Pantheistic sects granted women religious freedoms orthodox churches denied

Evidence

Through membership in the new sects, women enjoyed significantly more religious freedom than in either the Church of England or the Catholic Church. The Puritans had elevated the female to helpmeet in the family, assigned her the task of instructing the family in religious matters, and argued for an end to wife beating, though women were still considered subordinate partners in the marriage relationship. In the sects, however, equality before God was stressed; women could be admitted to membership without their husbands and were free to preach, prophesy, and participate in governance. In many congregations, women outnumbered men, and in London women preaching on Sundays became common. Those women who joined the new religious sects were undoubtedly attracted by the freedoms and equalities found there. — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature, 531

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Gnostic Christianity granted women religious roles orthodox churches denied them — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology,…, 116; Radical Protestant sects offered women greater religious participation than orthodox churches — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology,…, 601; Women’s status in Christendom exceeded that in polygamous societies — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 1860 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Radical Protestant sects offered women greater religious participation than orthodox churches #corroborates (0.92) — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature, 601
• Women’s status in Christendom exceeded that in polygamous societies #responds-to (0.75) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1860