Continuation of a spiritual research and thought inspired by Paulo Coelho's book,
Second part of an article: Paulo Coelho, I sat by the Piedra river and I cried.
Let's take for example Catholic story of the Bible about bringing up Jesus from Nazareth talks about St Maria to have no other children, especially no sisters. Now, in times of Jesus in Jewish family's the culture was of having many children and yet, there is no record, at least shown to the public of any other children in Josef and Maria's family than Jesus. Then there was no record of more than 20 years of Jesus Christ's life, no record of the time when he was a healthy growing man till the age of his thirties... or no record of his siblings. Making Jesus the only child of St Maria while she loved and was very close to her husband with no source of preventing pregnancy is rather unlikely. It is more likely that Jesus was living among a family in Nazareth with his brothers and sisters and even having his own woman. He was a grown man, died in the age of 32 and there was no record of him and women even though he was a healthy young man... is that likely? Answer it yourself. Why was the fact of having women in his life hidden or having any siblings, sisters perhaps, hidden? Is that because that would make a possibility of little goddesses being born after him or even before him? Is it to hide the fact that he might have had a child himself? And that child could have been a little baby girl what would make her a next God, pardon me, a Goddess?
Now, If he had a son, do you think that it would be written? Well, it was more likely that the story of a male baby of Jesus Christ, the next God to be born to rule the world was kept and carried on as a story of Gods. If it was a girl it would be hidden taking into consideration the type of society the story was happening at. Men dominated society, kings ruling the country, Parliament filled with male represent ants only, women having no political voice and a law role in the hierarchy of the society... in these times the country Jesus came from was " Palestine(...)a conventional name used, among others, to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands." (Ref.11) It's "geographic term, can refer to "ancient Palestine," an area that today includes Israel and the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, as well as part of Jordan, and some of both Lebanon and Syria. In classical or contemporary terms, it is also the common name for the area west of the Jordan River." (Ref.11)
Looking back to times of Old Testament period (Hebrew Bible), c.830s BCE, "Kingdom of Judah Kingdom of Israel Philistine city-states Phoenician states Kingdom of Ammon Kingdom of Edom Kingdom of Aram-Damascus Aramean tribes Arubu tribes Nabatu tribes Assyrian Empire Kingdom of Moab."(Ref.12) All of which are male rulers of the area. Let's have a look little bit further before Jesus was born. Ancient Israel, "according to Biblical tradition, the United Kingdom of Israel was established by the Israelite tribes with Saul as its first king in 1020 BCE. In 1000 BCE, Jerusalem was made the capital of King David's kingdom and it is believed that the First Temple was constructed in this period by King Solomon. By 930 BCE, the united kingdom split to form the northern Kingdom of Israel, and the southern Kingdom of Judah. " (Ref.12)
"(...) While in the past, the Bible story was seen historical truth, "a growing number of archaeological scholars, particularly those of the minimalist school, are now insisting that Kings David and Solomon are 'no more real than King Arthur,' citing the lack of archaeological evidence attesting to the existence of the United Kingdom of Israel, and the unreliability of biblical texts, due to their being composed in a much later period." (ref.12) The socio-political system in 10th century BCE, was characterized by "local patrons fighting other local patrons, lasting until around the mid-9th century BCE when some local chieftains were able to create large political structures that exceeded the boundaries of those present in the Late Bronze Age Levant. Archaeological findings from this era include, among others, the Mesha Stele, from c. 850 BCE, which recounts the conquering of Moab, located East of the Dead Sea, by king Omri, and the successful revolt of Moabian king Mesha against Omri's son, presumably King Ahab (and French scholar André Lemaire reported that line 31 of the Stele bears the phrase "the house of David"(...) and the Kurkh Monolith, dated c. 835 BCE, describing King Shalmaneser III of Assyria's Battle of Qarqar, where he fought alongside the contingents of several kings, among them King Ahab and King Gindibu." (Ref.12)
Kings, kings, kings... men.
Between 722 and 720 BCE, the northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire and the Israelite tribes – thereafter known as the Lost Tribes – were exiled. The most important finding from the southern Kingdom of Judah is the Siloam Inscription, dated c. 700 BCE, which celebrates the successful encounter of diggers, digging from both sides of the Jerusalem wall to create the Hezekiah water tunnel and water pool, mentioned in the Bible, in 2Kings. In 586 BCE, Judah was conquered by the Babylonians and Jerusalem and the First Temple destroyed. Most of the surviving Jews, and much of the other local population, were deported to Babylonia." (ref.12) Then, Persian rule, no women mentioned; Hellenistic rule when "the Persian Empire fell to Greek forces of the Macedonian general Alexander the Great. After his death, with the absence of heirs, his conquests were divided amongst his generals, while the region of the Jews ("Judah" or Judea as it became known) was first part of the Ptolemaic dynasty." (Ref.12) "The Jewish population in Judea was allowed limited autonomy in religion and administration." (Ref.12) Then Hesmonean dynasty and Roman rule coming down to 62 BCE, 5th century CE: Byzantine provinces of Palestine I and Palestine II. Emperor Constantine is conversion to Christianity around 330 CE made Christianity the official religion of Palestine. After his mother Empress Helena identified the spot she believed to be where Christ was crucified, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built in Jerusalem.[96] The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Ascension in Jerusalem were also built during Constantine's reign.(...) Galilee was brutally suppressed. Imperial patronage for Christian cults and immigration was strong(...). In 536 CE, Justinian I (...) believed that the elevation of the governor was appropriate because he was responsible for "the province in which our Lord Jesus Christ... appeared on earth". This was also the principal factor explaining why Palestine prospered under the Christian Empire. The cities of Palestine, such as Caesarea Maritima, Jerusalem, Scythopolis, Neapolis, and Gaza reached their peak population in the late Roman period and produced notable Christian scholars in the disciplines of rhetoric, historiography, Eusebian ecclesiastical history, classicizing history and hagiography."(Ref.12) The record also shows an Islamic period between 630-1918 CE. The Islamic prophet Muhammad established a new unified political polity in the Arabian peninsula at the beginning of the 7th century. The subsequent (...) rapid expansion of Arab power well beyond the Arabian peninsula in the form of a vast Muslim Arab Empire. In the 630s this empire conquered Palestine and it remained under the control of Islamic Empires for most of the next 1300 years." (Ref12) Arab rule and Muslim predominant took over the Arabian peninsula till these days.
Having a religion that grew among this history, roots of Islam, Christianity and Catholicism have women's importance put significantly into the shadow of men throughout the history. Reading through the sources describing the history of the country were Jesus was born, it supports very well my theory of need of men's ego to have power over women and discriminating their significance, hence leaving no chance to allow Woman to be more important than a man, God to be cherished as a male not a Goddess.
Religion become a perfect tool to keep role and importance, treating women unequally throughout centuries. Men tried to built their prestige and importance while they could never equal women's power to give a new life.
God is thought to have given a beginning of life and it is no one else to have the same power than women, have men had a complex because of that and felt less important than women too? Was that the reason why men's ego to have the highest power pushed them to manipulating minds of next generations through scholars and historical texts to that creation of religions would favour male part of the world? That seems possible and quite a logical explanation to the way psychology of mens' ego works.
Paulo Coelho writes in his book a story of St Teresa, born many centuries after Jesus. She was a beautiful woman who was put to a monastery by her father so that she could gain wide education. At some point of her life, it is believed that she was able to speak with Jesus. When she noticed that her monastery began to be no more than a house of pleasures she decided to set her own monastery following the rules set by Jesus only. She not only had to fight to stay strong and loyal to the rules she set to herself but also with the rules of the century she lived in, the Church and the state.
There was many people having the same or similar destiny of live, missions who they believed were given them from God. Their aim of life was to live their dreams led by God. But so that could happen there always had to be someone to sacrifice something. Church was burning the witches, Romans gave Christians to be eaten by lions and later on Christian crusades were filled with man's slaughter and desire to conquer other nations and cultures.
One day a woman called Maria Jesus from Grenada, lasted three days without food or water by Teresa's monastery door to speak to St Teresa. When Maria was a young nun, was able to see Jesus mother, St Maria, who told her to build another monastery following old rules, just like St Teresa did. The same day young nun Maria and St Teresa met and Maria decided to go to Rome with bare feet. It took her two years. She slept without the shelter, suffered cold and heat and lived of people's charity. It was seen as a miracle that she managed to get to Rome, and pope Pius IV allowed her for a visit. Through her sacrifices, she fulfilled her destiny following God's will.
St Bernadette living in 19 century wasn't aware about Vatican's decision about her spiritual revelations, "she reported 18 apparitions of "a small young lady." Despite initial scepticism from the Catholic Church, these claims were eventually declared to be worthy of belief after a canonical investigation, and the apparition is known as Our Lady of Lourdes. After her death, Bernadette's body has remained in corrupt, and the shrine at Lourdes went on to become a major site for pilgrimage, attracting millions of Christians of all denominations each year. On 8 December 1933, she was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church(...). She has been considered a Christian mystic (Christian mysticism)." (Ref.14) Among her reported" visions of Jesus and Mary the impact of her visions can be viewed as being proportionally of a high level of significance. Her request to the local priest to build a chapel at the site of her visions eventually gave rise to a number of chapels and churches at Lourdes. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is now one of the major Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world." (Ref.14)
The world has probably heard more of Alexander the Great Conquering the world than St Bernadette, who if she wasn't at first taken with so much scepticism she could have changed and done a lot more things if only listen to and believed that she should have a power at the time. Instead of just building churches she should have been taken as a woman of great power being able to pass a vision, if not for her modesty and women's lack of confidence in having a power she could have done a lot more and be better remembered and respected.
All these women have followed, as they believed, God's will, they were all never taken seriously at the beginning of their spiritual pathways but at the end their strength and dedication payed of with their biggest award of being able to serve people, follow their dream and destiny, be happy and make others happy, spread love and good among the people not conquer them or have power over them. They were truth to their beliefs and truth to people they reached the core of their religion and happiness without self confidence and law self esteem dictated and enforced by the society that was men orientated. Would they be seen as more significant during their life if they were men?
Yes, they would.
Could God be a woman, of course it Could. If God is a woman, will it be tried to be refused and hidden to keep men's prestige and power in the world?
Dispute carried out in this article suggests the answer to that question.
Paulo Coelho's book inspired this article, throughout other ideas in his books everyone can find the way of life or inspiration for spiritual research.
Always question things, find your way and be open for new ideas. Be a journalist investigating your own life as well as historical and contemporary influences that made your life the way it is. Find your way and find yourself, find wisdom and share it with others.
References:
1. 'I sat by the river Piedra and I cried' by Paulo Coelho (inspiration for this article and research)
2. Official website of Paulo Coelho: http://www.paulocoelho.com.br/engl/bio.shtml
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atman_(Hinduism)
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism#Concept_of_God
5. http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses.htm
6. http://www.saigan.com/heritage/gods/gods.htm
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_India
8. Asian Tribune, http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/1763
9. BBC News Online, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/5058840.stm
10. Visbo onlne magazine, http://visboo.com/child-marriages-in-india.html
11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine
12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine#Hebrew_Bible.2FOld_Testament_period
13. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation
14. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernadette_Soubirous
