I should probably point out first that I'm not exactly a Christian, I wasn't baptized or raised under any religious doctrine but I've always found it an interesting topic. Nevertheless I'm probably venturing into uncharted territory here so please bear that in mind



I side with Bex on this one. Traditionally, women have often held the position of priest, witch, prophet, etc. In some instances, depending on the culture and the religion in question, to the exclusion of men. There's even a word in the English language which specifically refers to a female version of a prophet. Sybil. I think if you look at we as humans from a hunter/gatherer standpoint you'll see that women have often been viewed as somehow possessing a more spiritual mindset. Now whether that's true or not is a different story but I can see why women should be given ample opportunity to wield spiritual power within the religious community.

I can't for the life of me remember what these people were called but during the Middle Ages there were a select few within the Christian church who would become hermits of a sort, entombing themselves within a section of the church and posing as a guide/counsel to people who came to see them (through a hole in the wall). The person lived off whatever pilgrims fed them. Anyway, if memory serves they were typically women. It seems kind of freaky but imagine how mysterious such a person would be, someone who is forevermore part of the church walls itself! And I'm pretty sure they did their fair share of preaching to passersby.