[Beyond Borders]

(12-20-2012 08:34 PM)ghostdog Wrote:  

Are churches becoming more liberal and ditching their traditionalist roots, or were they never that masculine?

A few highly-theoretical guesses, though I'm not biased to any - just off-the-top-of-my-head theories:

1) Women are naturally more emotional and thus have a greater need for spirituality in their lives.
2) Women are more easily persuaded into spiritual dogma - it's easier to appeal to their emotions and sense of faith.
3) Women need and/or respond to leadership more.
4) Modern women feel they're "missing" something in their lives, just as we do. Many are filling that hole inside themselves through spirituality, just as many of us fill it through "game" and self-improvement.
5) Women crave the traditional, conservative roles of the past and some are finding it through the religious community.
6) Women are naturally drawn to altruistic causes; many religions express themselves through altruistic endeavors.
7) Women feel guiltier than men due to the contrasts they live with - their current roles/freedoms vs. their natural tendencies.
8) Women are more social by nature, and men, Americans especially, prefer to "go it alone"; churches are social by default.
9) Many men would be ridiculed by friends, or at least fear ridicule, for "going to church." Most women could expect full support from friends on a spiritual move, no matter how far out.

ALL THAT SAID, we may be committing a very basic fallacy here as no one has asked the most important question - ARE there more women in churches than men, or is that an assumption pulled from thin air?