Comparative Religion

COMPARATIVE RELIGION FINAL ESSAY

Peggy L. Mott

GENDER IN RELIGION

Nowhere in the discourses was any discussion to be found of the mention of god not necessarily being male in many religions. There are, in fact, a number of such religions that believe that there is a male half and a female half of the deity. The discussion on Buddhism for example ignored this aspect of that religion. The many portrayals of Buddha show that there are times when Buddha is female or male. In fact, if the photograph in that section is of the White Jade Buddha found in a temple in China, that personage is female.

Gnostic Christians also worshiped both a Mother God and a Father God. The name Asna, among others, has been used to denote the Mother God, while the Father God has many other names and or titles.

Other religions around the world have also had female deities. Several years ago archeologists in Turkey uncovered a temple to the goddess Fortuna. There is also Inanna1

It was extremely disappointing to find so little mention of the part that gender and gender discrimination plays and has played in religions around the world and over time. Two short paragraphs near the end of the course were all that were found in the discourses. Those two paragraphs could actually be summed up in the one sentence that stated, “gender roles both social and religious have a great deal to do with the exercise of power.”

It was also disappointing to find there was little mention of the many female deities to be found in so many different religions across the world. We can find mention of Inanna in ancient Sumer as well as Ishtar in Babylon, Aphrodite in Greece, Isis in Egypt and Anat in Canaan.

Cultures in Polynesia, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and yes, even North America have the female principles in their religions. In other words, this female principle has been found all over the world. Native Americans worshiped a number of deities including one who was both female and male at once. Most native peoples also worshiped Father Sky AND Mother Earth. There seems to be a plethora of female deities all across the world. So why were these female principles left out of a study of comparative religions?

In Discourse 18 there was a brief paragraph explaining that the term priestess is not used as often in certain Christian churches to refer to female priests but instead they are simply referred to as priests like their male counterparts. The use of the word endings such as “ess” or “ette” are meant to inform those hearing or reading such words that a female is being referred to and those ending denote the diminutive which in turn denotes lesser than or not as good as. This explanation of the use of priest to mean either female or male might have been fit better in the discussion of gender. However, the fact that it was in the discourses will please a few who are aware of the gender bias in not only religions but in almost every facet of societies.

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