ON THE BIAS Leaving Our Fathers ’ Houses: Redefining Our Religious Concepts

Abstract

And God made the two great lights.... The two lights ascended together with the same dignity. The moon, however, was not at ease with the sun and in fact each felt mortified by the other. The moon said, "Where dost thou pasture? " (SS1, 7). The sun said, "Where dost thou make thy flock to rest at noon? How can a little candle shine at midday?" God thereupon said to her, "Go and diminish thyself. " She felt humili-ated and said, "Why should I be as one that veileth herself? " God then said, "Go thy way forth in the footsteps of the flock. " Thereupon she diminished herself so as to be head of the lower ranks. From that time she has had no light of her own, but derives her light from the sun. (The Zohar, 1978, pp. 84, 85) Thus, God created hierarchy. This article is about how we women have lived within the Judeo-Christian hierarchy, how we are attempting to move beyond it, what slows us down, and what guides our way. We base our information on the personal spiritual journeys of friends, clients, daughters, and ourselves. The doorway of the church or synagogue speaks to us with a complex invitation and probably always will. A common experience for many women is the feeling of alienation from our religious training or background, often an unconscious or