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Example research essay topic: Thames And Hudson Female Gender - 1,996 words

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IS A GOD A FEMALE How hard would it be for religious society today to accept that the Great being worshipped is not male, but female? As difficult as one can imagine for people to see God as a woman this does not seem the way it should be. After all, it is the female gender that carries and delivers each and everyone of us. So exists the mystery of why anyone should have trouble understanding, believing and finally accepting that at one point in time, many years ago, women were the ones that were worshipped. However, in discussing this past type of worship many people either know little about where religious worship was founded, have trouble believing that a deity may one time been female or just will not discuss it. Consistent with society today, What else might we expect in a society that for centuries has taught young children, both female and male, that a MALE deity created the universe and all that is in it, produced MAN in his own divineimageand then, as an afterthought, created woman, to obediently help main his endeavours. (Stone, 1976) Although this is what many, if not most, are taught, it is hard not to accept the fact, founded with much evidence supporting it, that God was originally worshipped as Goddess.

As L. R. Farnell has stated, We may then safely conclude from the evidence so far available that the earliest religion of civilized Crete was mainly devoted to a great goddess. (Stone, 1976) It is hard for many to accept the possibility that everything surrounding us was created by a Goddess and nota God. Thus it is essential to start with whom and where religious worship originated. The belief that seems to have a lot of evidence to substantiate it is that religious movement started with worship of the Goddess. The Goddess is described as the feminine principle of the Divine Force. (Guiley, 1991) She appears universally, primarily as a symbol of fertility, but in multiple facets as the ruler of wisdom, truth, magical powers, nature, fate, the home, healing, justice, love, birth, death, time, and eternity. (Guiley, 1991) Such definitions start off showing exactly how powerful and important the Goddess and worship of her were to so many cultures in theist.

As well it serves to express the vastness of the Goddess. She is known as one with great influence in a great many different ways to countless numbers of civilizations. Countless because those studying the female deity are continuously discovering new evidence of her worship around the world. Her power also seems to be shown in the numerous sculptures depicting the Goddess. Through these, it is shown that the Goddess was revered as Creator, Nurturer, and Destroyer, and almost always was known be more powerful than gods. Another thing that seems to be believed, without question by many was Her strong and durable existence in the past.

Therefore the point that becomes extremely clear is that the female deity was indeed worshipped throughout the world and for a lengthy period of time. Next, it is important to understand that just because many of us have not experienced or heard of Goddess worship does not mean that it did not exist. In fact, a great amount of evidence has been found all over the world supporting that Goddess worship did in fact exist and was a primary power the mainstream religions. (Guiley, 1991) Many of these pieces of evidence strengthen and support the belief that religion in its origin is connected to the worship of a female deity. However, this is strongly in opposition with our beliefs today that religion in its earliest stages whsmith God, the male gender. Yet one example that supports such a beginning of female worship is found in the Hittite texts that indirectly suggests that worship was given to Mitra, Indra and Varuna. Of course there are therapy different sculptures of women.

Throughout many communities, many figurines have been found and most often they were uncovered in what was possibly the earliest human-made dwellings on earth. (Stone, 1976) It island to doubt that Goddess worshipping existed with all the artifacts and murals that have been uncovered. Known to many is the fact that, temples and images that seem to have been devoted to worship of the Goddess have been found in almost every Neolithic and early historic archeological site Europe and the Near and Middle East. (Fisher, 1991, 1994) Such great and consistent findings indicate that worship of a female high Goddess was originally widespread. (Fisher, 1991, 1994) There is said to have been many Goddesses in existence. Three such Goddesses that were honoured for their contributions to society were Goddess Sarasvati, the Goddess Nidaba and the Goddess Brigit. The Goddess Sarasvitiwas believed to have been the one that invented the very first alphabet. Goddess Nidaba was admired because she was believed to have developed writing and Goddess Brigit for her development of language. The GoddessNinhursag or Ninmah who with the help of Nammu is believed to have created the first people.

Then there is the Goddess known as Astarte. However, this does not seem to be the only name she was known and worshipped under. She was also referred to as Ua Zit, India, Inanna, Nana, Nut, Anat, Anahita, Ishtar, Isis, Au Set, Ishara, Asherah, Ashtart, Attorney, Attar and Hathor. (Stone, 1976) Yet in every different language all came to note one thing about Her and that, was that She was revered as the Great Goddess. Theories exist, however on why and how the worship of the Goddessoriginated. One belief had to do with the connection between sex and reproduction, or birth not yet being made.

The only obvious connection was between the baby and the mother. Paternity and fatherhood were not even brought into consideration because it was the woman who both carried andale birth to the child. Thus there was no reason to associate men to this miracle. Thus not only names, but titles, possessions and territorial rights, were passed down throughout the female line. (Stone, 1976) I support of this view it has been found that in areas where the concept of paternity had not yet been understood, and where a matrilineal way of lifeway followed, women were given much higher status. (Stone, 1976) As well, in studying primitive people it was discovered that as the earliest concepts of religion developed, they probably took the form of ancestor worship. (Stone, 1976) So because it was the women that were associated with birth, it was the women that were recognized and revered. Women, not just Goddesses came to hold powerful positions in society. Through all otis, the female gender came to be honoured as the supreme deity.

In addition to all of this, it was the Goddesses that were given the role ofthe dominant partner, and it was them who ruled over their male consorts. (Stone, 1976) She was the one to pick out a partner and disposed of this lover / son as she chose because it was her that was in control. Love poems that have been found serve as proof of this power in courting. Along with Her power, came power for all women. They were honored as priestesses, healers, agricultural inventors, counselors, prophetesses, and sometimes warriors. (Fisher, 1991, 1994) So what brought an end to this thriving and strong female worshipping society. One belief is that there was a group from northern Europe, known the Maglemosian culture that came down into the Goddess worshipping areas. With aggression and destruction this group overtook the peaceful Goddess centred societies.

It is believed that such conquests took placethroughoutthe third and second millennia BCE with the help of horse-drawn chariots, amore devastating war technology than any previously used. (Fisher, 1991, 1994) Also included in thinking of the possibilities of the covering up ofthe female deity, the Bible contains contradictory passages which, mohave also served as a cover-up in hiding our past worship of the Goddess. (Stone, 1976) Such inconsistencies seem to indicate that the Bible another religious literature may well be partially the result of intentional political aims as much as a record of some longstanding belief or lore. (Stone, 1976) With all of these events taking place it is easy to see howe Goddess was suppressed and thus women eventually were also suppressed in religious activity and lost their superiority. In conjunction with this, although Christ had honoured and worked with women, his later male followers limited the position of women within the Christian church. (Fisher, 1991, 1994) No longer was the female aspect of religion valued or considered important. Goddess worshipping is not finished however. With the ever increasing amount of knowledge concerning the Goddess it is not hard to see why women are no longer putting up with their male counterparts pushing them down.

It seems amazing that such a comeback only started appearing in the nineteen-sixties. However, since then interest in the worship of the Goddess hasten growing quite steadily. Nevertheless, the timing of the resurgence is understandable when one realizes, that it coincided with the womens movement, the ecology movement, and the beginnings of the so-called New Age movement, (Guiley, 1991) and was influenced by archaeological discoveries. Increases in the comeback of Goddess worship has been strongly associated with neo-paganism and neo-pagan witchcraft nature religions. (Guiley, 1991) Followers of such groups, consider themselves priests and priestesses of an ancient European shamanistic nature religion that worships a goddess who is related to the ancient Mother Goddess in her three aspects. (Adler, 1979, 1986) Such groups perform different rituals, one of the more important ones is called The Drawing Down of the Moon. (Adler, 1979, 1986) In this specific ritual, the priest invokes into the priestess (ore evokes from within herself) the Goddess or Triple Goddess. (Adler, 1979, 1986) The Triple Goddess in her three aspects symbolizes the moon in three different phases. The aspects consist of the Maiden-Create, Great Mother, and Old Crone. (Adler, 1979, 1986) The three phases of the moon that symbolize these aspects are the waxing crescent, the full moon, and the waning crescent. (Adler, 1979, 1986) According to one follower, such a practice contained a very simple religious aspect, that consisting of the worship of Mother Nature. Finally, whether society today likes it or not, societies of the past worshipped the Goddess strongly, if not more strongly than our worship of our God today.

Aswell, it is hard to deny the overwhelming evidence of such religious followings. In studying and learning about the history of the Goddess, itis extremely difficult not to become both fascinated and overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of her past and possibly future importance to sony. Chances are her presence will start to be felt by many. Another way say it, is in saying that it is unlikely we have seen the last of the Goddess and Goddess worship. One thing society should look into is discovering all the diverse cultures that have followed the Goddess in theist. Then once Goddess worship is fully understood, society may be able tome to an unbiased conclusion concerning this unknown deity.

With all otis in mind, society can only look into the future with the possibility of continuing uncertainty concerning worship of the Goddess. Bibliography Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today. Copyright 1979, 1986 by Margot Adler Published by arrangement with the Viking Press Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. 2 nd ed. Copyright Mary Pat Fisher, 1991, 1994 Published by Prentice Hall Inc.

Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. Harpers Encyclopedia of Mystical &# 038; Paranormal Experience. Copyright 1991 by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Published by Harpers Collins Publishers Russell, Jeffrey B. A History of Witchcraft.

Sorcerers, Heretics and Pagans. Copyright 1980 Thames and Hudson Ltd, London Published by Thames and Hudson Stone, Merlin. When God Was A Woman. Copyright 1976 by Merlin Stone Published by: A Harvest Book Harcourt Brace &# 038; Company


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Research essay sample on Thames And Hudson Female Gender

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