ABSTRACT
Over the last decades a large number of studies have been conducted within the ¿eld of gender and religion. This chapter is meant to make only a small contribution. We will first consider different images of women and men found in the sacred texts within different world religions. A considerable number of books and articles have appeared on this topic, especially within theology and religious studies (see Sharma 1994; Young 1999). Yet the topic of women and religion is not confined to sacred texts and symbols only, but also to actual lives. What distinguishes the religious experiences of women from those of men? Several scholars have focused on religious institutions and attempted to determine the actual roles women have within different world religions or within various religious communities. Many studies of contemporary religiosity have described women’s responsiveness to religion. Social scientists who have analysed the high participation of women in religion have attempted to explain why this is so. Women’s religious participation has also been criticized. Feminism has claimed that religious women have “false consciousness.” Therefore, we will assess the relationship between feminism and religion. In discussions on gender and religion, a closely related topic is the religious interpretation of sexuality. Religion tends to regulate sexuality, and its directions and proscriptions are often directed towards women and towards homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people. We will look at these issues towards the end of the chapter.
