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Matriarchal Religion?
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To clarify, are you looking for a denomination that's matriarchal, or gender neutral/egalitarian?
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Advaita Hinduism is most gender-neutral religion, where Brahman, the root entity, is addressed as 'it' and never as 'he' or 'she'.
Shakta Hinduism has Mother Goddess as Supreme (generally identified as Adi Shakti - primordial power, or Durga - the Fortress in which all find refuge).
Kali is a form of Mother Goddess which destroys the enemies of her children.
Shakta Hinduism has Mother Goddess as Supreme (generally identified as Adi Shakti - primordial power, or Durga - the Fortress in which all find refuge).
Kali is a form of Mother Goddess which destroys the enemies of her children.
Nimos
Well-Known Member
Can't really support any of these wit scriptures and is not expert in them either, so might be wrong, but think you might want to check them out in greater details to get a better view of them.
First one is Wicca, which seem to be completely neutral.
Wicca has no central authority figure. Its traditional core beliefs, principles and practices were originally outlined in the 1940s and 1950s by Gardner and Doreen Valiente, both in published books and in secret written and oral teachings passed along to their initiates.
In British Traditional Wicca, "sex complementarity is a basic and fundamental working principle", with men and women being seen as a necessary presence to balance each other out.[86] This may have derived from Gardner's interpretation of Murray's claim that the ancient witch-cult was a fertility religion.[86] Thus, many practitioners of British Traditional Wicca have argued that gay men and women are not capable of correctly working magic without mixed-sex pairings.[87]
Although Gerald Gardner initially demonstrated an aversion to homosexuality, claiming that it brought down "the curse of the goddess",[88] it is now generally accepted in all traditions of Wicca, with groups such as the Minoan Brotherhood openly basing their philosophy upon it,[89] and various important figures in the Craft, such as Alex Sanders and Eddie Buczynski, being openly homosexual or bisexual.
Wicca - Wikipedia
Second one is Norse religion, even though it was also somewhat male dominated, it did give women a lot of rights as well.
Like many traditional civilizations, Viking Age society at home and abroad was essentially male-dominated. Men did the hunting, fighting, trading and farming, while women’s lives centered around cooking, caring for the home and raising children. The majority of Viking burials found by archaeologists reflect these traditional gender roles: Men were generally buried with their weapons and tools, and women with household items, needlework and jewelry.
But women in Viking Age Scandinavia did enjoy an unusual degree of freedom for their day. They could own property, request a divorce and reclaim their dowries if their marriages ended. Women tended to marry between the ages of 12 and 15, and families negotiated to arrange those marriages, but the woman usually had a say in the arrangement. If a woman wanted a divorce, she had to call witnesses to her home and marriage bed, and declare in front of them that she had divorced her husband. The marriage contract usually stated how family property would be divided up in case of a divorce.
Though the man was the “ruler” of the house, the woman played an active role in managing her husband, as well as the household. Norse women had full authority in the domestic sphere, especially when their husbands were absent. If the man of the household died, his wife would adopt his role on a permanent basis, singlehandedly running the family farm or trading business. Many women in Viking Age Scandinavia were buried with rings of keys, which symbolized their roles and power as household managers.
Some women rose to a particularly high status. One of the grandest burials ever found in Scandinavia from that period belonged to the Oseberg “queen,” a woman who was buried in a sumptuously decorated ship along with many valuable grave goods in A.D. 834. Later in the ninth century, Aud the Deep-Minded, the daughter of a Norwegian chieftain in the Hebrides (islands off northern Scotland) married a Viking king based in Dublin. When her husband and son died, Aud uprooted her household and organized a ship voyage for herself and her grandchildren to Iceland, where she became one of the colony’s most important settlers.
Most of what we know about women warriors in the Viking Age comes from literary works, including the romantic sagas Saxo called upon as some of his sources. Female warriors known as “Valkyries,” who may have been based on shieldmaidens, are certainly an important part of Old Norse literature. Given the prevalence of these legends, along with the greater rights, status and power they enjoyed, it certainly seems likely that women in Viking society did occasionally take up arms and fight, especially when someone threatened them, their families or their property.
https://www.history.com/news/what-was-life-like-for-women-in-the-viking-age
If you are looking for a matriarchal religion you could ask @ajay0 about the Prajapita Brahmakumaris
Sirona
Hindu Wannabe
Variations of Wicca go from worshipping Goddess and God to dropping the male god and worshipping the goddess only. One controversial Wiccan named Zsuzsanna Budapest was so much "Mother Nature" that she would only accept cis-gender women in her coven.
wellwisher
Well-Known Member
The gods of Mythology are based on basic human observations, of human nature, that were projected and then extrapolated to the nth degree. This schema makes it easier for all the see what is inside each us. The female principle is connected to matter; mother nature, while male is connected to spirit; blue sky and in the air.
For example, in modern western cultures, females are the largest consumers of material things. This includes the needs of the family. The men are the creative spirits in terms of new ideas and products. Patriarchies place creative spirit of the future, first, ahead of the material capacitance of culture. While matriarchies place matter first. These opposite tendencies are part of human nature.
The primitive human could see how the male induced the new baby to grow inside the female. Virgin births were not the norm. The creative female spirit was assumed limited based on observation. Rather the female was fertile soil, but inert. The male was the one who would quicken the female matter and lead to a new life. Innovation works this way with the material capacitance of culture; matter, being the platform, for new brain children. These brain children do not just spontaneously sprout from the matter of culture. The I-phone did not just grow no a tree. It was based on a quickening of existing matter from outside the matter.
A matriarchy based culture would become perfected, in terms of making use of the temporal material world. However, it is not very adaptive to change, since it lacks a leading creative spirit. Women can read books and learn, but when you go outside the box, where books are scarce, the female element does not innovate as quickly and prolifically; virgin birth is rare compare to heterosexual.
As an example, the young wife and mother will design the details of her home, based on what is available in the free market. Once her home is set up, she will optimize it and keep it clean and perfect. This may not change, unless other males are changing the designs and fads in the market place and on the Home Improvement shows.
A good example of this maternal principle, on the social scale, is the Catholic Church. The Church is very conservative and tries to maintain a timeless perfection of cathedrals and artifacts. The Church was symbolized by Mother Mary or the female element coming to earth. It does not easily change, unless the male spirit; Holy Spirit acts upon it. This male principle innovates with the times, and the mother only slowly integrates the change, after weighing her needs of change agains the original perfection of her youth.
The Socialist State is maternal, while the free market is more masculine. The free market is designed with constant creativity and competition, that goes along with a constant flux of change. The Socialists state, by being more maternal, seeks perfection in the present.I t tends to designed for the present leaders but not future leaders.
History shows how socialist dictators, when trying to maintain temporal perfection, eliminate all the free thinkers. They try to maintain a maternal society of perfection that cares for her children. This may be perfect, in the short term, but when change appears, that you cannot control, weather, there is no creative and adaptive principle left, since it has been purged.
Socialist states all decline unless they can maintain a level of masculine principle. The ancients saw this and placed the creative principal;, male first, since it allows for longer term perpetuation of the base maternal culture and traditions. This allows for adaption to change around a perfected core. It is a team sport since both principles are needed to get the job done today and over time.
For example, in modern western cultures, females are the largest consumers of material things. This includes the needs of the family. The men are the creative spirits in terms of new ideas and products. Patriarchies place creative spirit of the future, first, ahead of the material capacitance of culture. While matriarchies place matter first. These opposite tendencies are part of human nature.
The primitive human could see how the male induced the new baby to grow inside the female. Virgin births were not the norm. The creative female spirit was assumed limited based on observation. Rather the female was fertile soil, but inert. The male was the one who would quicken the female matter and lead to a new life. Innovation works this way with the material capacitance of culture; matter, being the platform, for new brain children. These brain children do not just spontaneously sprout from the matter of culture. The I-phone did not just grow no a tree. It was based on a quickening of existing matter from outside the matter.
A matriarchy based culture would become perfected, in terms of making use of the temporal material world. However, it is not very adaptive to change, since it lacks a leading creative spirit. Women can read books and learn, but when you go outside the box, where books are scarce, the female element does not innovate as quickly and prolifically; virgin birth is rare compare to heterosexual.
As an example, the young wife and mother will design the details of her home, based on what is available in the free market. Once her home is set up, she will optimize it and keep it clean and perfect. This may not change, unless other males are changing the designs and fads in the market place and on the Home Improvement shows.
A good example of this maternal principle, on the social scale, is the Catholic Church. The Church is very conservative and tries to maintain a timeless perfection of cathedrals and artifacts. The Church was symbolized by Mother Mary or the female element coming to earth. It does not easily change, unless the male spirit; Holy Spirit acts upon it. This male principle innovates with the times, and the mother only slowly integrates the change, after weighing her needs of change agains the original perfection of her youth.
The Socialist State is maternal, while the free market is more masculine. The free market is designed with constant creativity and competition, that goes along with a constant flux of change. The Socialists state, by being more maternal, seeks perfection in the present.I t tends to designed for the present leaders but not future leaders.
History shows how socialist dictators, when trying to maintain temporal perfection, eliminate all the free thinkers. They try to maintain a maternal society of perfection that cares for her children. This may be perfect, in the short term, but when change appears, that you cannot control, weather, there is no creative and adaptive principle left, since it has been purged.
Socialist states all decline unless they can maintain a level of masculine principle. The ancients saw this and placed the creative principal;, male first, since it allows for longer term perpetuation of the base maternal culture and traditions. This allows for adaption to change around a perfected core. It is a team sport since both principles are needed to get the job done today and over time.
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syo
Well-Known Member
The library of Alexandria was destroyed. We don't know.
epronovost
Well-Known Member
Islam, much like judaism and Christianity specificaly call for the subservience of women to men. Various Hindu scriptures make a similar argument for a subserviant role for women, a life of domesticity, duty and obediance to her husband and aimed at producing and raising his children. Sure, there are a lot of verses and entire poems dedicated to the virtues and dignity of women and unlike in Islam, Judaism and Christianity, Hindu women are granted rights to education, but these don't necessarily mean much. Exaltation of the virtues of feminity and womenhood has often been used in history as a hammer to crush non-conforming women and highllight the inadequacies and inferiorities of others.
On the other hand, It does seem that the role and status of women has decreased over time in India with early Hindu women having more rights and liberties their late Antiquity and Medieval descendant. India in early and Classical Antiquity was more gender equal than the subscequent period.
PS: I'd like to note that honor killings are also a sad occurence in some parts of India, especially traditionnal rural areas, but these instance to generate uproars in the country when they happen.
Considering that the role of Hinduism and religious clerics and devouts in backlashes against women's rights in India, I find this argument offensive. A religion and its teaching isn't limited to its scripture, but also counts its traditions, its rites and its community's actions and beliefs.
epronovost
Well-Known Member
Actually, while celibate men shop less often, they purchase slightly more stuff than celibate women, often because they pay more for the same things and buy pricier things too. This make this specific statement false. Men are the largest consumers of material things. They just don't spend as much time shopping, but shopping doesn't equate with buying. In couples, women do buy more products than men, but that's because they tend to purchase things for the entire household. In that sense they aren't "main consumers" since they don't consume all the goods they purchased or triggered the buy in the first place. If I ask my wife to get me some chocolate chip cookies at the store, while she may be buying them, I'll be the one consuming them.
ajay0
Well-Known Member
The Prajapita Brahmakumaris is the only spiritual organization in the world led, administered and taught by women. Their official headquarters are based in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India.
They are a monotheistic sect that worship God Shiva as an incorporeal point of light, and considers Him the same as Jehovah, Ahura Mazda, Allah in other religions.
The Brahmakumaris are the recipient of 7 UN peace awards for their efforts promoting global peace and harmony.They have centers in almost every country around the world and offer free 7 day courses teaching their religious philosophy and meditation techniques.
Centre locator
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Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
But I think the Chief there was a man who claimed to be an avatara of Lord Shiva. After his death, he was succeeded by one of the nine of his original women disciples.
"The founder, Lekhraj Khubchand Kripilani (who became known in the group as "Om Baba") was a wealthy jeweller. He reported what he said were a series of visions and other transcendental experiences that commenced around 1935 and became the basis for the discourses. He said he believed there was a greater power working through him and that many of those who attended these gatherings were themselves having spiritual experiences. The majority of those who came were women and children from the Bhaibund caste ..
The group also advocated that young women had the right to elect not to marry and that married women had the right to choose a celibate life. In tradition-bound patriarchal India, these personal life decisions were the exclusive right of men. A committee headed by a number of important male members of the Bhaibund community began to form in opposition and became known as the 'Anti-Om Mandali Committee'.
The picketing resulted in criminal proceedings being taken against both groups, and on 16 August 1938 the local District Magistrate ordered that Om Mandali be prevented from meeting. This ban was reversed on 21 November 1938 after an appeal to the Court of the Judicial Commissioner of Sind.
On 31 March 1939 the government appointed a tribunal to inquire into the activities of Om Mandali. When the Tribunal made its findings, Om Radhe responded by compiling a book titled Is this Justice? criticising the tribunal, which did not have a constitutional basis and made its findings without taking evidence from Om Mandali. In May 1939 the government used the tribunal's findings to effectively reinstate the ban, declaring Om Mandali an "unlawful association" under section 16 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1908.
On 18 January 1939, the mothers of two girls aged 12 and 13 filed an application against Om Mandali, in the Court of the Additional Magistrate in Karachi. The women, from Hyderabad, stated that their daughters were wrongfully being detained at the Om Mandali in Karachi. The court ordered the girls to be sent to their mothers.
Finally, the Sindh Government used the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1908 to declare the Om Mandali as an unlawful association. Under further pressure from the Hindu leaders in the Assembly, the Government also ordered the Om Mandali to close and vacate its premises."
Brahma Kumaris - Wikipedia
Yeah, women and young girls were an important part of Om Mandali of Lekhraj Kriplani.
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