Current research deals with the problem of religion in Australia. Though we live in a technological and secular era the issue of religion is still very important because as religious statistics show many people still adhere to certain moral and religious norms and many identify themselves with a certain Church.
This particular research seeks to develop a comparative analysis of women’s role and status in two religious traditions – Anglicanism and Catholicism. The main source of our generalizations and conclusions are interviews taken from people identifying themselves with certain religious traditions.
The main hypothesis of this research paper is that the Anglican tradition of Christianity allows more freedom and responsibility/ roles than the Catholic tradition.
Historically Catholicism is regarded as more repressive religion in terms of morality, gender roles, and social norms. Anglicanism or Protestantism as many researchers claim was a reaction of rising commercial class to feudal limitations imposed by Catholic choice.
Protestantism was a strictly individualistic religion claiming that belief is a personal business and can not be imposed. Carrier growth and wealth accumulation were regarded in some currents of Protestantism and signs of God’s providence. More difficult is to specify the role of women in these two religious traditions.
It seems a priori that Protestantism was more democratic about women, but this vision as literature and history show is deceiving for morality was deeply transformed in terms of family oppression and subjugation of women. So, interview findings may be useful in determining the real conditions of women in these two religions.
First of all, as the interview suggests women comprise more than a half of people that go to Catholic choice, and their responsibilities and rights as the interview shows are improving after the Second Vatican Council.
What concerns the roles that women play in the Church may vary from various administrative positions to mass events. This fact can be good evidence that women have received certain rights within the Catholic church but as the interview further shows these gains are extremely limited.
As the interviewed shows women are not at all likely to become priests in Catholic choice which proves that it continues to be prejudiced against gender. This topic is hushed up in the Vatican and is not on agenda.
What concerns the Anglican church (not to confuse with evangelical Anglicans) it has more liberal norms and traditions in relation to women. In this religious tradition, they have more personal and religious rights and can have administrative and canonical positions in their church.
Many Australian women in the Anglican church are priests and some of them are bishops which proves the fact that this church is less prejudiced about women than the Catholic church.
To sum it up, as an interview and historical material shows the responsibilities of women both in Catholic and Anglican Church in Australia are almost similar (more in favor of the Anglican Church), however, in the Anglican Church women have more opportunities to become priests and bishops. Hence, it may be argued that historical and cultural assumptions are only then sound and true if are supported by empirical or statistical data.
Bibliography
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