... itself, patriarch, comes from the word "pater," meaning father. In a patriarchal system, the "father" or man rules over everything, including women. There is a substantial amount of evidence to prove that Christianity was indeed a very patriarchal system for centuries and that men were the natural leaders in Christianity. This can be seen from very early on, as the majority of apostles that followed Jesus were themselves men as well. It can be seen throughout the history of the papacy in Catholicism as well, in which all popes have been male. Women were not even allowed to be ordained into positions of higher power in other Christian churches until fairly recently. For example, the Presbyterian denomination ordained their first woman minister, Margaret Towner, in 1956 (MacHaffie 205). The Catholic Church still refuses to this day to allow women into the priesthood. It has been such a struggle for women ...

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