For instance, one woman said I criticized the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod for the way it treats women because the Missouri Synod Lutherans will not ordain women. She continued the criticism by saying that I had never criticized the Mormons for the way they treat women. And she charged that the Mormons never ordained women in their church either.

But of course, the Mormons don’t ordain anyone in their church — men or women. Everyone is expected to have a ministry in the Mormon Church. Therefore, sometimes women preach in church, and sometimes they simply sit and listen to men. Sometimes they teach in the school, and sometimes they sew quilts. If the Mormons mistreat women, I condemn their action.

Another woman called to say that I never criticize the Muslims. She said they expect their women to dress with long flowing robes and to cover their faces. And this same woman said that men always lead people in the Islamic faith and that women always have to sit apart from the men, in the back of the mosque.

According to Magda Saikali, a local spokesperson for women’s issues in the Islamic faith, women are equal to men. The long robes Muslim women wear are commanded by the Koran, but Saikali doesn’t believe that makes her unequal with men. She sees the opportunities women have through Islam: to be educated, to inherit estates, to choose their own names — to have their own identities.

“I was a businesswoman for 22 years,” Saikali said. “But for the past eight years, I have stayed home to care for my children because I want to build something good for society.”

Another woman called to say that she was sick and tired of me always criticizing religion. “Why can’t you just leave religions alone? Why do you always have to criticize religion?”

If I could have had a conversation with any of these women (none of them left a telephone number), I would have pointed out that I am a person called to criticize. I see injustice in our society in places where these women apparently see only happiness.

Further, the people who distribute my weekly column want me to be a critical person. They do not ask me to always praise religion but rather to dig around and find the problem areas — the little troubles that may someday become huge crises. I am not asked to comment about the smooth road ahead but rather about the huge potholes that threaten to stall movement.

I would like to see these women and others like them join with men in creating religions that are friendly to both sexes.

I would like them to think into the future and see their daughters and granddaughters being negatively influenced by these decisions to exclude women from the leadership of the church.

I find it embarrassing that religion, which promises freedom, is the last place in our culture where women are denied the right to be leaders. For some reason, my mind says that is not just.

The real problem for these women is neither my column nor my criticism. The real problem is they see vast changes coming to their religion, and they want to stop the progressive movement. But in their hearts, they know it will come no matter what they do. And when a columnist chides their religion, it sets them off.

I can understand their frustration because I have lived through decades when the only constant was change. I have watched cherished things, such as Bach cantatas, become antique memories rather than rousing music for the present day. Probably every person over 40 years of age grieves for something when worshipping in our churches today.

But friends, we have to look deeply into the future — at all the pressures that will come to bear upon our religions. We have to break down weaknesses and replace them with a strong resolve that no person, in any religion, will be kept from exercising his or her full potential as a child of God. I believe God wants that to be true.

Clark D. Morphew