Do women need religion?

The other day I was having coffee in the park with my good friend Alex. One of the things I like about Alex is that he is a man. Now I know that may sound a bit queer, but in these times, when so many men (and women) are struggling with their gender identities, it is nice to meet a guy every now and then who is still a “real” man and being proud of it.

Alex likes all the things “real” men like to do: boxing, wrestling, looking at- and talking about girls, riding the big waves on his surf board and going to soccer games with his mates. Like a “real” man he doesn’t like his wife around when he’s doing most of these men things. Especially not during soccer games: “They always spoil the fun,” he says. “They sit there in between us guys with an attitude like ‘what’s all the fuss about?’ It’s really hard to get into the game with someone like that around!”

Recently Alex read a book by Osho, formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the Indian philosopher and guru who drew huge crowds to his ashram in Pune during the 1970’s and 1980’s. According to Osho it is only logical that men are more competitive than women, because of their different genetic makeup. He says that men are essentially unbalanced within themselves, which gets them into all sorts of trouble.

“Men need to hunt, fight, struggle and compete,” says Alex, “in order to get some balance into their system.” He then made an interesting associative jump that got me thinking. He said: “That’s why women don’t need religion. Religion is like as soccer and politics – another thing women aren’t good at. Religion is basically about competition, dominance and power. It’s all about who’s God is greater, stronger, wiser, more real.”

I used to think it was unfair that women were excluded from being bishops, ayatollahs, muftis and popes. Now I’m not so sure. Maybe women really don’t need fights, struggles and power games to find balance in their world. Maybe women don’t need religion.