FEMALE DIVINITY: Some Thoughts on Patriarchy and Religion

	If God were a Woman
	would She be a jealous task master
	demanding absolute obedience to Her
	and condemning whom She pleased?

	If God were a Woman
	would She claim one tribe or race was superior
	and glorify wars as holy deeds?

	If God were a Woman
	would She allow a few to enrich themselves
	at the expense of other beings?

	If God were a Woman
	would we accept each other more
	and view Earth Itself
	as one facet of Manifest Divinity?


Anya:   Why anthropocize God? Isn't the whole notion of gender too limiting for divinity?

Devani: Maybe so, but if people think about God in even limited terms it's better than
        not thinking at all.

Anya:   (suppressing irritation) Why's that?

Devani: Most people are so busy thinking of themselves and their small affairs.
        God is a way of transcending all notions of self.

Anya:   (shaking her head) The logic doesn't hold. Belief in God is not needed for
        selfless transcendence. Conversely, it's possible to profess religious faith, yet
        still be selfish and cruel. Wǔ Zétiān of Tang dynasty China is a fitting example.
        She modeled herself as sort a female divinity, yet few persons have been more ruthless or cruel.


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from POEATIONS: Explorations in meta-poetry by T Newfields
Summary: Reflections on feminine divinity.
Keywords: female divinity, phallocentric theology, androcentrism, male chauvinism,
          religious misogyny, mythopoetry

Author: T Newfields [Nitta Hirou / Huáng Yuèwǔ] (b. 1955 - ?)
Begun: 1994 in Shizuoka, Japan ☆ Finished: 2023 in Shizuoka, Japan
Creative Commons License: Attribution. {{CC-BY-4.0}} Granted

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TRANSLATIONS

Español   https://www.tnewfields.info/es/femenina.htm
Nihongo   https://www.tnewfields.info/jp/j-shinsei.htm
Zhōngwén  https://www.tnewfields.info/zh/nuxing.htm