Causes, effects and counter-examples

There are those who might argue that religious views upholding male superiority, male-only leadership in religious posts and female subservience within the religion are simply a pretense for a pre-existing misogyny.

The religious claims, in this view, are a pretext or an excuse, rather than a genuine belief derived from the faith itself. In this view, the religious arguments are an after-the-fact effort to rationalize the prior misogyny and obsession with power, control and dominance.

I think it’s important to push back against this impolite accusation. It’s an affront to civility to suggest that the motives of these devout believers might be anything other than what they claim them to be.

So to refute this argument, I’m compiling a list of religious traditions that insist on male dominance within the tradition, but which are also marked by a robust commitment to the full equality of women outside of their churches. By showing many such examples of this, we can prove that these religious views are genuine and disprove the possibility that they are little more than a cynical mask for a raw power-grab.

So here’s my initial list of denominations, sects and religions that maintain a male-only clergy, yet unfailingly support women’s rights in the broader society:

1. …

… well, there’s … um …

OK, I’ll have to get back to you with that initial list. I’m sure we can come up with many, many examples. Tons of them.

My inability to think of any just now doesn’t prove anything.