Women Priests Essay -- essays research papers fc

If wiz was to take a step back and look at our society as awhole one would see that womens rights direct changeddramatically over the last century. Women are no longerexpected to get married, have shaverren, and stay at station totake care of their family. Women have left the home andentered the work force. There have been many laws passed toprevent the discrimination of women and to make sure thatthey are do by equally. Certainly, one can say that there is still a strugglebetween the sexes over the organization of modern society. Society has indeed embraced a sexual activity war of sorts throughthe ages which has culminated in a outcome that declares themale the victor. One example of this is that women are nonallowed to be decreed as priests in the Catholic Church.As a child, I attended Catholic schools until highschool. I was instructed by mostly nuns. I can rememberthat when the priest came into the room we would have tostand up as a sign of respect towards our faith. As I gotolder, I began to think that nuns are part of the religiouslife notwith stand up we dont have to treat them with this same respect. During my catholic education, I was taught that God createdus in his image and likeness. If this is true, and asChristians we believe that Christ is the fullest expression of God, how can they say that only men imageGod? Are women incapable of revealing God? A hundred years ago, women had little standing in theCatholic Church, like in society in general. Women were notallowed to receive communion during their monthly periodsand after giving birth to a child they needed to be purifiedbefore re-entering a church building. Women were strictlyforbidden to touch sacred items such as the chalice, thepaten, or the alter linen. They certainly could notdistribute holy communion. While in church, women need tohave their heads veiled at all times. Women were alsobarred from entering the sanctuary except for cleanuppurposes, reading Sacred Scripture from th e pulpit,preaching, singing in a church choir, being alter servers,becoming full members of confraternities and organizationsof the laity, and most importantly women were barred fromreceiving Blessed Orders. In our time today with the new awarenes... ...you were to walk into a Catholic Church this Sundayyou would most likely see a women on the alter. barelythis women would not be weary the fancy vestments standingbehind the alter. Women have come a long way, but until awomen is able to be ordained as a priest, Catholic Churches will continue to play on gender roles.Although I am not and never will be implicated inbecoming a priest myself, I feel that excluding women fromthe priesthood because of their sex is discriminatory. BibliographyBartusch, D., Matsueda, R. Gender, reflected appraisals,and labeling a cross-group test of an interactionst theoryof delinquency. Social Forces (1996).Greeley, A. (1984). Angry Catholic Women. Illinois TheThomas much Press.Ruether, R. (1985). Wo men-Church, Theology and Practice. New York Harper & Row Publishers.Sweeney, T. (1992). A Church Divided. NewYork Prometheus Books.Swidler, L. (1977). Women Priest A Catholic Commentary onthe Vatican Declaration. New York Paulist Press.