Our ancestors worshiped women

[Ozzieshunni]

I'm watching this amazing show called Divine Women. It's about how women in religion have often been ignored even though many ancient cultures worshiped women as signs of fertility and new growth.

I knew about all this beforehand (being a Pagan, we worship a God and a Goddess, balance in all things).

Why do you think we have this belief that "God" is a man? Maybe it's a woman? It would make sense!

 

[tina3747]

Well if you think about it we are (in all seriousness) a more powerful being. We grow human beings inside of us! Obviously we can't do it without a the male species but they only give us a seed really hey! I've always been in awe of the human body, how your heart just keeps beating amazes me...!
I can believe the worship of the female person... I think it's only since new religions have one about that it must have changed. Things like women not being able to be head of churches, ministers ect ... A man must have thought that one up. We were second class citizens and only in the last century too. Scandalous!!

 

[marley2580]

The reason people believe god is a man (in my opinion) is because of the marginalisation of women for thousands of years. Even cultures that had multiple gods eg romans, had a male god as the head god because it was honestly believed that men were superior to women.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

It's interesting you mention that, Marley. The host was talking about Gaia and how she was the mother of the Earth and then when Zeus defeated the Titans, Gaia included, that was the start of the male centered religion. Hinduism is still one of the few that has female goddesses that are actively worshiped

 

[smelly07]

i believe:

god is neither male or female as there is no such thing, we are all equal.
without one there is no other so we should both be worshipped equally if anything. x

 

[Sarahkka]

I think goddess worship still happens all the time. The Catholic Church is an excellent example - Mary has been represented as all sorts of local female deities as the Church "converted" people. I was particularly struck by that in Ecuador and Peru - the religious artwork is rife with imagery associated with Pachamama ("earth mother"), and most homes have an altar to her. She is sort of worshipped through Mary, in a way?
I am remembering a book, called "The Chalice and The Blade" that discussed the rise of patriarchy. It was something I read a hundred years ago in university, but I seem to remember it being a very interesting read.

 

[summer rain]

In Islam it is very clear that God is neither male nor female, and to believe that God is one gender or another (and other divine figures such as the angels) is spoken out against in the Qur'an many times. We also don't believe that God has children of either gender. Also historically there have been many holy women in Islam, such as Mary; Asiya the wife of Pharoah; various wives of The Prophet Muhammed peace be upon Him and his daughters as well as many others. Historically there have always been female scholars as well and this remains the case to this day, even in Muslim societies that are perceived to be very conservative; one example being in Yemen there is a whole school of very respected female scholars. When male christian scholars in Europe were debating whether women had a soul or not and the majority of even noble women were illiterate; Muslim women in Egypt, Iraq and several other countries were founding universities and teaching some of the most famous scholars in the religion of Islam xx

 

[Kess]

I know the previous Pope preached that we should look to the feminine in God as well. I think a lot of people now see God as neither one or the other gender, me included.

Can I ask, Ozzie, do you worship a specific Goddess and God or is it more that you see all Goddesses (e.g. Ishtar, Venus, Isis, etc) as aspects of the one? I find Paganism fascinating.

 

[smokey]

I believe god is both male and female but at the same time is neither.
When we refer to him or his I think its just more of a loose term same way as we use mankind to mean all humans not just the men