Article January 1, 2001 ISSUE

Gabriele Yonan

Professor of Religion

with contributions from Gabriele Yonan—Berlin, Germany

On the whole, when it comes to founding a religion or to holding leading positions in religion, women are generally not considered suitable. In most developed countries, constitutions guarantee religious freedom and freedom of the sexes. But often this constitutional reality does not correspond to the actual situation. Yet the fact that a constitution guarantees equality is a pre-condition for the development of women's rights — in general, and in the religious arena. And movements like Christian Science are spearheading this development.

Let's take a look at Christian Science, whose founder is a woman. In America, it has been possible for women to take such an emancipatory step — to found a religion. I've read quite a bit about Mary Baker Eddy but never anything that disputed her ability to found a religious movement.

Last year I watched the television interview between Larry King and Virginia Harris, chairman of The Christian Science Board of Directors. I found it very interesting that a woman was willing to accept the challenge of such an interview. And, by the way, it was a very fair interview.

Christian Science is particularly significant in religious history. Not only because its founder was a woman but also because in Christian Science God is understood as not purely masculine. God is seen as Father-Mother.

What can we do about inequality between the sexes? Women are making strides on many levels. They are active in conferences where women from all over the world get together and advocate for women's rights. It's a process. And a lot has happened already. At the beginning of the century, women in Germany could study law at college, but not until 1922, were they actually allowed to work as lawyers or judges. In the past 100 years, emancipation has progressed so far that one can now say this new century will bring real equality.

I don't believe that men and women differ much when it comes to spirituality. It's rather societal forces that say there are such spiritual differences between men and women. In East Germany, for instance, we were educated very much in the Darwinistic-materialistic way. Even as a political dissident, one could not escape that influence. But I think that spiritually — and even physically — women have the same strengths, the same capacities as men.

Some of my family were Christian Scientists. A great-aunt of mine went to Boston in 1909 and took a course in Christian Science healing. I've always been impressed by the fact that a woman in 1909 was allowed to travel to America alone. She was married and had children, and still she was allowed to go. And her daughter, who lived in East Germany, also practiced Christian Science and was a very strong individual. I remember her well.

In my view, it's not important for a woman to compare herself with a man or to question whether she is just as good — or whether she will be one day. Instead, it's important for her to understand that women and men are equal in God's eyes. I don't believe someone like Mary Baker Eddy thought about needing to work harder than a man to achieve something. Instead, she had her own inner experience. And she did what she felt she had to do.

About the author

After studying Romance languages and literature in East Berlin, Dr. Yonan escaped to West Berlin in 1969. She pursued an academic career in Middle Eastern studies at the University of Berlin, focusing primarily on Christianity, Islam, and Judaism as practiced in the Middle East. In the past ten years, she has turned her attention to current religious issues and committed herself to supporting the rights of ethnic and religious minorities.

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