Religion and Human Relationships - Roles

Role of men is more important

Women intended to be men's helpers:

• Eve created as Adam's companion
• Jesus' disciples were all men

Women are weaker:

• Eve sinned first

Women should:

• run family
• raise the chidleness
• obey their husbands

Men should:

• be in charge
• provide for family
• love their wives

Traditional view:

• God gave different skills....men and women are different by nature
• Men provide...Women care...if they both take on same role...family will suffer
• Obey husbands but still be able to share views
• Man love and respect wife

Untraditional view:

• Women have proved themselves in the workplace...men and women equal rights
• Men and Women are equally important human beings
• Lots of Christian women go to work while men stay at home

(1 Peter 3): wives be submissive to husbands...husbands respect wife as weaker partner

(Genesis 2): Lord makes woman out of man rib and brought her to the man

(1 Timothy 2): do not permit woman to have authority over men...Adam formed first

(Ephesians 5): Husband is head of wife like Christ is head of church

This view is mainly held by protestant churches - like Church of England or Methodist Church
They believe:
- men and women should share childcare and housework
- women can work outside the home if they want
- husband and wife are equally in charge of the family

They believe that god created men and women as equals - the biological differences doesn't change their role.

Bible only refers to the biblical society not the modern. Protestants believe that they should interpret the bible for it to fit in with the modern society.

Catholics believe that men and women are equal but different - god values them euqally but they have different natures.

Genesis 1 - men and women are created at the same time and equally

Jesus treated women as important - he gave them importatn teachings and included them in his miracles and parables

Paul taught - men and women are equal members of the Christian Community and should not focus on their differences but their shared faith

Galatians 3:28 - neither male or female...for you are all one in christ Jesus

1 Corinthians - woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman...woman came from man, so also man is born of woman

Some christians believe that men should have great authority than women in the church.

Women have less authority over men.

Name of Noah's wife, in Genesis 7, is never revealed - suggests that women were less important

Women shouldn't speak in church

In old testament - women were often treated as the property of their husband

Genesis 2 - not good for man to be alone, helper will be suitable - women is helper so not equal to man

Genesis 7 - when Noah takes his ark, Ark dimensions are told but not wife's name. Women less important

Jesus' 12 disciples - men

1 Timothy 2 - women should learn quiteness...do not permit women to teach or to have authority over man...she must be silent....adam formed first...eve sinned first

Catholic church believe men and women are equal. They allow women some positions of responsibility in the church. However they are not allowed to be:
- Pope - head of church is always amn becuase he is successor of peter, foundation of the church
- Priests - represents jesus - jesus was man
- Bishops - decedents of Jesus' apostles, who were male
- Hierarchy of the church reflects Jesus and his apostles

Church of England, after a lot of debate, allow female vicars

Salvation Army - more liberal in the roles of men and womne in their church family.

Christians believe than men and women are both important and valuable

- Men and women were created equally in the image of God

- Jesus treated a Samaritan woman as his equal

- Female followers who were with him at his crucifixion unlike the men, who fled

- Jesus appeared to women first after the resurrection

- Galatians 3 - men and women are equal in Christ