Women, oh women!

Here we go. The Finnish Lutheran Church and its pastors. We've got two kind: male and female. Males have had the right of way always and women got their first chance to even start driving 20 years ago.

Some background information might be helpful. The FLC is rather big, over 80% of a population of about 5 million people belong to it. The church prides itself on its democratic system where decisions are made by a Synod which meets twice a year. Laymen make up a majority of the Synod, but a fixed number of seats have been set aside for clergy. The Synod can propose changes in the Ecclesiastical Act and it is also the one that deals with questions of doctrine.
The proposition of letting also women become pastors was rejected several times and the last time was in the early 80's. As a result my godmother among other women left the Church. Although I appreciate the gesture the problem was of course that they then no longer had any possiblity of influencing the church from the inside. What made that last nay decision most upsetting was that there were more people for female pastors than against but what was needed was a 2/3 for decision.
In 1986 the issue had been debated for over two decades and then the decision finally passed. BUT with the understanding that those men who couldn't agree with the decision could still continue as pastors, too. In practice, the women would yield. This understanding was written down as a part of the decision but it never was intended nor does it have the full effect of a law. It has been seen by those who oppose to have the same power however.
Now, last fall 20 years later the Bishop's meeting (we have 9 dioceses) decided that it no longer was allowed for the vicars of parishes to plan the working schedules of their staff in a way that those opposing females as pastors wouldn't have to celebrate with women. Up till now this is what was rutinely done in those congregations where there were issues with this.
It has taken some months, but the first anti-female-pastor male pastor has now let the public know that this was the reason for him to not perform his duties on a Sunday some weeks back. He would have had to celebrate with the female pastor of his congregation. The media loves controversy and ate it up.
A bishop is so fed up with the dilemma that he has now publicly said that those not ok with the decision should leave the church alltogether and start their own. The archbishop voiced out his opinion (for female pastors) and basically everyone has had an opinion about this - again. The problem is that ordinary people are upset and disappointed in the church and I cannot blame them. It is very hard to understand why when the Chruch teaches that everyone is equally precious to God at the same time some are more worthy than others or more accepted than others. This of course also applies to the question of homosexuality and the church, too.
In all honesty I don't fully understand the anti-women-clergy logic so I'm hardly the best person to analyze it. Obviously I'm ok with women being pastors since I am one. And for me it has always been a possibility to become one. In 1986 I was an exchange student to South Dakota and 17 years old. So, for me this was never a question of weather I could or couldn't. And I both know and trust that the issue has been throghly thought through way back when.
Secondly, I really do believe that every one is precious to God and it cannot be right to be deemed unqualified based on one's sex. I believe that people -sex, color, sexual orientation, age, everything included - are equal. I cannot for the life of me understand why I couldn't do something solely because I am a woman. I've never understood what that has to do with anything. Nor can I understand why a man couldn't do something solely because he is a man. But how often do you really encounter the latter question anyway? Exactly, not often. Somehow women are second grade. "Why" evades me.
What I see is that there are two fundamentally different ways of understanding faith and especially the Bible. The other one demands rules, regulations, principles and laws. The other one bases itself on love and trusts that if love is the key, the starting point, in our lives, theology and decisions, we are moving to the right direction.

What used to be has value only if it brings truth and love to light. Traditions repeated or adheared to based on their age but not their actual intent are just not worth repeating. That something has always been done in one way doesn't mean that it needs or should stay like that forever. Things change. The world changes. We change. Traditions should and, in fact do, do so, too.