Religion is by men, for men

lvioletsnow · 2021-11-17T05:17:33+00:00

Ironically, women are the backbone of the church. I remember reading/hearing a while back that there was a micro crisis within the (wider, probably protestant?) Christian church when the gospel was even more anti-woman than it is now: basically preaching Eve and all women would burn in hell etc. Women stopped attending church in large numbers.

According to the source, which escapes me right now, men stopped going to church as much in response since most of them went with their mothers, wives, or were in search of the latter. So, the gospel narrative was changed the keep women second to men but also make them the spiritual backbone of the community. They had an obligation to show up because only they could keep their families righteous.

Edit: Thank you for rewarding my spotty memory, kind lady. Reddit silver is the best award on this site, change my mind. lol

Cessacolypse · 2021-11-17T04:27:07+00:00

So…you kinda just helped me lift and remove a layer of trauma from my brain. Cause this perfectly explains why I was so harmed by my cradle religion. Thank you.

WorkaholicParty · 2021-11-17T02:07:39+00:00

I saw someone say religion was men's successful attempt at positive discrimination. The fact that mothers have to go through agony to birth kids just to have people believe women are a man's rib? 💀 Or that we should take a man's name and follow his lead?💀 Why does drivel like this need to be repeated again and again like mantras if they were so innate?

It's such a huge exercise in brainwashing that I don't have the ability to break some of it down unfortunately, sorry OP.

I'll say: learning about religion, it's semantic, method of enforcement and yes beliefs is huge and incredibly useful. Notice how a lot of self improvement and new age beliefs promote prayer-like chants to change someone's subconscious.

I'm trying to study the occult, not really because I have a use for it in witchcraft, but because these elements that stay between the lines are the foundation of everyone's beliefs and assumptions. I think, because of the libfem-line of feminism becoming dominant, that our ability to question the patriarchy has deteriorated. Too many women have a hope for a choice-world and forgot we needed some intolerance against dogmas that hurt us. Just the word intolerance is so hard to accept, but it's the basis of vetting and awareness.

Pryras · 2021-11-17T04:40:47+00:00

Funny thing, I had a Muslim boy pursue me in hopes I would convert over several months but….after doing my own research I decided that Islam was not as peaceful as it is portrayed in secular countries.

Everything revolves around sex and it nurtures purity culture.

The biggest issue I had was that the concept of marital rape did not exist. It is your “duty” and “obligation” to have sex with your husband and if you don’t - you’re cursed until morning. The concept of rape itself is also very skewed. Sex outside of wedlock is haram (impermissible) but non consensual sex between a married couple? A-ok.

Don’t even get me started about covering up for the male gaze.

Softrito · 2021-11-17T02:35:48+00:00

I even had contact with red-pilled men who were atheist and still in support of doctrines that 'put women in their place' despite them not agreeing with other biblical reasonings outside of misogyny.

AloofNerd · 2021-11-17T14:26:03+00:00

Islam is far worst— hijabs and covers are in place to discourage women from leaving the home.

Inheritance is disproportionately in favor of sons while daughters are basically a second thought.

Purity culture to the point your brother or father can kill you if you have sex before marriage.

Men can have 4 wives, without permission from the first wife.

Women are beaten regularly for disobeying a man— its in the quaran to strike women.

I live in Egypt and am familiar with the Catholic bullshit (Catholic high school graduate). But the issues with Islam are far worst. I could go on and on but r/exmuslim has so much more regarding how the religion puts women as inferior creatures just designed as birth tools. It’s a disgusting religion and I wish the woke west would stop trying to say it has any aspects of feminism, because it doesn’t. I pity those poor women every day and most are so brainwashed that they believe their abuse by family members and husbands will result in a better afterlife. In the same afterlife their men are rewarded with 72 virgins (like women are just objects for reward), but god removes the woman’s jealousy so it’s all fun and good.

Fuck that religion.

Kilogramedeganduri · 2021-11-17T04:26:39+00:00

In my country priests are reason number one why battered women in areas where religion is upheld strong to continue to stay with their husbands proclaiming that love is all they need to keep their rotten souls on the right path. The blame is put on them.Those women come to them for help and all they get is that they should love them better.A hundred years ago they even encouraged beating your wife to keep her in line.

HereForTheFreeFoodOk · 2021-11-17T04:03:05+00:00

As Savannah said in an FDS podcast

"Religion is affirmative action for men"

NotMyRealName814 · 2021-11-17T05:22:42+00:00

Not only do almost all religions benefit men at the expense of women but imho they should be taxed. Heavily. They're supposed to keep their busy bodies out of politics, at least in the USA, and they rarely do. Just look at how Falwell Jr, Franklin Graham, that evil snake Robert Jeffress and others are always hyping up the GOP.

I live in Southeast Texas and there is a church on every street corner in my city. They use and benefit from police and fire services but don't pay taxes. Fuck that shit.

Peak_Tree · 2021-11-17T04:22:27+00:00

I'll add a point: scrotes get ideas watching women be treated like dirt in their religious communities.

Case on point: I could use my hands + feet and not be able to count the number of western men I've seen interested in Islam that have said they like it specifically for the way the women are treated by their families/comunities in places like Pakistan/ afganistan and Saudi Arabia and hoping some western countries become more islamic so "feminists can be stoned to death" (literal quote).

anne-goldy · 2021-11-17T04:46:47+00:00

One of the the many reasons why I am non-religious is that the vast majority of religions are straight up misogynistic and I refuse to put up with that.

The_Cat_Empress · 2021-11-17T05:27:15+00:00

The Quran overtly states that women are like children and must be beaten if they refuse sex. I see Catholicism brought up but the other Abrahamic religions get kind of nudged aside. I want all of them to go away. And heck, some Buddhists believed women who died during childbirth should go to a hell where they are in a sea of period blood and insects feast on their blood. (Or snakes I can’t remember the technicals) Gaia, I’m tired of this sh*t….there’s no such thing as a single religion that doesn’t see women as dirty or infantile or equal to men.

sleutherino · 2021-11-17T01:47:36+00:00

Agreed. There was a time in my life when I was open to the idea of embracing a more religious lifestyle (cause hey, they always seem like pretty happy people, or the ones I've met), but for this reason I realized it just wasn't the way for me.

I simply cannot put my faith into something so blatantly anti woman. All of the "big" religions boil down to women being second to men.

Why would I ever choose to go into it knowing that I'll always be pushed to submit to some man?

Religion isn't good for women and it never has been, ever. It's a way of controlling many people, which is enthusiastically accepted by half of those people, because they're led to believe they're superior to the other half.

ceramicunicorn · 2021-11-17T04:05:09+00:00

Ladies I’ve been thinking about this so very much today. I’m not anti-organized religion as I believe it can do a lot of good, help people find purpose and community...as has been my experience in liberal churches. But the extremist stuff is a no go for me. I was listening to a podcast today about someone disfellowshipped (I think that’s what it’s called?) from the Jehovah’s Witnesses and I found their modus operandi horrifying. All these power games played to control lifestyles, under the guise of love and truth. It’s so gross.

Meanwhile, they have a pretty bad track record of covering up child abuse, mainly done by, you guessed it, men. And to bolster my mantra of Men Don’t Do Empathy, They Do Consequences, that shit didn’t get exposed because some lady supplicated the elders and they thought “Well damn, reporting is the right thing to do”, they got exposed because they got told on, and there were legal consequences.

They also forbid reading about the religion from outside sources. Classic abuser isolation techniques. Ugh.

I also noticed that the ex-JW guy who told the story experienced more leniency from mom than dad when it came to the whole “we’re really not supposed to be talking to you” thing. Masculine energy men made the rules here, and never factored in that it is much harder for feminine energy people (so, most women, and not many men) to just abandon their children like that, because the kid is an independent being, not just some extension of themselves and the institution.

JoanHollowayWannabe · 2021-11-17T03:18:22+00:00

There's a book called At the Root of This Longing: Reconciling A Spiritual Hunger and a Feminist Thirst by Carol Lee Flinders that might be of interest to you OP - its been sitting on my bookshelf unread, but this is the kick in the butt I needed to finally crack it open.

GlitterLoveAngel · 2021-11-17T06:05:37+00:00

Definitely. I was raised Christian but stopped being one due to the amount of sexist stuff in the Bible. I’m more of an agonist as of now and I believe if god was real, she would be a black woman and carried on the human population by self conceiving(Parthenogenesis) and that in the beginning, only women existed and kept the human species alive by parthenogenesis.

It makes a lot more sense than a man being the creator of life AND even other misogynistic religions have pointed to this as a fact they were trying to hide. I mean the Bible has literally quoted a couple of times and hinted at the original creator and god as a woman.

Like, Virgin Mary exists, why was making her a virgin and LITERALLY represent a vagina(Search this up if you don’t believe me) so important? Sure it could’ve been the whole “non virgin are wh0res” type of bs they were trying to teach but I don’t think so. Especially since parthenogenesis is used with a LOT of gods. Why is the act of a woman self conceiving seen as godly if men are apparently the superior gender and are needed for everything?

Maybe there is a deeper meaning to it all. Like why do religions hate women so much anyways yet try to literally take the role of a woman and act as one. Women give life, X chromosome comes before Y therefore Eve came before Adam, The Y chromosome is literally a defect of the X so men aren’t the original form of life and aren’t the default gender like religion tries to convince us, the creation happens in the womb of the woman but now it’s being seen as humans are created in the nutsack of a guy(There are men who genuinely believe this and think their sperm carried the human and plays a much more important part than the eggs.), in the first religions and even in Egyptian religions, menstruation was seen as sacred and holy whereas in male led religions it is seen as unpure and unclean and seen as a punishment but the act of a man killing another human being was okay especially if it was done for his religion, etc. oh and embryos do start out as female so everyone here was a female before the Y chromosome took place. But we’re apparently the secondary gender who was created as a helper to men.

And I, with multiple Christians I’ve met in the past, were always told something like “You and everyone are born of sin” whereas Jesus was taught to be pure and not born of sin. What if that’s hinting at sex being seen as a sin and unnatural? And the pure ones are born in (what was seen back then at least) a natural way via parthenogenesis? Why does Mary have to be a virgin in order for Jesus to be pure? I mean, the hymen does exist for some reason that people are still unaware of.

And a little unrelated but women are actually supposed to give birth by standing up or squatting. The laying on the bed to give birth was created by a religious king who liked seeing his women bear children but also wanted to increase their pain and suffering because he thought they deserved it due to the ‘disobedience’ of Eve.

Not only that but the first ever religions were all female led and had a female deity that preached of peace, love, stability, balance, kindness, positivity and empathy. But of course men ruined that to appear as the superior gender when in reality, and has been proven biologically, that women are and have always been the superior and default gender.

Which is why a lot of religions seem to go against everything that the original female god and religions have taught and preached. Men are sensitive and lack empathy, that’s known by now. And since it has been proven that the first religions were female led and centered around a female god and preached genuine love(For you and the other women around you, not the male construct.), empathy for others, and health(For the earth too!), why wouldn’t men destroy everything women had created(Men still do it to this day), corrupt the idea of female led religion and use it to their best advantage to try to paint themselves as God? There were even extremely old drawings of men burning down the original church of the female god and trying to hide all of the sculptures and scriptures that spoke the truth and made women aware of their power.

Idk that’s just really what I believe.

EffectiveHoneydew422 · 2021-11-17T12:58:15+00:00

Not sure if this belongs in this discussion but it made me think of how women-led or dominated fields of spirituality that involve preyer, rituals, and other such practices have been historically been painted with the same brush as "witchcraft" and in a more modern version of moon rituals, astrology and the likes are also regularly poo-pooed as woo-woo nonsense... I know its not technically a religion but religion is as old as misogyny and the patriarchy so any thing that could have taken off as a religion in the deep past was burned, destroyed and wiped of the face of the planet. I also want to point out for the sake of nuance that I acknowledge that both genders are and have been involved with paganism and new age spirituality/ and ocult. And in saying that if you can call Free Masons an occult church then its is 100% for men by men.

Colour_riot · 2021-11-17T15:38:26+00:00

I'm quite against all abrahamic religions (I was forced into following one until I moved out and went NC with my parents a bit). Safe to say as a kid they liked me reading their holy book until I found the violent parts and they couldn't answer "hey why'd god do that nasty thing?"

There are lots of "new age" preachers in all the 3 main types that try to recast each religion as feminist and remove traces of misogyny and xenophobia and racism. But it's not gonna work.

My disagreement with all the abrahamic religions is down to:

Insistence that the "scriptures" are true and that one needs to "believe"
The inherent and aggressive proselytizing nature - islam spread by conquest and christianity was a violent political movement (look up Hypatia, the mother of mathematics), historical roman catholic popes' lives make TV dramas today with stories of their mistresses, and let's not forget that all 3 spent quite a bit of time killing each other. It fits for ideologies that want to spread hard and by force, which is indeed how these came about
The prevalence of misogyny, the condoning of violence and ahem, genocide

There's always a religious person who cries foul and accuses me of "cherry picking", but the truth is, if it's all scripture, then they have to accept it as all it is, and the unfortunate truth would be, their god can be a misogynistic, genocidal asshole. If they can't admit that, then they're the ones cherry picking.

And the problem with insisting on #1, instead of using logic or ethics to rule out what is right and what isn't, is that once you convince someone that the "scriptures" are true, all you need is for them to start disregarding one scripture and focusing on another.

Just because you teach them to disregard violent, misogynistic scriptures now, and claim that they're taken out of context or outdated, doesn't mean that someone else can't convince them that they're god's truth later.

And men in general start to bat for whatever version works for them, and all these religions do contain extremely patriarchal and misogynistic content.

Richard Dawkins likes to say that many extremists (at least those who genuinely believe in what they're doing and not trying to get a free harem of enslaved women) weren't first educated on the internet but in religious schools. The only switch the extremists made was which scriptures to follow.

Of course there are plenty of people for whom religion is spirituality and a 1-1 relationship with their nature and tbh I don't see that as anything different from someone choosing to say a prayer of gratitude to fate or Gaia or Mother Earth at the end of every day.

But even such people will be pressured or will have joined some form of religious organisations which will focus on #1.

Gologic34 · 2021-11-17T04:12:35+00:00

Not to mention, it's the original source of the Madonna-whore complex lol! I was the victim of this when an ultra-religious guy steeped in purity culture blamed me for seducing him. Uh no, you lied to me, bruh, and said you were fine with it, then told me the whole thing was wrong and sinful. Yup.

Chubby-Lovie · 2021-11-17T04:57:48+00:00

Does anyone remember that scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm where an Orthodox Jewish woman threw herself off a ski lift while with Larry (main character, also Jewish) because she was scared of being with a man after sundown and since she was unmarried it was against doctrine for her to stay?

Weird how its always the women who are expected to uphold the rules but the men don't have to even bother. And there is no "good religion" for a woman.

I saw soooo many posts about how Jewish/Islamic/Whatever religion is actually feminist because it says men and women are equal or women are sacred, then this happens - we find out it was a lie.

foxylady45567 · 2021-11-17T04:53:17+00:00

Religion is key to confining women to certain narrow roles, by having women self-police their thoughts and behavior. Within the Christian tradition, girls/women are taught that there is certain behavior that places them in the 'good women' box and all other behavior is considered rebellious/disobedient. Good women are nurturing, submissive and meek while challenging male authority, sexual agency and independence are qualities of bad women.

I grew up with a deep internalized misogyny because I had been taught that all the greatest spiritual figures were men, with women as supporting figures. I honestly do not understand how some people try to argue that the Bible supports women's rights when it so clearly supports the patriarchy.

The more I learn about religion and other hierarchical organizational structures, the more I am convinced that they are rarely subversive and mostly reflect the current cultures/norms with a bent toward the traditional. Religion is by no means the only way that patriarchy perpetuates itself - capitalism and nationalism are some additional methods, but it is one that convinces women that their main purpose is marriage and childbirth with and for a man.

Many religious women find their identity in being a wife/mother and their existential emptiness is passed down to their daughters who struggle with codependency and attachment issues. These daughters grow up to seek meaning in relationships with men and religious devotion to the higher ideal of a divine male who will never abandon them.

If women could just all go to therapy for years before ever entering a relationship with a man, to deal with their attachment issues, I believe we could be in a much better place. Additionally, I would love to see the rise of a religion which provides women with real authority to speak on spiritual matters and to untangle the complex web of lies and shame that Christianity weaves around the issue of women's sexuality. Women should not be shamed for a healthy sexual desire, and no man is ever entitled to sex from a partner.

Edit: Thanks for the upvotes! :)

Darwinchick · 2021-11-17T05:40:22+00:00

It's not just religion that is mancentric.

The book, "Invisible Women", is an eye opener to the misogyny which pervades this world like clouds of toxic gas.

LR_today · 2021-11-17T03:34:11+00:00

So... I worked for a charity that helped Muslims escape and find places to go if they were disowned. Usually it was for "atheist thoughts", not being atheist, simply asking questions about Islam that could be construed as possibly atheist.

The other reason for being cast out of their families was because the men and women did not want to treat women like crap or as a woman be treated like crap.

This was in Canada. "Progressive" Muslims is not a thing. The way they see women is truly abhorrent.

(Now I will wait for the inevitable "not all Muslims!" and "MY Islamic family doesn't think this way!" Oh yeah? Go ask your oldest uncle what he thinks should happen to gays/atheists. Hint: it's death)

hedwighedgehog99 · 2021-11-17T02:34:32+00:00

The irony is that many Christian churches would be almost empty if it weren't for women. Not to mention the unpaid labor polishing the pews and decorating the altars. I refuse to enter any church where my daughters or I are considered less. Imagine a world where we boycott religious gender apartheid.

AmethistStars · 2021-11-17T04:38:23+00:00

I agree with this in regards to Abrahamic religions. The fact that these religions are so undeniably patriarchal makes it hard to combine it with feminism. You'd have to practice a very progressive version of it to make it free of sexism and homophobia.

I actually grew up Roman-Catholic, but in a very progressive way, in the Netherlands. I was never told homosexuality, abortion, or divorce was bad. Just hearing the plain old story of Jesus and singing songs in church. I remember back in the old youtube days I watched a video of Onision (before all of his controversies) slamming the Catholic church, and I really didn't understand why. I only understood why when I found out how much more conservative the Catholic church was in the U.S. and other countries. Very different from the church I grew up with. Same with hearing about p*doph*lia, which also was very shocking to hear about. I guess I should consider myself lucky to have been born and raised in a progressive country where most people agree things like gay marriage and abortion are human rights. And that Christian churches, schools, and political parties often try modernize their views to fit in with the current thinking in Dutch society (which already became largely Atheist).

DireLiger · 2021-11-17T04:39:27+00:00

All religions are written by men, for men, to control women, children and slaves.

DivineGoddess1111111 · 2021-11-17T06:00:57+00:00

Brought up as a Catholic and went to Catholic schools. I knew the religion was bullshit from a very young age because women had no voice.

All organised religion is bullshit.

Lightningxxx · 2021-11-17T09:03:02+00:00

This is the biggest problem in my life: I live in a conservative Muslim country and religion dominates and ruins every girl’s life here.

I am asked to cover up by family and society, and if I don’t I’m committing a grave sin and deserve to burn in hell.

Islam controls every part of my life, I am considered second to my brothers and my mother is second to my father. There is no equality or peace in this religion.

Most other religions, like Christianity, are becoming progressive as people are reforming them now. As for islam? It will always stay pathetically conservative, homophonic and patriarchal. Heck, even the messenger of God in Islam married a 6 yo girl CHILD. Muslims defend this pedophilia like their lives depend on it. Even writing this comment scares me, because if anyone found out, especially the government, I’ll be burned to death.

Religion is a SCAM for women.

drowsypillowprincess · 2021-11-17T17:23:05+00:00

Everyone suggests their God is a loving God, but he doesn’t seem so loving. He seems judgmental, cruel, vindictive, and misogynistic. Why would I want to worship such a being?

Am I supposed to be afraid of Hell? Because the heaven I’m supposed to be doing everything in my power to gain access too seems like…well, Hell. It’s full of smug men telling me what to do. It’s still an eternal servitude to men, but now in the clouds with harps and shit. Yeah….pass

So much of women’s liberation is connected to the “sins” of devil: birth control, sexual pleasure, power, happiness, even dancing!

Ummmmm why wouldn’t women be “tempted” by the devil?!! God is pain and suffering and the devil is freedom and pleasure!

Perhaps we’ve got it all wrong, and God is the devil and the devil is God.

But regardless, I agree with you. Religion is by men, for men and doesn’t benefit women at all.

Extreme_Restaurant · 2021-11-17T06:38:14+00:00

Once upon a time, I was a good Catholic girl. To the point that spent some time living at the Church with a bunch of other youths (not with the view to become a nun or anything... but that is another story)

To compensate for boarding fees, we had to work 2 days a week for the church. One of those days was Sundays. We were responsible for setting up the church and the hall before the church service, serving tea and refreshments after the service, and cleaning up afterwards.

Of course, as a girl, the acceptable jobs for me was serving food, and cleaning. Women belong in the kitchen amirite?! During that time, many of the girls who lived there have left one by one, until I was the last one standing. Anytime food or cooking was required, I was the go to person....because I am the girl!

I eventually left soon after an incident that made me leave the religion as well, as it was quite obvious to me that women are second class citizens, and our only use to the church was to listen to the men, make more obedient followers, cook and clean.

StanfordGrad2013 · 2021-11-17T05:34:25+00:00

Been reading some interesting literature about how Jesus might have actually been a woman. Subsequent Bible authors covered this up for obvious reasons.

Partypuppers · 2021-11-17T11:09:34+00:00

I'd like to offer an alternative view from someone who comes from a minority religion. My mother's side is Turkish Alevi (religious minority in Turkey, not to be confused with other Alawites) and in this religion both men and women are acknowledged as being equals. In Sunni Islam (the majority religion in Turkey), women are seen as subservient to men and the mixing of different sexes is considered improper. So, for example, if you're in a conservative area, you as a Sunni woman wouldn't be able to socialise with a man without a male relative present, and the man wouldn't be able to socialise with you without a female relative present. In mosques, men are given the main hall to pray in and women have to enter the mosque using a separate entrance and pray in a smaller room located elsewhere. Honestly, it's so controlled and controlling, it feels very oppressive.

In contrast, Alevi belief is a lot more humanistic (and secular, focusing on loving your fellow human vs. following a strict doctrine). Men and women are allowed to intermingle without judgement, women aren't expected to cover up or wear a religious headscarf (but can do so out of choice - I've never felt pressured), are encouraged to get the best education they can and take what jobs they choose. My mum would also tell me that in her village they wouldn't allow the women to marry Sunni men because the men would often treat them badly, but they would allow Sunni women to marry an Alevi man because women coming into Alevi culture would gain more freedoms than an Alevi women marrying into Sunni culture.

The irony is that my mum married a Sunni man but my father is very respectful of her beliefs and has never pressured me to adopt more conservative lifestyle.

cutiebranch · 2021-11-17T13:46:48+00:00

Yes. Like I don’t like when women wear hijabs. And I’ve been told “that’s their choice” but my problem is it’s not. When they’re making that “choice” under the pressure of a religion that says they are a pos if they don’t wear a hijab it’s not truly a free choice.

That’s just one glaring example I see but yeah, all religion is shit.

akashyaboa · 2021-11-17T19:07:46+00:00

For real. I could never wrap my brain around why women who can choose not to, follow religions. Any.

I am from a quite religious family, that used to use religion to scare everyone into obedience and for their superiority complex. Yet they could never answer the questions I asked, or explain why I have to follow whatever it is they say. Got fed up, read the book and said to myself "fuck no".

Out of curiosity and to fight off stupid religious fanatics I read a few other religious books and theories around them. And really none of them are pro women, or even consider women equal.

CarNo5059 · 2021-11-17T04:37:04+00:00

Some countries that grew from religion heavily oppress women. Heck, Japan even has a penis worshipping festival.

Boys' club is the slang term for religious cult. And cults are never healthy.

scooter_se · 2021-11-17T07:49:07+00:00

Most mainstream religion is a bunch of out of touch men trying to tell me how to live my life

Classic-Owl3417 · 2021-11-17T07:28:48+00:00

Finally! Yes, yes, yes. I get such a side eye when I say I am an atheist. I was brought up in a cult disguised by a religion. When you had a problem, you were supposed to take it to a senior member of the religion - A MAN because women weren't allowed to do this, are you kidding? I have such trauma from this in my life. This world is so fucked up.

Any_Membership_9674 · 2021-11-17T02:30:23+00:00

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. There are very few Christian doctrines that don’t serve and protect patriarchy. I think the whole concept of god the “father” whom watches you and and judges your actions unevenly affects women. I have noticed that women who grew up with this teaching take it to heart and earnestly try to do their best and for that reason rarely react in anger even when anger is needed because they are always judging their actions for kindness and fairness. Most men recognize this grift for what it is and use it to their advantage. It takes one to know one as they say.

popthetab · 2021-11-17T05:07:58+00:00

There are a lot of misogynistic religious men, and they do scummy stuff. Its terrible. Religion has been used to make women feel inferior frequently, by men and brainwashed women alike. To keep women inferior as well. Men who do this are the reason why there are women leave home and as they should. Go NC with those idiots. If one dared intrepret religion to lift women up, scrotes see that as undermining religion. Scrotes and the poor brain-washed followers are the biggest fighters in the uphill battle women face in the world of organized religion and every other aspect in our lives. Women may find solace and purpose in religion, and it won't be because of the community.

lvoncreek · 2021-11-17T07:00:07+00:00

I dont even understand how women can be religious in the first place.

PenelopePitstop21 · 2021-11-17T07:54:21+00:00

Every institution on the planet is part of the patriarchy. Especially if it started in historical times. Politics, monarchies, business and capitalism, socialism and communism and neo-conservatism and every other -ism, nation states, the tax and benefits system, the legal system...

The religion isn't the problem per se. As the lady from Holland confirmed, religious institutions in liberal societies are themselves more liberal. Religious oppression of women is simply another symptom of an all-pervading patriarchy.

The problem with attacking religions is that religious women feel attacked. I know I did!

No-Adagio-1572 · 2021-11-17T06:19:39+00:00

Religion is nothing but misogyny

degnan1214 · 2021-11-17T07:47:49+00:00

My Christian religion is very important to me and has given me great comfort. I like the Bible commentary written by Warren Wiersbe. I'm not saying it's going to please everyone, but his writings and interpretations were a vast improvement over what I've seen written (and practiced) elsewhere. He specifically addresses some women's issues in a way that made more sense to me.

As an example of what I've seen claimed elsewhere, I once saw a scrote state online that we should all follow the Bible, but he specifically cherry-picked out the parts that benefited men, and ignored the parts that emphasized male responsibility, character, integrity, and chastity (meaning sexual self-control). Another scrote lost his mind when he wasn't taken seriously for advocating polygamy for men only, citing that it was biblical. Men like these pick and choose which parts of the Bible that they want to follow. They distort it for their own benefit and I want no part of them.

DivineGoddess1111111 · 2021-11-17T06:05:14+00:00

In ancient times, our God was feminine and we worshipped our Divine Mother. The Egyptian goddess Isis is a more modern version of Mother. Mary, mother of Jesus, was a retelling of the story of Isis and her son Horus.

Muffcakelord · 2021-11-17T07:33:30+00:00

This is the worst part of living in this world to me. Everything is drenched in religion, literally every cultural aspect, story, myth, legend, all the hollywood shit we see is partly stolen from religious stories. Then you realize religion is as misogynistic as anything comes. Even the good religions turned out to be misogynistic down the line because men dominate everything that holds power and ruins it. Even Buddha couldn't help himself, saying everything you need to know about how this all goes.

I want to ban religion but it's like abasic human need for many. Why must even basic human needs be labeled for men

frogchickenhorse · 2021-11-17T07:13:47+00:00

Religion is about control. From my experience with my father who is still religious obsessed, it has been about controlling our thoughts, actions, clothes, hair do’s, temple expectations, way of life, women living with more restrictions than males. Religion didn’t make my dad a better quality father, still cheated, still neglected his children from his first family, still speaks horribly to his current wife, overshares gross stuff with his daughters, overall narcissistic person. He tries climbing the ranks at every religious organisation he is part of.

munblume · 2021-11-17T04:42:41+00:00

ive always thought that religion is kinda ridiculous in the aspect of women almost have zero rights (not ridiculous in the way of bashing anyone’s faith— that’s your business and if god is what gets you up in the morning, im happy for you!), but i never actually sat down and thought about it in the way you put it in the title… this was very interesting insight! im glad i could learn more about this! /g

True_Call · 2021-11-17T18:06:50+00:00

I know this post references the Abramhamic religions, but I’m curious, does anyone here follow Sikhism? And is it much different? I remember hearing that it was ‘welcoming’ (not sexist?) back in school, would anyone consider sharing their experience?

jijitsu-princess · 2021-11-17T04:53:52+00:00

I don’t know how to answer this discussion except to answer with my own experiences with religion and where my faith is at now.

I was raised in the evangelical/ church of God/ southern baptist. When I became a teenager it was the whole purity movement and shit. They never went into detail as to why except that you needed to save yourself and that your sexuality was a gift. If you waited to have sec your marriage would be perfect and it meant that your husband really loved you.

Fast forward I’m age 27 and my first husband is a computer addict, forced himself on me on more than a few occasions and eventually got physically violent. The women’s group in the church I was involved in spotted my misery. They literally are the first ones to encourage me to divorce my husband. And when the physical abuse started they, along with the deacons of the church, helped me come up with and exit plan and execute it. When my husband realized it was over he went to the pastor and begged him to help get me back. My pastor (mega church, 7,000 members at the time) told him “good luck but you ain’t getting help from me”. There were still some church members who Pooh pooed me and told me I should forgive him. There were some others that told me I needed to forgive him and welcome him back. Why is forgiveness used incorrectly?

Currently: my faith in God is my own. I’ve read the Bible 3 times over. I’ve studied and used Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic concordances to make sure the words of each verse are read in their correct context. Gods word (the Bible) has been twisted for evil. God even says that man would do this.

Religion has been used to control and decimate all that is beautiful. God will and has been bringing judgment against those who have misused His word for evil. I could go into more detail but it’s clearly stated in the New Testament that God hates liars, manipulators and those who take advantage of others. He calls people to look into themselves and figure out themselves and where they need to improve their hearts.

I’m two glasses of wine in and I’m sorry for rambling. Please take my words as coming from a person who loves people.

jp2117515 · 2021-11-17T08:34:43+00:00

Thank you for this post. Just this summer I was reading about the indigenous schools in Canada where there are mass graves.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57592243

In Ireland also mass graves at an unwed mothers home. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/9-000-children-died-irish-mother-baby-homes-report-finds-n1253862

I think the Catholic Church and it’s reach has caused more atrocities and could almost be classified as a terroristic organization. Look at all the child rapes. The priests that were excused and never held accountable. Thousands of men and boys living with the crippling effects of CSA. When you really look at it and do a deep dive. There’s some horrific acts that the church has condoned.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/5/awful-truth-child-sex-abuse-in-the-catholic-church

thinktwiceorelse · 2021-11-17T10:58:32+00:00

I'm born and raised Catholic. I was just a little girl when I realized for the first time that this religion hates me.

squirtzmcintoshh · 2021-11-17T02:42:06+00:00

Every religion has been used to give women an impossible standard to live up to (virgin birth, anyone?) while simultaneously patting men on the head and giving them the most influential roles in their respective societies.

thegreenmachine90 · 2021-11-17T04:08:01+00:00

My hot take that no one asked for: Catholicism only discourages abortion so that their priests have an endless stream of new kids to abuse. That alone to me is extremely off-putting.

That aside, Catholic men are a huge red flag to me. I’ve never met a Catholic man who didn’t have some weird underlying hatred towards women. All the ones I’ve known and/or dated were extremely controlling and overbearing towards women, and they always have weird issues around sex. I’m sure there’s great men out there who also happen to be Catholic, but I haven’t met any.

lovessourbeer · 2021-11-17T03:26:18+00:00

A point of clarification: the Catholic Church doesn't forbid civil divorce. It separates out civil divorce (for legal, financial, and social protection) from sacramental marriage (a religious commitment to one person for life). Catholic priests supported me in leaving an abuser and divorcing him when necessary. I just couldn't remarry until the Church declared my first marriage null and void, based on the fact that my ex tried to lie and abuse his way into a commitment that the Church takes extremely seriously. (The Church isn’t cool with bullying or fraud.)

I'd also add that Catholicism is one of the few religions (especially monotheistic religions) where you'll find men, along with women, devoted to following the example of Mary and all the other female saints. Millions of men over the centuries have devoted themselves to Mary’s model of absolute love and self-sacrifice. You’ll find devout men talking about how they wish they could live as boldly or love as hard as [insert female saint here.] The Church even had formal traditions toward these ends.

I obviously have no defense for a lot of the terrible things that Catholics, both individuals and the institution, have done and still do. There are plenty of Catholic misogynists just as there are rampant atheist misogynists. I do think the underlying theology/philosophy, and a lot of the Catholic religious leaders I've met, have more respect for women than a lot of the more superficially "woman-friendly" churches and feminist-leaning groups I've been a part of. And although I completely understand folks’ frustration, the Church’s reasoning around contraception is ultimately oriented toward not letting men use women for sex. Which I think is a plus. The catch is that Catholicism calls spouses to mutual self sacrifice and complete commitment; if a man in a partnership isn’t fully engaged with this model, he can dominate and even abuse a woman. The Church says abuse is always a sin and it’s amplified when done in a relationship with deep intimacy and spiritual elements.

I’ve done plenty of therapy, have a good support system, and am “successful.” But being Christian has also been central in working through some genuine trauma. I’m reminded by the Church that I (like everyone else) have infinite worth; I am not a sexual object; I am meant to be loved wholly (whether in a relationship or if I stay single); and I have talents and a brain, but more importantly a heart and strong intuition that (at times) come directly from God.

TheKarenFromHell · 2021-11-17T04:51:17+00:00

None of this makes the remotest bit of sense if you’ve ever cracked a Bible, either. Christianity has become men using the Bible as a tool for their own selfish destructive goals. Which the Bible explicitly warns about. About men, specifically. God knows what’s up.

fingernmuzzle · 2021-11-19T09:06:54+00:00

All of them are a house of cards. Religions were invented by primitive peoples trying to explain thunder and bad crop years and meteors and stuff

LoudAdeptness_2 · 2021-11-19T15:25:56+00:00

I agree and disagree, as an ex-Muslim who had to suffer under that faith I hate religion more any of you can understand but just cause I hate it doesn't mean I have to create made up bullshit for the sake of my hate

I hold the belief true atheism can only come when you understand the scripture, it's history and how it developed organically and how it's still changing

Judaism was a henotheistic Semitic doctrine that gradually become monotheistic, Christianity came as a result of the mixing of a subset of Jews who wanted to break away from traditional mixed with certain greeco-roman philosophies, and Islam came as a result of the mixing of non-trinitarian christianty mixed with Arab paganism, hell its very likely that the early Muslims very well would have considered themselves true sect of Christians rather then their own separate faith, either way the key is understanding religions and how they came to be, not making fun of them or making up random bullshit

LizzoSaidTruthHurts · 2021-11-17T08:26:53+00:00

I separate the religious structures/institutions erected by men from the gospel. There are misogynists in the church and people who oppress women. 100%. But as a Christian woman, when I think about the gospel, I think about how Jesus protected women and empowered them. The way Jesus treated women was actually considered to be radical at the time.

I know people will disagree and that’s okay, but I think about Jesus protecting the woman who was about be stoned. For those who don’t know, in John 8, a woman was set to be stoned for adultery. There’s no mention of the man she was with, but Jesus stopped the stoning and said the famous: “he who is without sin, cast the first stone.” I think so often about how women get shamed for being more sexually active and here we see Jesus stepping in to shine a light on male hypocrisy.

Then next, I think about Jesus’ resurrection, which I fully believe. The first woman Jesus revealed himself to after resurrection was a woman, Mary Magdalene. Then he revealed himself to another group of women. These women are tasked with informing the male disciples. At the time at which this was happening in the world (1st century Israel) a woman’s testimony wasn’t even admissible in court! And here we see Jesus trusting a woman who is tasked with delivering the very news, the gospel, which is the center of the Christian faith.

There are other examples of this in the Bible and in the Christian faith, there actually is vibrant discussion about whether or not Jesus was a feminist. Not in the 2021, pro-sex work kind of feminist, but the man who genuinely believed in equality and loved and uplifted women at a time when they were oppressed by social and religious institutions of the time.

Please don’t downvote me too hard for sharing this, but this is my perspective as a Christian woman. It is frustrating and painful seeing the dichotomy between how Jesus loved, respected, and trusted women and how the church treats women. I don’t conflate the two.

❤️

Mysterious-Ocelot166 · 2021-11-17T06:02:30+00:00

QUEEN !!! I mean people how come in all religions men have the upper hand while women are there to be controlled and policed till they get to heaven LOL .. i left my religion bec of that actually.. deist and happy

ConnectYogurtcloset1 · 2021-11-17T12:15:18+00:00

Unpopular opinion, but religion, specifically Catholicism, saved my life. No burden is placed on me that isn’t also placed on my husband. I have to deny myself things I am inclined to do out of selfishness/laziness/insecurity etc. for the love of God, but it doesn’t feel “controlling” at all unless you mean the exercise of self control is controlling. I’ve had nothing but wonderful priests (and religious sisters) who have been gentle and loving in caring for my soul. I’m 10000 times happier knowing Jesus Christ and his Church than I was when I was a lost pick me with no moral compass and my marriage is extremely happy. Sorry not sorry, lol.

PeachPitiless · 2021-11-17T10:14:17+00:00

I'm very religious, but gnostic, which places personal experience of the divine above the rules of manmade religion. If you're a woman wanting to connect with God, it's completely doable on your own. You don't need an intermediary, especially not a man.

fak_beauty_standards · 2021-11-17T21:58:08+00:00

wwhy all the hate on Christianity and 0 mentioning of islam where women are burried alive, burned, thrown acids of their faces, not allowed to drive best case scenario.

Bekinditsfree · 2021-11-17T04:04:10+00:00

I agree with you 100% about the Catholic Church being anti-woman, but please note that there are other religions out there:

Wicca - allows flexibility in beliefs and is less “coded” than common religions e.g. Christianity and Islam. Duotheistic Wicca holds that there is a God and a Goddess, both of which are equally powerful and important.
Hinduism - holds multiple beliefs about ethics, life, death, Karma, and life practices. Allows a diverse conception of the divine that includes both Gods and Goddesses.
Yoruba religion - holds that ones future (ori) is predestined and determined by gods and goddesses. Yoruba religion does not assign any gender to men or women.

The Abrahamic faiths are inherently patriarchal and were built on social structures that intentionally subjugate women. So yeah, they are oppressive af 😂

But not all religions are like that ✨

Besides, we can always interpret and practice religion in a way that works for and empowers us 🤷🏾‍♀️

Gamermaper · 2021-11-17T05:13:53+00:00

Not true at all. Religion paints a world order where violence isn't the absolute arbiter of what's right or wrong, and that will always be advantageous for women and girls.

Title	Religion is by men, for men
Author	Fun_Sherbet
Upvotes	1246
Comments	163
Date	November 17, 2021 1:34 AM UTC (4 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/FemaleDatingStrategy
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/FemaleDatingStrategy/comments/qvnppy/religion_is_by_men_for_men/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/FemaleDatingStrategy/religion-is-by-men-for-men.1083723 https://theredarchive.com/post/1083723

Comments