Most religions of today hold men in a position as leader while women are subservient. This system is supported by the belief that God and the Bible strictly endorse male domination in religious positions and has been widely accepted until the last few years. As more studies are published and the women’s movement grows, more women are contesting the roles assigned to them by traditional religions. New religions have been established as a result. Other religions fight to keep the status quo. There are many schools of thought on this subject, but for the purpose of this paper, traditional roles of men and women in religion will be explored from both points of view.

Traditional roles of men in the church include the priest, minister, rabbi, etc. Most churches do not allow women to have a vote in church matters and do not have sanctioned roles for women. Women have held supportive roles such as missionary, Sunday school teacher, etc.

Change has occurred over time with a few churches creating sanctioned positions for women. These may include women ministries in which women establish and run groups within the church that are dedicated to women’s issues. The need for these groups stems from women wanting to play an active role in the church and to provide support to other women. Also included as a benefit is the ability to work with others to satisfy the need for bonding that has traditionally occurred with the men in the church.

Catholic women are becoming more dominant in the church but still cannot become a priest and cannot perform Mass, baptisms or marriages. In the patriarchal religion Islam, women have strong roles and are seen as spiritual equals but cannot lead men in prayers. Men are the leaders, heads of the household while wives are subservient. Women however are held as the strength of character of the family, raising and teaching children about the ways of Islam. Some churches in more liberal religions or orders have begun to include women in leadership roles, even those of minister, pastor, etc. Women currently hold about 10 percent of the ordained clergy positions in United States U.S. Protestant churches. Since the 1970’s, the Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, and the Evangelical Covenant Church have ordained women clergy. Denominations from the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition have ordained women pastors since the 19th century. Woman holding leadership positions within the church is a change that is gaining strength. One religion that has been riddled with controversy of late regarding the roles of men and women in the church is the Southern Baptist Group. At the July 2000 Southern Baptist Convention, this sector of that religion continued to adopt strict interpretations from the bible that ban women from pastoral positions as they continue to fight against a liberal culture.

Many Christians from other denominations interpret the Scripture differently, but the stance of the Southern Baptists conclude that the passages of 1 Timothy 2:12, "I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent", clearly states that women cannot hold any pastoral office. The traditional standard interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:12-14 is most concluded as the word of God establishing the subordinate roles of women to the authority of men in the church. The thinking behind this is that God established Adam as a male authority in the Garden of Eden, while in reality, there is nothing in Genesis to support this so called arrangement.

There are women pastors holding those positions within Baptist churches and those emphatically oppose the stance of the Southern Baptists. One notably outspoken Baptist female pastor quoted the following scripture when asked about the move by the Southern Baptist convention: Galatians 3:28, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus".

There is fear that the stance held by the Southern Baptist Convention will allow for other Protestant religions to move backward. The Christian and Missionary Alliance voted in June 2000 that only men can hold the office of elder. This opposed the previous rule and the women that held elder positions will be replaced by men.

The following is a statement made by an authority within the Baptist religion in an effort to reassure Baptist women of their worth. "The Bible is clear that the pastorate is for men alone, but that doesn't mean that women are less than men, or that they have less of a contribution to make to the kingdom of Christ. Our churches would come to a standstill without the service and participation of women. We appreciate and affirm their many gifts and contributions to the ministry."

Although many traditional religions of today support the thinking that men are dominant over women because it is so ordained by God, there are many accounts in the Bible of women who were called by God to teach and lead both women and men. How then can so many religions ignore that God did bless women to serve him in spiritual positions? Maybe it is because these religions are run by men that have the only voting voice. One has to wonder if these religious leaders have read Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18, which is summed up as, “Believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and gifted in prophetic ministry without respect to age, gender or social status.”