Feminist Spirituality and Goddess Religion Essay

A few centuries ago in Europe, the fear of witchcraft led to witch hunts and executions. These occurred mostly in France, Germany, northern Italy, and Switzerland. “Tens of thousands of people in Europe and European colonies died,” and “millions of others suffered from torture, arrest, interrogation, hate, guilt, or fear,”. It is estimated that the early modern witch trials claimed the lives of nine million Europeans, 80% of whom were women which led early feminists such as Margaret Murray, Mary Daly and Barbara Ehrenreich, among others, to wonder: “Was the witch-hunt an intentional woman-hunt”. Back then, women were accused of being witches since Accusations of witchcraft required no evidence of guilt. The trials were “intended only to produce

In both Indian and Mesopotamian societies, goddesses were very powerful. This can help explain why women were respected, even in patriarchal society. In India, there is a story about how a goddess saved the world. “There is the story of the terrible demon Raktabija (Blood-seed). This demon was, like most demons, causing a great deal of trouble with people and gods alike but even worse was his ability to produce more demons every time a drop of his blood spilt to the ground. Therefore, each time Raktabija was attacked, the only result was more demons to deal with. The gods decided to work together and combine all of their shakti or divine energy and produce one super being that could destroy Raktabija; the result was Kali (in another version only Durga

Professor of religious studies Karen Armstrong finds in the early Christian Church examples of hostility toward women and fear of their sexual power, which she contends led to the eventual exclusion of women from full participation in a male-dominated church.

The religious beliefs of ancient Greece civilizations may have been why ancient Greek women were allowed more freedom and privileges in their roles in their society. The religion of Ancient Greece was Mythology. Unlike other religions of ancient times in which the leaders or gods were typically men, in Greek Mythology there were gods but goddesses as well.

In the earliest of Christian texts, there is talk about what women did in the Church and the important roles they played (Fiddes, 1990; Fontaine, 1996). Many women were activists during that time, and they spent time focusing on their studies and duties to their households and to their God. In Corinth, for example, it was believed that a Jewish missionary woman who came from Rome helped to found the

the Goddess believed that the women were good and should be the leaders of the

After the roman times, women’s continued traditions of the old religion and were leaders, counsellors, visionaries and healers (a.k.a. wise women). The Christian Church and state branded them witches and condemned them as worshippers of the Devil.

Gender Issues in Religion Amongst the world religions are many different attitudes towards gender issues and sexuality. A hundred years ago, or even a lot less, these different perspectives did not exist, as they were often considered unimportant, as King noted 'until recently little attention has been paid to gender differences and their impact on religious teaching and practice. '[1] With some religions, their scriptures are considered to be infallible and therefore not to be questioned.

Religion has existed for as long as man has. Both men, and women believed in a

Prior to the fifteenth century, rural European women were highly revered and respected pillars of rural community life; not only considered mothers and wives, but seen as community leaders, physicians, and sources of strength and wisdom. Women had a special and imperative role in rural life, and even those that lived on the fringes of society were well respected as the village healers and wise women. These old women would possess the wisdom of the ages and pass it on to others. This respect for women quickly deteriorated, however, during the witch hunts. The belief spread that women were morally weaker than men and driven by carnal lust, therefore making them more susceptible to being tempted by the Devil, and thus practicing witchcraft. (Levack p. 126) As people took this belief to heart, it is apparent that society would be affected indefinitely by such intolerance.

Voices of men have traditionally been the loudest, and therefore most important in history, especially in Medieval Europe where male academics and preachers had the most influence on the lower classes and upper classes. Those accused of witchcraft were disproportionately female, and the writing and sermons from this era clearly set the groundwork for misogynistic witch hunts which are to come in the Early Modern period. The works of Burchard of Worms, William of Malmesbury, Jacobus de Voragine, Bernardino of Siena, and Martin Le Franc each perpetuate different stereotypes of magic which all address the idea of gender in sorcery. While not all of these texts take explicitly misogynistic or misandristic positions, they give insight into whether or not gender was a main issue in determining who was or wasn’t a witch. However, it’s important to keep in mind whose voice is being heard in these texts: often well respected, upper class, or clerical men. As a result of these authors positions, they have influence far beyond their parishes and countries and, therefore, can define, both explicitly and implicitly, what ideas are “correct” about the behavior of women, specifically regarding witchcraft. Because these texts were written by men, there is a clear and distinct bias about women’s behavior and their possible involvement in the magical arts, however there are some notable variations that still establish harmfully unattainable ideal.

The creation of women in the Theogony signifies the end of joy for both man and gods. Women bring temptation and cause trouble and stress for the lives of both man and gods. Due to women being beautiful and irresistible it is seen as their fault for the troubles that come with them. The introduction of women to the universe is significant to the development of the Theogony, as an origin story, because it explains how certain forces such as suffering came to be. Women in this text signify the embodiment of suffering for all. When analyzing the creation of the mother of women, we can see what values and opinions are held for women in this society. After being formed from clay by Hephaestus, the

From the Burning Times through the Goddess Movement: How Myth, Magic, Mayhem and Misogyny Informed Feminism within Modern Pagan Culture

The witch-hunt that blazed a trail across Europe (and indeed the world) over the 15th to 18th centuries stripped women of much of the power they had historically held. Not 100% of all accused Witches were female but 75% to 90% of accused witches in Europe were in fact women (Levack, 1987, p.124).

Post Second-wave feminism gave rise to the Goddess movement, which can be understood as a transcendent cosmological force (e.g., Mother Earth), or as an everyday manifestation of self-empowerment. The goal of my research is to demonstrate how renewed and reconceptualised images of modern Goddesses are symbolic for female empowerment. My research seeks to demonstrate a shift in understanding about gendered perspectives regarding stereotypical female deities by looking at how the Goddess movement has grown in popularity in the West and more specifically, the Hamilton neo-pagan community.