What has been the relationship between women and religion?
We begin to understand the relationship between women and religion in the early 1950s. The Bible says: "And the Lord God has said that it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helpmeet.” This reminded colonial women that they are not to claim superiority but stay on the side. Women were in charge of cultivating and manufacturing food products with the assistance of other women. Then the roles changed when people started to move from farms to cities. Urban centers needed more workers to increase production; the home becomes separated from the workplace.
Women became consumers and in charge of the home while the church starts to emphasize a loving, nurturing Jesus instead of a judging God. Women are now identified with raising children as preachers talk about the special attributes of women: that they are moral mothers and that their role is to be in charge of the children. Most importantly, if there is a divorce, the mother has custody of the children; this creates the idea of the feminization of religions. Humans always tend to gravitate towards what they feel identified with, so women start to get involved with the role of nurturers. They were to be concerned with the poor, the widows and orphans, the home, and the church.
They found their new identity in society as women and started to develop charities to take action on their role as protectors of their community. After this, men looked for women with qualities such as purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. This is why I think that the reason why there were more women than men in Protestant churches was based on survival instincts. The church was the insignia of a pure and domestic woman, therefore, a man would take her to give her a home to take care of.
1. If you don't go to church, you are not really a woman 2. If you are not really a woman, you can't have a man to protect you or a family to take care of 3. If you can't have a man to protect you, you can't really survive.
The human brain is designed to survive, and I think this is the explanation for almost all the actions humans take: survival.
The role of women was not only to spread beliefs that kept the church alive, but also be an example to others by showing what people who go to church should be like. Many people, even until today, make jokes about how women who stay at home don’t give enough to society or have any influence in the world. Nevertheless, if we study this part of history, it is evident that women are the most important part of the development of the kinds of societies we have today. I believe they are in charge of the amount of education and discipline children receive. Because men were given roles of businessmen and leaders, women had to take over the areas of life that involve values, morality, discipline, friendship, kindness, and helping others. All of the nurturing qualities that women have today are due to the influence of the church and religion.
I also believe that women are seen as the “spenders” in a family because of what occurred during this time period when women began to position themselves as the consumers of a home. I come from a Communications major and we are required to take television programming courses. In these courses, they teach us that most TV series or programs are more successful when women are the main target. This is because, even until now, women are the decision makers when it comes to buying products for the home. Even if the women are not physically buying products in the supermarket, they are the ones who decide which brands their family will pick. Then, the husband and children go to stores and usually pick what the mother has bought in the past. This is an extremely significant factor because it tells us how important women are. Businesses are the breathing mechanisms of a society and businesses depend on women and their choices in order to succeed when selling clothing, home products and more.
The role of women in society is also to maintain order and hygiene. Women are the representation of looking clean and feminine. Without women, there would be no concern for organization and cleanliness. Because they spent so much time in the home, they developed a need to have a clean and organized space, and passed these needs to their children; this is why we often feel uncomfortable in a dirty room. We start to remember our mother and her teachings of maintaining a clean room. This is very important in our psychological and physiological well- being today. As humans, we need to live in a well kept environment in order to concentrate and to succeed.
All of the basic needs we have today: organization, kindness, and love were incorporated by women in society, a society that began through attending church services. There are many other small factors that were brought by women as a consequence that are not taken into consideration when defining women in a society affected by religion. All we must know is that they are responsible for all the “non business-like” traits, and for all the loving traits we have today. Their role in society is linked to religion because it all began with the development of their role in church.
African-Americans
What has been the religious experience of African Americans?
African-Americans were adaptors of Christianity. Without previous knowledge of Catholic practices, they adapted this new religion to their own needs. In 1619, the first ship of African slaves arrived in Virginia, and in1808, slave trade was outlawed. They were put to work in the mines plantations and households. Owners were not willing to allow the preservation of family because they wanted to eliminate any African culture so that they would not resist or rebel against whites. Nevertheless, beliefs and customs were transmitted to descendants: music, language, and religion. They believed in a high god, in rituals for the deceased ancestors, and in dance.
Fewer slaves came to the United States; most went to South America. Catholicism in South America was the most common religion, and the veneration of saints and devotional practices of Catholics offered a kind “continuity” to African-Americans in order to maintain their rituals. On the contrary, American Evangelical Protestantism was not as helpful to African practices, because of their Biblical preaching and inward conversion. In the process of converting to Christianity, African-Americans also faced opposition from colonists, because they feared baptism would release the slaves and give them rights as Christians. Soon after, legislation stated that baptism didn't alter the condition of the slaves, so slaves were taught the doctrines of Christian belief. During the Revivals or (or during The First Great Awakening),revival preachers liked the
idea that African-Americans were about to experience Christianity, therefore, Christianity became more accessible. Meanwhile, African dance and songs remained in their culture. Black preachers are ordained to preach by white missionaries, and acted as mediators between white Christian beliefs and the slaves. As black preachers began to have their own congregations, African-Americans experienced more freedom. In fact, religion meant a space for “freedom,” and they saw religion as “hope.” The conversion of slaves to Christianity was viewed as a "justification" for their enslavement. African-Americans made Christianity fit their own experience and their own situation at the time. They adapted an entire religion to what they were going through, so they combined their traditions and relationship with music and dance to fit Christianity. In my opinion, they made Christianity fun.
References Early African American religious life. (n.d.). Mediasite. https://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/ Mediasite/Play/036781d656b147699486098b85070d801d Men and women in nineteenth century American religious culture. (n.d.). Mediasite. https:// mediasite.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/Play/3c560a2abdc64e9f8bce2206691dbc441d Women in the early nineteenth century. (n.d.). Mediasite. https://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/ Mediasite/Play/45f62edde898435baabca5d17dcc15211d
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