By B. V. Tripurari Swami http://www.swami.org/sanga

Question:      I would not venture to say that the liberated women is either good or bad. Women are now demanded to compete with men rather then men learning to become as loving as women. I simply take note of the sage advice of persons like Christ and Prabhupada. I find myself cautious of those who second-guess these personalities.

Answer:     I do not find that the strides that have been taken to give women the right to vote and other equal opportunities has made them any less loving. In many cases they are more loving because they have the opportunity to express their love beyond their immediate family circle. Now they can vote, have a say as to what the world needs, and thus share the loving nature you attribute to them by investing it in determining world leaders. Nor is there any evidence that women are now less caring at home. The equality that women have gained has also caused many men to become more caring.

You choose not to 'second guess' Prabhupada or Jesus Christ. What about the continuing guru parampara that is intended to help us understand the previous acaryas in light of our times? Do you really think that we should to go back to the Bible and determine the place of women in today's society based on what is written there, rather than listening to any number of modern theologians and other religious leaders in the Christian parampara who have made adjustments in this area suitable to our times? If so, you are identifying with a very small, extremely conservative branch of Christian fundamentalism that would no doubt consider Pat Robertson the devil.

I am not second guessing Prabhupada. I am dealing with the reality of our times, as he or any religious reformer would. If you think that the world is going to return to a women- at-home man-at-work ethic by your preaching, and that this is something worth spending time on, you are entitled to do that. But it is not something that I think is very central to Gaudiya Vaisnavism, nor very practical.