What are Christian attitudes towards women priests?

Answer 1

Answer 1

I cannot answer for all Christian denominations, however, in Roman Catholicism, women are not allowed to become priests. Why? Christ had many disciples during his lifetime, including many women, but when it came time to choose his twelve apostles, he chose only men. We follow the teachings of Christ.

Women were very involved in Christ's life and ministry, and they took on very active roles. Today, women take on very active roles in the Roman Catholic Church, as well, like the women disciples did then. There are women in the Catholic Church who are leaders in their own right.

Yet, the title, "priest" is reserved for men only. Some find this appalling. I have found that those who do are more interested in "personal gains" rather than in the true spirit of the ministry. The priesthood was not established for the PRIESTS, to bring wealth or power or prestige to the men in the priesthood. It was established IN RELATION to others. Priests are ordained to SERVE their congregation. It's not about what THEY get out of being a priest, but rather what they GIVE! When they die and stand in judgment before Christ, they will not be asked what they had gained from being a priest, but what they BROUGHT to the PEOPLE - how did they serve God's people to help them become more holy? God doesn't care about the power or prestige they gain - in fact, if they enter the priesthood for that reason, then they will likely be unable to serve God's people.

Most of those who think women priests=equality are thinking in terms of what the individual priest gains by entering the priesthood. Women "deserve" the same gains - power, prestige, etc - as men receive when they become priests.

Each one of us is called to make OTHERS more holy. Women do this in their roles in the church, just as well as men priests do. As much as some want to deny this fact, men and women ARE different. Each has a unique set of gifts, to be used for the greater glory of God. To deny our gifts, or to try to say that our gifts are a carbon copy of gifts given to others is an insult to God. We must use OUR gifts, not try to pretend that we have some other gifts. The Church is made up of many parts - each has a different role to play, but we are all one body, the Church. And we are all equally important in the Church. What would the leg be, without a foot? What would the arm be, without a hand? And what would the head be, without a neck to turn it? Just because women cannot be what they think is the proverbial "head" of the Church, does not mean their role - as neck, as eyes, as ears, as hands, etc - is any less important.

Answer 2The question asks for a Christian attitude. The above shows the attitude of just part of the Christian Church (eg the Roman Catholic and Orthodox view, and that of a small number of fundamentalist evangelicals).

In actuality, a very large proportion of the Christian Church - even many rank-and-file Catholics dare I say (although the 'official' positi9n is very different!)- are in favour of women priests. And many large Church denominations already have either bishops, priests or ministers already. Examples are the Anglicn Church, Episcopalians, Methodists, URC, Dutch Reformed, Remonstrant, some Baptists and many others.

These Churches interpret Scripture very differently, and look at the history of the early Church (before it was taken over by men) to see the sort of Church that Christ himself instituted. They see Church leaders who were women ((eg Lydia, Priscilla etc) and they look at scriptural evidence as well as evidence from the catacombs of the 2nd century and see frescos such as the 'Fractio Panis' where the Eucharist is being celebrated wiith the central president being very clearly a woman.

It has nothing to do with modern 'equality' but is definitely to do with each of us being made in the image of God. Christians would never discriminate between a black or white person becoming a priest, because it's against the law. Nor would they discriminate between, say, an Englishman or a Frenchman, or a millionaire or pauper. Yet some feel free to discriminate between male and female. And to suggest that women do not have the 'gifts' necessary to become priests, simply because they are women, is an insult, and speaks more about the attitude of the suggester than the role of women.

As Paul stated categorically in his letter to the Galatians, a church where these very issues were being discussed, and where bigotry and prejudice were creeping in:

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

[Gal 3:28]

In the early 20th century, women died as a result of protests because they fought to have the vote. Women have fought in the miiddle 20th century to be paid the same rates as men for the work they do. They have fought for equality within jobs and promotion prospects. The truth is that there are those within socirty, and sadly within the Christian church too, who will hide behind their version of scripture and Church 'tradition' to maintain a mysoginistic attitude towards women in the guise of it being 'God's will'. Yet within the tradition of the early Church and within scripture properly interpreted, there is not a scrap of evidence even suggesting that priesthood should be reserved for men only. And the Church can only reflect the image of Christ, and serve the world with integrity, when those who still try to maintain male-dominated attitudes realise just how wrong they are.