Red Ajah's Internation Women's Week: Women and Religion

LisaMetzelBonnet · March 2, 2011

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics (or religion!!), and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

IWW website

Women and religion. Most of you can hear the big heavy doors shutting women out of every religious arena, right? As in other areas of life - art, literature, science - women have found it difficult to serve in the church. Of course, in religion, it is said that God is opposed to women in leadership/authority roles. It's hard to argue with that, right?

Argue with it we must!! This is a hot button topic for me as I'm sure it is for many of you. Below are links for you to peruse in order to have a better understanding of the evolution of womens' standing and role in religion. I've included Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism so we can bless and curse more than just our own set of beliefs or our own. I'll post about Hinduism first (starting out with where I'm weakest) and post about the other religions as we go along. Have fun and be nice!

Hinduism

A. General article about women in Hinduism from Wiki Women in Hinduism

One of the thing I think is very noteworthy is that there are godesses or godess-type figures in Hinduism. I think that makes it stand out a lot from the other religions we'll discuss. In practice, though, I'm not sure how much that changes the woman's status in the religion or the societies that base themselves on Hinduism.

B. Women's role in a Hindu family

C. Holy women in Hinduism

Panchi · March 3, 2011

I am a Hindu. It is true that women are Devi(goddess) and all but normally it doesn't happen. There are more families who want boy than girl. In many places girls are considered inferior. My grandmother is one. She always favors boys. A women had come to give speech in this topic in my school. She said all he stuf that is filled in a speech. But the fact is here whenever women vice their rights, there are many people to supress it.

Moon Sedai · March 4, 2011

In the ancient Greek mythology, there were many goddesses, but there were 4 "Olympic" goddesses (depending on your interpretation as to who the Olympians are).

1. Hera- Wife of Zeus. She is often villanized because she attacks and antagonizes the half-human children of her husband. But, think about it. Her husband cheats on her, with younger mortal women (and men). And one of those women had the GALL to name her son after Hera. (Heracles is the Greek spelling for Hercules). She is a goddess of marriage and family.

2. Artemis- the Moon. She is the Virgin huntress, the protecter of the female life cycle, twin sister to Apollo. If a young virgin died during classical Greek times, it was said Artemis took her.

3. Aphrodite- the goddess of love and lust. She represented what Greek men feared of their women. A woman who knew and understood her sexual desires, and was not afraid to act upon them. And with her husband's brother. On one hand, she is pitied because she was forced into marriage with the hideous Hephaestus, forever forbidden from really being with her true love, Ares, god of war (Both men were sons of Hera). On the other, she is feared because she can entice men away from their families and homes.

4. Athena (My favorite) is the archetype 'masculine' woman. She is a warrior goddess, goddess of wisdom, weaving, olives, and the patron of Athens. where her half brother Ares is god of Battle, Athena is a goddess of Strategy. She was born of a headache of her father Zeus, in full armor and ready for battle. She gifted women with the ability to weave and athens with Olives to feed their people. [One person told me this means that Smart women are a headache to men. ANother said that headaches are a gift from Athena, wisdom trying to break out from the skull]. One story says that when the city was voting for their patron, the women outnumbered men, and voted for Athena, allowing her to win over Poseidon. This was the legend to account for why women were not allowed to vote in Athens.

Personally, I think it is awesome that a mysogynistic city like Ancient Athens worshipped a female goddess for the city patron.

Why do I talk about greek goddesses?

Because they are cool. And misunderstood.

LisaMetzelBonnet · March 4, 2011

Moon - Amen sister! The godesses were/are amazing! They fought hard for what they loved. What else can you ask for? The men had to respect that.

Nyanna al'Meara · March 4, 2011

True, the greek goddesses are awesomeness!! It's great that in that time, when women were mere 'objects of possession', that they had such strong goddesses. I'm taking Classical Studies this year so I've learnt quite alot about them - Artemis and Pallas Athene are my favourites. The male gods were all quite....dishonorable mostly. The female goddesses(esp. Hera) therefore had every right to be angry.

Oh, and don't forget Hestia. She was the goddess of Hearth and Home, and was gentleness and goodness incarnated. She was also the older sister of Zeus, and the fact we don't hear of her often if at all is that she willingly 'abdicated' for Dionysus. :smile: