sinner to be saved.... Still. Even thought I have attained my Salvation they still want to mold me. If I speak up, they don't like it. If I stick up for people that are not of my religion or say I'm against converting others they don't like that either. Just things like that.

I feel rejected by the outside world because they are judging me based off the fact that I'm a Christian. They label me to be like the rest and It pisses me off. Because I believe in a creater, a Lord, a higher power... I'm considered stupid. And when I say science and faith go hand in hand.. They simple ignore that because they don't know what to say.

[John 6:29]

I voted other. The reason being is because if my organized religions standards are opposed to the Bible I do not mold to their views, but to what the Bible says. If that makes sense. I do go to a building every Sunday, but I can tell you if something overtly heretical is said by a Pastor, I'm gone.

It seems there's a lot of heresy going on in Churches all over and splits in denominations and the like, so yes, I'm part of Christianity, but there's a whole sect of it that is just counter-biblical teaching.

I go to a non-denomination bible church. I am a "High Calvinist" in my doctrinal beliefs. That is, in regards to TULIP.

[footfoot]

Originally Posted by Algernon

I feel that since my views are based on Christianity, but are not pure to what they would like me to believe, they feel as if I'm a sinner to be saved.... Still. Even thought I have attained my Salvation they still want to mold me. If I speak up, they don't like it. If I stick up for people that are not of my religion or say I'm against converting others they don't like that either. Just things like that.

I feel rejected by the outside world because they are judging me based off the fact that I'm a Christian. They label me to be like the rest and It pisses me off. Because I believe in a creater, a Lord, a higher power... I'm considered stupid. And when I say science and faith go hand in hand.. They simple ignore that because they don't know what to say.

I can understand the frustrations here. I struggle not to judge my intensely religious friend. However, I always welcome her to defend her faith, contradict it, and explain it to me.

On a general level, I think a lot of people find these personal contradictions in their churches. Specifically, though, I'm wondering if you feel judged as a woman by your church or by outsiders seeing you as a christian woman.

[MWF]

Im Catholic, and girls that dont become priests are extremely happy to be nuns, so they dont mind that they cant be priests. Its a generalization, I guess, but oh well.

[Algernon]

Originally Posted by footfoot

I can understand the frustrations here. I struggle not to judge my intensely religious friend. However, I always welcome her to defend her faith, contradict it, and explain it to me.

On a general level, I think a lot of people find these personal contradictions in their churches. Specifically, though, I'm wondering if you feel judged as a woman by your church or by outsiders seeing you as a christian woman.

It's strange because my church doesn't do anything wrong to their women. We have equal rights... But there are a few men who I've heard that use the old "submit to your husband" scripture. There is a huge thing I do not like though... My church is very sports oriented and we actually own a community gym called Lords Gym. It's awesome but with that I find that with sports.. Comes masculinity.

So sometimes I do feel rejected as a women in a passive way, but not directly.

[Kyeto-X]

I voted Christianity for the most part. I'm still working on defining my religoous beliefs

I was raised mormom so i know all about the marginalzation and the justification of it. Basically it comes down to woman can give birth and "create life" and thus have so much holy burden that it is that it would not be fair to give them another duty to fullfill. It was one of a madryd of reasons I left the church. I am a strong beliefer in equal oppotunity for those willing. so i think it is bullshit to give men a closer position to god and the church so that the wife can stay home.

As for if I feel marginalized now...Well it's not because of my gender but because of my sexuality. I am bisexual. I haven't really come out in front of an envangilical or anything, but i am out spoken on LGBT rights, and that has gotten me a lot of flak here already.

That along side that I honestly to not belief that I am a sinner and that you can think sexual and violent thoughts every once in a while and still make it into heaven. And I belief that mastubation is 100% normal and healthy, and that pre-marital sex is ok as long as you are aware of what you are getting into. And that homosexuality is just another expression of human sexuality and it is not a sin or makes for bad or imoral citizens or parents. And that I still belief in basic cosmology and intelligent design instead of the strict Genesis account. And that I voted for Obama...the list goes on

Yet i am a believe in God and that Jesus walked the earth and died for our sins. I am a black sheep by my own making and i wouldn't change it for the world

[Oiseau the Little Bird!]

I myself have never felt marginalised in my practice in Wicca, but that might be due to the fact that I was a Solitary for so long and never went through the "proper" initiations/degrees. Though I could see where some women could feel marginalised in the area of the maiden-versus-mother-versus-crone aspects.

There was and, I still believe, still is a lot of controversy about training women to "replace" the high priestess once she retires, mostly because it seems to fuel the idea that once a woman is old and no longer beautiful, her duties are no longer wanted. However, like I said, I myself have never felt marginalised.

[Jenny.]

In my religion, I don't feel like any gender has the upper hand at anything. I used to lead worship at my church and no one thought anything about it. So no, I don't feel marginalized.

[ralphedison]

I'm a Catholic and voted for it. For me, I never felt restricted by my own beliefs, men and women have basically equal rights except that only men can be priest but women can be nuns (but being one of those are only optional) and we are very much liberal, maybe that's also a part of my nation's culture, anyway all the teachings here are what my culture depicts as morally correct.

[John 6:29]

I don't feel marginalized, but I am a man. I believe that God has given specific roles to man and woman. Not that one is more important than the other, but woman can do such things that man can't, and vice versa.

Not to be stereotypical, but an example of this would be: Men ask for help with childcare, and women ask for help lifting things.

There's just certain things than men and women seem to be consistently more efficient on an overall basis. But psychology does the same thing. It marginalizes billions of people into a few groups.

IMHO, a lot of people are for "equal rights," but only when it benefits them. In areas where it doesn't benefit them, then they don't want equal rights in that specific area. In fact, it seems like more equal rights issues tend to treat the minority better, not equal. It's kind of contradicting.

Anyways, whether we like our "roles" or not is another story.

[ThisIsMe]

I feel that since my views are based on Christianity, but are not pure to what they would like me to believe, they feel as if I'm a sinner to be saved.... Still. Even thought I have attained my Salvation they still want to mold me. If I speak up, they don't like it. If I stick up for people that are not of my religion or say I'm against converting others they don't like that either. Just things like that.

I feel rejected by the outside world because they are judging me based off the fact that I'm a Christian. They label me to be like the rest and It pisses me off. Because I believe in a creater, a Lord, a higher power... I'm considered stupid. And when I say science and faith go hand in hand.. They simple ignore that because they don't know what to say.

Well said.