One of the biggest ways that the modern world would be changed if worship of the Mother Goddess were once again the most popular spirituality on the planet would be in the way that women and girls are treated. Monotheistic, male-centric religions are, in my opinion, the biggest reasons for the reprehensible ways that females are treated. According to the book “When God Was a Woman”, in ancient societies where the Mother Goddess was worshipped, women had much more social and political power and agency over their lives. The stories of the male-dominated religions make it seem it is not only the right of men to subjugate women, it is actually their duty to do so. While Christians like to point fingers at Muslims and condemn them for their …show more content…
Men are far more likely to commit violent acts than women are. I think that part of the reason men are so much more violent is that we have created a culture of toxic masculinity and the male-dominated religions are part of that issue, due to the fact that the male gods are more wrathful and violent. This seems to further the idea that this is the way men are supposed to be. I do not believe that there would be no violence. People would still be people. However, if the Mother Goddess were worshipped and women and things that are considered womanly were more respected, people might see men outwardly expressing their emotions as valid and acceptable. As it stands, men and boys are told things like “suck it up”, “man up”, “boys don’t cry”, “don’t be such a girl”, and other nonsense that gives the impression that having feelings and expressing them is for women and weaklings (although, many people seem to consider those to be one and the same). The religions of the Mother Goddess were often referred to as fertility cults. This seems to be because they held fertility and life in high regard. This is another aspect of Goddess worship that might help curb violence. People may not be so willing to take a life or do harm to others if we passed on an attitude of respect for life
Believers of the Old and New Testaments claim that violence is a sin and can only lead to more brutality and death; poet Tony Barnstone firmly agrees. In his poem “Parable in Praise of Violence” Barnstone lambastes the American obsession with violence-- that it is often triggered by inevitable events which could be handled in different manners. The speaker in “Parable in Praise of Violence” reflects on all parts of his “sinful” culture and comes to the realization that people often use violence as a way to deal with emotions of grief and anger caused by events and concepts they cannot explain.
Everyone has once been someone that they aren’t necessarily ashamed of, but something they aren’t anymore. When you’re in school, everyone is different; between the popular kids, the jocks, the cheerleader, the dorks, the Goths, and all the other “types” of people. In “Her Kind,” Anne Sexton shows that she has been a lot of different women, and she is not them now. In this paper we will be diving into the meanings behind the displaced “I,” the tone and reparation, and who Anne Sexton really is and how that affects what she is trying to let people see through this poem.
Womanist biblical hermeneutics centers Black women’s experience and identity, social location, historical memory, a hermeneutics of suspicion, and a hermeneutics of affirmation. In addition, womanist biblical hermeneutics are radical and subversive forms of biblical interpretation that provide multi-dimensional systemic analysis and critique, acknowledge and affirm a multiplicity of voices and identities. Womanist biblical hermeneutics provide a means for Black women to critique unjust forms of oppression, discourse, and practices, especially in relation to the use of scripture in order to facilitate social transformation. This bibliographic essay will map the various conceptual frameworks and methods of religious scholars engaging in womanist’s
It can easily be seen that while men were considered to be the most powerful and wisest humans and gods, women had the power to significantly influence these men. From Uta-napishti's wife who convinced Uta-napishti to tell Gilgamesh about the plant that would make him young again to the examples mentioned above, several women were put in roles that had important effects on the men they encountered. Of course, this is not much different from the society we live in today. While many may believe that women have still not reached the point of true equality, it is hard to say that they are inferior and the significance of their roles in society is undeniable.
In a 2012 study 92% of women reported experiencing some form of sexual violence in public spaces in their lifetime. 88% reported experiencing some form of verbal sexual harassment.
Anna Julia Cooper’s, Womanhood a Vital Element in the Regeneration and Progress, an excerpt from A Voice from the South, discusses the state of race and gender in America with an emphasis on African American women of the south. She contributes a number of things to the destitute state African American woman became accustom to and believe education and elevation of the black woman would change not only the state of the African American community but the nation as well. Cooper’s analysis is based around three concepts, the merging of the Barbaric with Christianity, the Feudal system, and the regeneration of the black woman.
Women have not been treated equally in history. They were not given the same rights and opportunities as men. However, religion was a way the women could get an education and power in their spiritual lives. What was a choice women had to get educated or involved? Church, or convents being an only option for most women, it was the only possibility for them to have an education and control over their minds. I believe that there are a lot of authors that would agree that women turned to the church or religion frequently to escape home lives. In a lot of readings there are parents that give away their children to the churches early on because the parents think it is a better option for their child’s lives. Also if the parents did not have enough
Every culture has some form of higher being, to be a model for their behaviour, as well as to look up to. In Greek times, these were the gods and goddesses who made their home on Mount Olympus. Women identified with the goddesses because they shared some feminine attributes. Goddesses were a “symbol of motherhood and fertility, but also of strength, wisdom, caring, nuturing, temperance, chastity, cunning, trickery, jealousy, and lasciviousness” (Clarke, 1999). However, not all of the goddesses possessed all of these attributes. The goddess Aphrodite, for instance, was not nurturing, nor was she very caring.
Women are considered the goddesses of the world but it is also true that they are not treated as such. It is human nature to try and separate and sort ourselves out into groups or is it human characteristics? Women have been ill-treated for many years and used just as a means to fulfil the wishes of men. Considering women as goddesses is not enough to give them full women empowerment in the world. In previous times in history women held no value compared to men; their only purpose was to stay home, take care of the children and fulfill their husband wishes.
In her article, “Feminist Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies”, Phyllis Trible discusses the issues centered toward women in the bible (Trible). She addresses issues not just concerning equality, but also how men viewed women in biblical times. Trible examines the role of women in the bible, and the misconception they carry, that leads many into harms way.
...m played a role in ending practices such as human sacrifice, slavery, infanticide and adultery. Christianity in general affected the status of women by condemning infanticide, divorce, incest, polygamy, birth control, abortion and marital infidelity. While official Church teaching considers women and men to be equal and different, some modern activists of ordination of women and other feminists argue that the teachings by St. Paul, the Fathers of the Church and Scholastic theologians advanced the impression of a pleasingly ordained female subordination. Nevertheless, women have played prominent roles in Western history through the Catholic Church, particularly in education and healthcare, but also as influential theologians and mystics. The important status of the Virgin Mary gave views of maternal virtue and compassion a place at the heart of Western civilization.
Despite the patriarchal society from the biblical days, God is taught as being just as much a Mother as God is a Father (102). The willful ignorance of religious scholars of the time just show that they were making a conscious effort of trying to keep women from retaining any power that they had. This relegation of religious roles in an effort to keep Men in power is a poor example of how Christianity is a religion which promotes for the love and care of all people, no matter their status. The interpretation of God from these times clash severely with my notions of what is now considered to be an all-loving entity. Women of these times were obviously not equal to their male counterparts. In modern days however, women are thought of as equals in society. The problem is that they are still not being treated as equals in a religious aspect as well as many other aspects.
Corinthians 14:34 states, “Let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law” (Holy Bible, King James Edition). Edith Hamilton, "recognized as the greatest woman Classicist", says that the Bible is the only book before our century that looked to women as human beings, no better nor worse than men (Tanner). However, it cannot be said that this book was consistently favorable to women. Maybe not absolutely, but conditionally in personal opinion, the Bible shows numerous examples of a woman’s inferiority to men, an assessment that has been translated into the cultures of generations. In this essay I will address briefly instances in the bible pertaining to women, and continue on with thoughts on how I believe these notions have been interpreted into society.
The stories about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Women were slaves, concubines, and child bearers; they were also wives, matriarchs, and prophets. Although, some women had less important titles than others each served a purpose. Even if the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates the love and dedication women had for Him. The scriptures describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
The depreciation of women and their overall inferior position in society can be attributed to the androcentric interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, especially the story of Adam and Eve. Throughout history, the story of Adam and Eve has been used by men to point out the inherent evil in women by pinning the eventual expulsion of Adam and Eve from Heaven on the neck of Eve. Eve has long been blamed for the expulsion from Heaven and in effect, women, even up until today, are portrayed as the “gateway to sin.”