New BBC2 Series - Divine Women.

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Historian Bettany Hughes relates the story of the contribution of women to the origins of religion and spirtual beliefs before they were written out of history by a male dominated society. Part one has the intriguing title, 'When God was a girl.' Starts tonight at 9.00pm BST.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01g8dd2

An article by Bettany Hughes was in today's Guardian. The wisdom of women written out of history.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/10/wisdom-w...

Angharad.

Comments

Short Fat Pregnant woman as God.

Though I can not find proper reference to it now, I once saw a little statue of a round, very pregnant woman with short arms and legs who was worshipped as God, in pre-Jewish times. Sorry, I can't remember her name either.

G

There was a cult in Italy

There was a cult in Italy that made "Venus" figurines at about 10-12,000 B.P., and the figures were associated (it is believed) with fertility since breasts and vulva were the significant portions elaborated on. Is that what you are thinking of? The most famous is the "Venus of Willendorf?, I think the spelling is right. It's only a few inches long and has no facial features, just indications of an elaborate hair do and the previously mentioned breasts, vulva, and she was very fat. In that culture, fat may have represented health and fecundity. Quite the opposite to now, eh?

CaroL

Certain cultures still do

In the African country of Mauritania they seem to view more obese women as better partners. Maybe it's instinctive. Maybe back then overweight women have a better change surviving childbirth?

They do indeed...

Puddintane's picture

...and also times of shortages. We observe that women in general have a much higher percentage of body mass in fat than men in general do. Breasts and hips in particular tend to disappear without fat behind them.

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Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

Thanks for the Mammeries?

Andrea Lena's picture

One of the Hebrew 'names' for G_d is El Shaddai, which according to several sources means the one who suckles or the many-breasted one. And the Biblical account of creation does say In his image he created them; male and female he created them. The image of a mother feeding a child is so precious; not your average everyday idea of GOD, aye?

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1062160?uid=3739808&ui...

http://www.goodnewsinc.net/v4gn/shaddai.html

  

To be alive is to be vulnerable. Madeleine L'Engle
Love, Andrea Lena

Genesis

According to some accounts, the traditional English translation of Genesis 2 misrepresents the text. There is a school of thought that the original human was neither male nor female, but asexual or a hermaphrodite. It's even thought the name "Adam" is derived from the initial Hebrew letters of the four compass points. At some later stage, this being was split into two, creating the two genders (apparently forming the woman from the side indicates she's his equal; as opposed to taking material from the head [ruler] or his foot [slave]). This interpretation makes sense in the context of the later passage which talks about procreation recreating the singular being: "the man clings to his wife, and they become one flesh."

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for religious leaders to forget the equality bit - and indeed early Christian leaders went to the extreme of naming the snake "Heva", and asserting that Eve was responsible for tempting Adam and getting kicked out of the Garden as a result (whereas apparently Genesis 3 explicitly states they were kicked out not because they ate the fruit, but to prevent them eating the fruit of the tree of life, thereby granting them immortality).

-oOo-

But however you interpret it, chances are it was written entirely by human hands several thousand years ago, and in all probability, the contents were neither dictated by the deity nor spoken to the writers with the instruction to "rewrite this in your own words".


As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!

We note also...

Puddintane's picture

...that Bereshit, Genesis, starts out with the Spirit of G-d fluttering over the waters like a brooding desert eagle flutters her wings over her nest, to protect and cool her eggs. Then too, Creation starts with simple creatures and grows progressively more complex and advanced; the last living creature to be created is purported to be Eve, the Crown, as they say, of Creation.

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Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

Would be lots more

Would be lots more interesting than "Dancing with The Starz" or the other "reality shows" on our major stations, and the interminable reruns that are cheap for the other channels to afford and sell advertising space on. Sadly, I can't get your channel, not even the clip that you provided the link for. Let us know how it plays.

CaroL

Thank you Ang

Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I found it very interesting and will endeavour to watch further episodes.

S.