Where are the Woman Priests?
Channel: VideoVolunteers
Date: 2011-11-17

In North East India, the Christian Church does not allow women to hold high positions.

?It?s not about name, fame, power or money. It is a matter of due recognition not be given. When men dedicate their lives to the church and God, they are ordained and given the title of ?reverend? and the opportunity to preach to his flock, to bless a wedding and to conduct baptisms. But when a woman makes the choice of a life of the same rigor and sacrifice, they become secretaries, teachers or at best, missionaries. They get no title, recognition or position. I have never seen or heard a single woman reverend in the whole of North East India.?

Achungmei Kamei, community correspondent and activist from Manipur confesses that she is unable to make sense of the gender discrimination that is pervasive in the Churches of the North East. 34% of the population of Manipur is Christian and majority of the churches are of the Baptist denomination. Achungmei belongs to a Baptist church in her village and while she?s hesitant to answer the question ?are you religious?? she?s comfortable with describing herself as a habitual churchgoer. ?In my place, the church is a respected and influential institution and the fact that there are no women higher up in the ministry is a reflection of the position of women in society. Rather than continuing the restrictive traditions, I would think it is the responsibility of the church to set an example to the community by ordaining a woman.?

She reveals that her motivation to speak out on the issue was also a personal one. She tells the story of her sister who from a very young age decided that she was going to dedicate her life to the church. She was a good student throughout her long and exacting theological studies but at the end of it when she desired to be part of the ministry, she was not accepted. She is currently employed as a teacher but Achungmei feels that the bright promise that she showed has been unfairly nipped in the bud.

?People say that the scriptures dictate that women must not speak in the church but the same scriptures also say that everybody has a voice in the house of God,? she says. ?Many churches and denominations across the world are now ordaining women. I see them on the TV sometimes but I would love it and be proud if I saw one in my community.?

Since the 70s, there has been a vocal struggle in the churches of India to secure equal rights for the women. The first Indian woman was ordained in 1983 by the Church of North India and most denominations have followed suit and the number of women in ministries have risen steadily. Even as the Vatican refuses to acknowledge gender equality, most denominations have moved ahead keeping in the context with the context and culture of the times. But local factions like the churches in the North East are still steadfast in the grip of orthodoxy, alternatively citing and overlooking the scriptures as per convenience and altogether missing out on the often more progressive attitudes of a younger generation.

?In the Baptists, the believers themselves have to make a choice as to when they want to get baptized. Only when they are baptized, they initiate their Christian life. It?s almost like a second birth. Isn?t it fair then, that a woman is the one who guides you through??

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For more info on the role of women in India in the church of India:- http://www.womenutc.com/nirmala.htm

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