Hey, are you sexist? No? So how many spiritual women do you regularly cite?
If the answer is “not many,” perhaps you’d like a little education.
It’s bugged me for years that at my large, liberal, anti-ever-ism, UU church, women’s words are missing from most services. Among the few readings by women, the same people appear over and over (Mary Oliver being #1). This suggests much unconscious sexism.
Modern or ancient, UU, Christian, Buddhist, Sufi, Hindu, agnostic or you-name-it: there are many amazing, spiritual women's voices out there. And with the web, they are easy to find, so no one has any excuse for not citing them.
My annoyance at this flared recently when I read the excellent reflection on women’s presence at the Looking for Faith blog. But instead of uselessly fuming in damning judgment of others (and thus adding to the violence of the world), I thought I ought to help. So I am creating pages with some of my favorite quotable women, starting with a few classical, women mystics. (The first should be up soon.)
In the meantime, for anyone who wants a one-book education in women's spiritual poetry a great start is Jane Hirshfield's compilation: Women in Praise of the Sacred.
Elena,
ReplyDeleteAt my most recent United Methodist Annual Conference, I was astounded at the number of qualified, enlightened women pastors who told me they were taking leave of the church for one reason or another, some temporarily, some permanently. There's just something about the institutional church that discourages the voice of women in spirituality - perhaps it's the institutional power structures that keep the powers-that-be in place that are inherently drawing upon those negative traits considered to be stereotypically masculine? Who knows...I just know that the church is poorer for the loss of these strong women's voices.
Peace,
Dan
Elena,
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! I am so looking forward to reading these pages. And thank you for pointing people to Looking for Faith.
You are very welcome, Shelby.
ReplyDeleteDan - Interesting thought, at least re: the institutions of our warrior-based cultures...
Writing women out of "his"story continues as it has for centuries - sadly in UU churches as elsewhere, and often by men & women with the best of liberal intentions.
Interesting that in the late 19th / early 20th century, women ministers were prevalent at new Unitarian and Universalist churches in the American interior & west. The men - entrenched in eastern churches - had no desire to go. The women - with no employment possibilities in those same churches - had no other place to preach.
Elena