I wouldn’t say the church at large leads the charge in defining gender roles because our Eastern Orthodox and Catholic brothers and sisters do not clamor to put the hard lines down around the differences. However, many churches where men (and their women) fear losing their power tend to define what women and men can and cannot do. The more fear, the more strictly the roles are delineated. For instance, I’ve been saddened how many gender-defining books are fueled by a misunderstanding and fear of feminism.
Lingering Effects
One other issue of particular interest to historians about the medieval witch hunts was the lurid connection between women’s sexuality and their prosecution for witchcraft. Not only were many of the accused women molested in the name of “interrogation,” but the witch hunts blamed women for sexual crimes in a way that still permeates our culture today. The prevailing medieval social theory was that women “made” men sin. According to the theory, if women weren’t so carnal and tempting, men would have no trouble staying pure. Today women are still held responsible for sexual crime in many of the same ways. The shame of reporting a rape and the fear of being accused of tempting a man beyond what he can bear still keeps women silent and rapists free. Our justice system continues to operate with a double standard when prostitution is involved too. Women are arrested for prostitution at nearly three times the rate that men are arrested for solicitation.
But why should you and I care about prostitution arrests or subtle slurs on “femininity” within the church? Because history has shown us, time and again, that even little twists on truth can end with plenty of destruction. From the garden of Eden to the witch hunts of the Inquisition, to the persecution of Jews, to cults and suicide pacts, half-truths and best guesses leave a wake of pain.
The issues of gender roles and religious thought are so much more complex than I can cover here. If you want a beautiful, thoughtful exploration of gender roles and differences, I recommend you read Jonalyn Grace Fincher’s excellent book Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home. You can also learn more about her work at Soulation.org. Jonalyn writes about these issues with passion and searing intellect.
Which Witch?
The vast majority of witch-hunt victims were not witches, but true witchcraft has always played a role in history. Throughout history, many women have practiced folk magic because they were denied access to education, medicine, and the courts. Women relied on the promise of magic to fight disease, keep their children alive, and bring justice to the afflicted. Wherever women were powerless and excluded, magic seemed to offer help.
Today, you and I live in an age of unprecedented abundance and access to law, medicine, and education. So why is witchcraft often cited as the fastest growing religion in America?
I decided to find out.
I contacted a local New Age bookstore, and they invited me to sit in on a regular meeting of local witches. I was given free rein to ask any question. I came to the meeting with a notebook, a pen, and plenty of prayer. I worried that the witches would be strange, hostile, or want to hurt me because I was a Christian.
I left the meeting burdened with sorrow and with a tender spot in my heart for these women. The women I met—these witches—were just like the women I knew in church. Lovely, wounded, searching, fascinated by a world beyond our own, generous, and open. These women were my neighbors, fellow taxpayers, and part of my larger community. We were much more alike than I would have guessed.
In fact, all the women I spoke with that day grew up in church. Each expressed a strong awareness, early on, of the hypocrisy rampant in churches. (This is, of course, a plague affecting every church across the world. I don’t think Christian hypocrisy disproves the validity of Christ and Christianity. Rather, it proves it.)
At my meeting with the witches, the women said something else that shocked me. Most of the women had experienced a strange supernatural event as a child. One woman saw spirits. One was plagued by bad visions. Each had sought help, or information, from others in the church and church leaders. Each received no help, no counseling, no information. So the women turned to the only people willing to listen, explain, and help: the local occult bookstore.