Women of Other Faiths
Using common values contained in their respective teachings, women of all religious traditions can work together and collaborate in many areas especially peace building and women’s empowerment. Collectively women of all faiths can learn from each other’s struggles and histories, while showing support for women’s religious leadership roles worldwide. Please contribute to this archive by suggesting women of all faiths to be featured through our recommendation form.
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Ruth
Known For: Her devotion and loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi.
Faith: Christianity
Country: Palestine
About
The story of Ruth is an important one in the Bible. One day, in the midst of a famine in Bethlehem, a man named Elimelech took his wife Naomi, a Hebrew, and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion, to Moab. Following his death, his sons married two Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Unfortunately, however, their husbands soon died, leaving the women childless.
Naomi planned to return to Bethlehem but insisted that her daughter-in-laws remarry and start new lives. Ruth, who was fond of her mother-in-law and treated her as if she were her own birth mother, did not want Naomi to return alone. Thus, the two set off for Bethlehem together.
Though Ruth was a Moabite, and Naomi a Hebrew, her loyalty and devotion to her mother-in-law impressed the people of Bethlehem, who embraced her presence. In the Bible, Ruth was reported to have said, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).1
The two were able to create a new life together. Ruth later married a man named Boaz and together, the two had a son named Obed. According to Biblical genealogy, Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David. Ruth was therefore the great-grandmother of David. Her story is noted in the Bible’s book of Ruth, a part of the Old Testament.
[1] “Ruth,” AboutBibleProphecy.com.
Sources
“Ruth,” AboutBibleProphecy.com.
Hunt, Helen LaKelly. The Half Book-Devotions on Justice and Peace.
