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Monday, 27 Jan 2020

Women in religions

Frauen in den Religionen. Ein Workshop des House of One. Jüdinnen, Musliminnen, Christinnen
Frauen in den Religionen. Ein Workshop des House of One.
Frauen in den Religionen. Ein Workshop des House of One.
Frauen in den Religionen. Ein Workshop des House of One.
Kübra Dalkilic, Corinna Zisselsberger, Esther Hirsch - Frauen in den Religionen. Ein Workshop des House of One.

Three religions, three places, three days - and women at the center. In the course of our fully booked workshop "Women in the Religions", the many questions and animated discussions made it perceptible how much the topic moves believers and non-believers. We are at the beginning of a process within the individual religions that will certainly accompany women - and of course men - for a long time to come.


Conservative image of women in Judaism


Even a glance at the differences within the religions shows how diverse the roles ascribed to women are. Rabbi Ulrike Offenberg sums up the differences in Judaism: "It is not the actual theology or the prayer texts and certainly not the image of God that separates the liberal Jewish world of faith from the Orthodox one. The seating arrangements in synagogues draw the line. Women do not sit in the center of the sacred space, but hidden in out-of-the-way seats. Whether on balconies, behind movable walls, or in the back of the room, the placement of women shows that they are not meant to participate equally. Judaism shows itself far removed from the other social reality of women. The conservative minority in Judaism shapes the picture. At the same time, about eighty percent of Jews are not religiously practicing, so they do not share this minority's view of women.


Jihad - the struggle of Muslim feminists


Jihad - in this case, this is not the holy war with weapons. Muslim feminists use this word to describe their commitment to equal rights. The Arabic word means "effort" or "endeavor." The female jihadis want to publicize the once very positive role models of muslim women that reach far back into Islamic history. For example, Hatice and Ayse, wives of the Prophet, were important figures in society, functioning as businesswomen and politicians. The guiding idea of feminist commitment is the "principle of God's justice": justice exists not only before God, but also on earth.


Women's ordination in Christian churches


In the Christian faith, the world of Catholics and Protestants divides on the issue of women's ordination. While women are not allowed to hold office in the Catholic world, it has long been a reality among Protestants. However, there are counter-movements. In 2016, for example, the Latvian Lutheran Church banned women's ordination again after almost 50 years.


Women in religious offices, the question of gender in the interpretation of scriptures and how different prayers can sound, these were questions and experiences from the 3-day gender workshop of the House of One. The diversity of prayer is immeasurable. Not only a sacred space opens up new worlds and experiences, but also whose voice is heard there with the respective sacred texts.

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