Has the Church become too feminine?

Jonathan Wynne-Jones
Friday, September 12, 2008

Women are deserting the Church in their thousands and turning to the pagan religion of Wicca.Flowing skirts and garlands hold more attraction than a mitreTired of waiting to wear a mitre, they are putting on pointy hats instead - or dressing in garlands and flowing skirts at any rate.

This, generally speaking, was how the newspapers sold the conclusions of a study by Dr Kristin Aune - a Derby sociologist - into churchgoing habits.

It claimed that the Church faces a crisis in maintaining female worshippers who have become disillusioned because of its traditionalism and hierarchies.

Wicca, on the other hand, offers them real empowerment apparently as they can aspire to the lofty position of High Priestess.

They can even establish their own coven if they so wish.

Now there's power. Who cares about sitting in the House of Lords when you could be overseeing witches developing new spells?

Maybe the Episcopal Church was ahead of the game when it posted a "pagan" rite - called A celebration of the Divine Feminine - on its web site a few years ago. the rest