Women in world religions

by Kim Shippey

In September, a one-day conference in Nashville, Tennessee, invited participants to share insights on such issues as the place of women in faith traditions; the application of sacred texts to daily life; women in leadership roles; women's roles in marriage and the family; and identifying the stereotypes and misconceptions in religions.

In the keynote address, Dr. Michelle Tooley, an assistant professor of religion at Belmont University in Nashville, emphasized that people's faiths nurture and strengthen them, and if we don't know about those who are different from us, our stereotypes and misconceptions become barriers to relationships.

"We are here," she said, "to learn from women who practice the faith traditions represented here.... Most of us are a part of our religion because we saw someone, or many people, live their faith—and that has made a difference for us."

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