GeekUSA

So, does anyone here agree with me that the world would be a much better place if worship of the femminine divine and balence in nature were still the main religions? Considering balence and spirituality was probably Jesus's true message, its frustrating how people have distorted the way other people think about natural things to their own advantage(how human). Jesus was probably pretty cool, hes just been over-idolized. But, anyway, Mary Magdalene was said to be a prostitute by the Church, to start the demonization of pagan goddess worship( a goddess was often reffered to as Magdalena), and oppression of women. I will cut this short, suspense is wonderful. :notworthy

Capybara

I don't think women are more compassionate and loving than men. We've always just tended to have less power, and thus less opportunity to mess with people, that's all. No fluffy, maternal compassion. Just less upper body strength and less political power. People used to say that a country would never go to war with a female president/prime minister/whatever. Then England got Thatcher.
Also, although I'm not that well versed in the Bible (I was lucky enough to grow up in a church where I couldn't understand the language of the services), where does all this "Jesus was a cool guy" stuff come from? Assuming he was a real person, he'd be somewhat a product of his time and thus probably not exactly a proto-feminist, right? And wasn't he kind of an angry guy, overturning tables in a temple, and advocating armed rebellion and all? Didn't he say at least a few things dissing women, his mom in particular? And were women having such a good time pre-Christianity, really? They sure friggin' weren't in the Old Testament, or any other mythology that's been recorded.
And while I'm ranting semi-coherently here, I've got to take issue with the whole woman=mother thing that usually goes with the worship of the divine female. I'm not a mother, have very little maternal instinct, and what little I have tends to be directed at non-human infants. So I'd be as much of a pariah in a squishy goddess-fertility-worshipping-motherlove kind of society as I would be (am?) in a patriarchal one.

Toto

Welcome to the boards, you two.

This topic will actually fit better in General Religious Discussions, since it is not concerned with a particular Biblical text

Mageth

For a little bit of background, the feminine aspect of gods tended to be favored in agrarian societies. Those societies tended towards goddess-worship, as the goddess is linked to fertility (of the earth). Masculine gods were favored by nomadic, generally warlike societies, societies that tended to take what they needed, to move about and not be in a fixed place. We've ended up, of course, with a masculine God inherited from a nomadic, warlike society. In the competition among various god-concepts, unfortunately the masculine, fierce warlike gods have tended to win out in the long run.

I'm not sure that's exactly the reason or the only reason some in the Church decided Mary was a prostitute. I see it as perhaps more of an attempt to discredit Mary Magdalene's possible role in the early church; some sects apparently thought she was Jesus' most loved and important disciple, while others exalted the male disciples. In any case, there was definitely some sexism going on.

And then, of course, the Roman Catholic Church has elevated and exalted Mary, the Mother of God, into the position of a goddess.

BDS

Men rule! In Heaven, as on Earth. The last thing we need is a bunch of goddesses trying to change the natural order of things.

Also, there is no "balance" in nature. If there was, dinosaurs would still be roaming the earth, and half of us would be eaten by Tyranasaurus Rexes.

We worship Seth -- God of Chaos.

Albert Cipriani

Haven't ya heard? It takes only 3 ounces of pressure to pull a trigger. Your arguement might have had legs when battle axes were in vogue. But come on, you've got to be able to do better than blame your lack of malfeasance on your lack of upper body strength.

Fact is, in this day of 3-ounce triggers, something like 90% of all inmates are men, not women. So strength aint got nothing to do with it. Being that you're from New York, I've no trouble doubting your avowed lack of compassion and maternity, but don't project that deficiency upon your sisters. -- Sincerely, Albert the Traditional Catholic

Capybara

Actually, I greatly oversimplified things. Men, for whatever reasons of nature/nurture/combination, are more aggressive than women. I don't personally want to debate why that's true because it's sort of boring to me at this point in my life. I still don't think a fuzzy femme-ruled world would be so great, or so utopian and unaggressive. The idea that women are all-around nurturing is pretty ridiculous; there are so many exceptions to the rule that the rule is meaningless. Child abuse, girl gangs, and your garden-variety bitches give lie to the idea that women would rule the world in a warm, maternal glow. And incidently, what does living in NYC have to do with a lack of compassion or maternal instinct? I see a lot of strollers with happy babies on the subway every day. But I'm maybe a little defensive about NYC because we get bashed so unfairly for so many imagined sins.

Albert Cipriani

Nah. What you're detecting is the meltdown of Western civilization in this post-Christian age. Punks aren't so much an exceptions to the rules as manifestations of our rule-less state.

Without the standard provided by an external authority (read: God) infallibly interpreted by a Magisterium (read: Catholic Church) we have only ourselves as guides. Thus, the outlaws are now the in-laws. Every metallic shard is a compass needle and so there is no direction but downward. -- Sincerely, Albert the Traditional Catholic

Capybara

Yeah, before Vatican II no woman ever did a bad thing. We just all sat around rockin' our babies like Mary. World's gone to hell now, though, huh? By the way Mr. Cipriani, when was the majority of the whole wide world Catholic? My memory's a little fuzzy. And by Catholic, you mean Roman Catholic, right? Or am I misininterpreting you?

Albert Cipriani

The greatest century in human history was the 13th. Of course, it coincided with the fullest flowering of Catholicism. But to judge the high-water mark of Catholicism in terms of gross numbers of people, that'd come a few centuries latter after discovering the New World and prior to the birth of Protestantism.

The east never converted. It's why they're still a basket case. The world's best kept secret is that Catholicism was the handmaiden of science. That's why the Catholic west and not the atheistic east reaped the rewards of this synergism. -- Sincerely, Albert the Traditional Catholic