Iranian Women are Taking to the Streets


Around the world, women are demanding the end of practices, policies and attitudes that hold them back from full participation in society. Some places it is dangerous to practice the politics of equality. But women are doing it, including in Iran. Women there are casting off their hair covering and marching in the streets. 

Defiance of rules made and enforced by men does not appeal to all women. It would be wonderful political theater if 60% of the women in the world decided, more or less at the same time, they will no longer tolerate rules that make them 2nd class citizens. 

We've already seen some of this in Ireland, Chile and here in Kansas where abortion has been legalized in spite of religious hand wringing. In the U.S. black and gay people said they would not put up with harassment by the majority.  It can happen with women as well. 

I wish we knew more about what is going among women in Afghanistan. I blogged a while back about women who lost their jobs because of their gender. They started schools for girls in their homes and there is a lot of lying about where girls are spending their time. 

I remember reading the statement of a mucky muck in the Southern Baptist Convention a while back. He said a lot of theological ideas in the denomination could be negotiated. The one which absolutely must not change, however, is the ordination of women. Since then, the celebrity author and preacher in California, Rick Warren, started several churches that are members of the Southern Baptist Convention. He recently ordained two or three women as pastors. At the most recent Southern Baptist Convention, a motion to expel his churches was introduced. I don't understand all that transpired but the convention closed without expelling those churches. That doesn't mean success for women. It does show there are different points of view and change may be coming. 

If you belong to a denomination that excludes women from the pulpit, it might be worth your while to read what is happening in Iran.  

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