Growing up in a religious household I was taught that religion empowered women and improved their lives for the better. However, the older I got, the more complicated religion started to get and the more I started to notice that if anything, religion is what is restricting me and the females in life. Truth is, religion does not empower women, it is the reason sexism still exists.
Growing up in a religious household I was taught that religion empowered women and improved their lives for the better. However, the older I got, the more complicated religion started to get and the more I started to notice that if anything, religion is what is restricting me and the females in life. Truth is, religion does not empower women, it is the reason sexism still exists.
There are just way too many rules women have to follow religiously. From what they should and should not wear to how to behave and their place and society.
When reading the actual script for holy books like the Bible, Torah, and Quran, one can find plenty of verses demeaning women and enforcing their inferior status in society. “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says,” (Corinthians 14:34). The Torah states that all women must suffer great pains during childbirth due to Eve eating the fruit of knowledge. The verse finishes of by saying a husband shall “rule” over his woman, stripping us off all power in between the sexes (Genesis 3:16). The Quran states that, “The male shall have the equal of the portion (inheritance) of two females” (4:11). Women are worth less for some reason in the eyes of religion.
There is no denial that religion has helped a massive amount of people by giving them faith in life and hope to hold on. Religion is one of the things that can cause both good and bad. There are thousands of charitable organizations that operate in the name of religion and were inspired by religious teachings. But there are also a number of terrorist groups and actions that were inspired by literal verses in religious books. Religion is what you make out of it.
The increasing freedom women gained overtime is often attributed to religion, but in reality it is just a result of shifts in lifestyle and cultural teachings. Even today, we can see that countries that are extremely religious and follow the book strictly lag behind in women’s rights. And countries where religion is interpreted more loosely have a better educated and a more privileged women population as a whole.
I respect religion, I respect God and I am thankful for all he has done, but religion does not empower women. It just does not.
