Alone In The Garden: God and Gender |
A few weeks ago, I attended a shower of a friend that was held by her very devout Christian in-laws. While we gathered around the new mother (baby had decided to arrive a few weeks early), we congratulated her and related our birth stories, celebrating the strength and beauty that women hold -- and this miraculous event that allows us as women to bring life into the world. Then it was time for the prayer.
We bowed our heads and the hostess began thanking and praising God, "The Father," "Our Lord," and said how nothing would be possible "without Him." Later, the mother and I spoke on the phone, and she commented about how many times God the Father had been heralded at the shower. She quipped, "I was tempted to shout out, 'Hey! Can we get a Hail Mary over here?'"
The experience was an enlightening one for me. Once again, I had a real-life example of how we have lost the communion between the everyday Earthly acts of giving birth and mothering children and our spirituality. How could the incredible strength of the celebrant of this event be omitted when it was time to connect to a greater good? And why don't more of us make that connection?
While there are places for women in major religions, their basic tenets leave us out entirely, giving the ultimate reverence to a supreme being who is a father figure. Of course there are sects of Christianity, for example, that worship the Virgin Mother or Mary Magdalene, but the fundamentals of the faith do not recognize these groups on the fringes of the belief system. It is the male figure who holds the ultimate power of creation and judgment, while women play supporting roles in a patriarchal universe.
As we work toward accepting and loving ourselves, these facts could cause a spiritual crisis: If the female in our chosen spiritual path exists only to enhance the male God and the male God's existence, do we let go of religion or let go of ourselves?
Personally, I don't think it needs to be so black and white. One way to find harmony between women's equality and self-worth is to realize that religion is a human creation, and humans have always had the tendency to stereotype their gender roles. The God who is prayed to in the Christian tradition represents ultimate creative power and judgment -- two qualities that have been attributed to the males in our species. This does not mean that, in reality, women are not powerful or able to weigh good against evil and demand retribution. Perhaps by stripping away the gender labels that have been assigned to men and women, we can see that the pronoun God has been given exists on a very small, human plane and is virtually insignificant.
This can cause a transcendental revelation: if all humans are manifestations of a Supreme Being, we hold the elements of this Being inside of us. It is not male or female, it just is. The tags that major religions have given it are part of human creativity and nothing more. Could this be the link that connects the unknown questions of the universe and religious faith to the everyday miracles we experience on Earth? Can it assist us in feeling at peace with our religion even while it often holds women in place of subservience?
I don't know. For some, at certain moments, I suppose it can. But it's certainly a start. Either we will make peace with the human inventions found in Earthly spirituality, or we will seek another path toward a female-honoring devotion. The choice rests with where each individual woman feels comfortable.
In my next article, I will explore the ideas behind Goddess worship and how this has become an answer for many seekers. At times, embracing a matriarch can bring solace to a weary soul. In times of strife, it can be comforting to think of the all-knowing unknown is actually a warm and nurturing mother who cradles us and offers us safety. After all, the worship of the major female figures in male-dominated religions comes straight from the ancient traditions that worshipped both male and female deities.
Can I get a Hail Mary?
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Kristie Vullo |
| About the author: |
| Kristie Vullo is a South Florida native and writes poetry, short story, and creative non-fiction that focus on women’s issues and spirituality. Currently, she is co-authoring a novel with her writing partner and long time friend. She has been part of the feminist movement for sixteen years and has studied reiki and various religious paths during her physical existence on earth. Believing that we are here to make a difference, she works at a vocational charter school that recovers young adults who have dropped out of high school and wish to obtain their GEDs and a better future. She lives in Boynton Beach, Florida with her husband, young daughter, and two cats |
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