Forward Book

This is a wonderful read. I have enjoyed every word of it. It is both eye-opening and empowering. In her book Sered analyzed a dozen of well-documented religions dominated by women, meaning with women leadership and dominant women participants. Based on previous anthropologists and ethnographers' research, Sered successfully analyzed, compared and revealed many characteristics of women's relgions, e.g. the intimate relation of child death and women's spirituality, the complex hierarchy yet lack of central power within the religion, the embrace of diversity and the conscious avoidance of sacred texts :)

At the same time, Sered also pointed out a few weaknesses in existing anthropological research methods. E.g., the assumption that complicated theology and philosophy are only articulated through language (especially written language). In fact, in her research, she found out that many women's religions are using elaborate sign languages, ritual dances and food rituals to express sophisticated metaphysical beliefs and theologies.

However, I find that many of the characteristics of women's religions in her book could not be separated from characteristics of anti-cultures and/or many eastern indigenous religions. Though Sered emphasize that those characteristics are not unique and that women's relgions simply possess more of these traits, I feel that the commonality of women's religions as anti-cultures and the different social construction of genders (especially East vs West) credit more attention and further research.