Why is God Thought of as a Man
By Madan G Singh, 7th Sep 2011 | Follow this author
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The world over God is always thought of as 'he', it is only in Hinduism that the concept of the female goddess exists.
A Goddess in Hinduism
One of the most important questions that comes to my mind and perhaps to millions of others is whether God can be a woman. God is after all a concept, something that is felt and sensed, but never seen. Over the centuries God sends his chosen ones to earth to propagate goodness and piety. Thus we have Jesus, Mohammed and Guru Nanak who are supposed to be his chosen ones. But these names are all men and hence the concept of God as a woman is just not thought off in Christianity , Islam and Judaism. Even mentally when one conjures up the image of God it is always in the form of a man, never a woman. perhaps this is a hangover of the age old practice where a woman is always thought of as inferier to man. Even a great philospher like Aristotle, who is considered the father of logic stated that women have less teeth then men. Why ? Because in Greek society at that time it was always thought of that women are less then men. As far as Aristotle is concerned the father of logic could at least have counted as he had 2 wives.
But there is an exception and that is in the Hindu religion. Unlike in western thought where God is supposed to be only a man, in Hindu religious thought the concept of Goddess as omnipotent is very much prevalent.
Hinduism is the only religion that puts a woman at par with a man, hence we have the concept of the Godesses. I suspect one aspect of Western thought as to why one cannot think of a woman as a God, is the difference in the sexes. Despite all the liberlization in the West the concept of a woman as God is non-existant.
Hinduism has many Goddesses and some of them are diety's that inspire awe and reverence. Thus Kali or Durga is a Goddess that inspires the Hindu religion. Then we have Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth and Shakti the consort of Shiva. Hindu Goddesses are worshipped in their own right and have their own legends to go with.
How come that Hinduism is the only religion that has the concept of a woman Goddess ? Perhaps the answer lies in Hindu culture which is the oldest in the world and the progressive nature of society at that time. Thus from the pre-vedic age Hinduism has always reverred Godesses and worshippers pray to them all over the world. For a Hindu praying to Durga is akin to praying to Shiva. This concept is ingrained into Hindu religion and philosophy. But in all other religions the concept of a woman as a god simply does not exist.
Hinduism has givena pedestal to a woman. Its a pity that neferious practices like Sati and widow remarriage taboo have crept in. but the ancient philosphy is rich and can be studied by all. Many western research scholars like Max Meuller and others have studies the Hindu religion and concluded that it is the only religion in the world that has the concept of a god as a woman.It does not make the Hindu religion superior, but shows it is more representative of mankind.
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Comments
7th Sep 2011 (#)
The concept of God as male in Islam and Christianity has resulted in a world out of balance. Hinduism has it right. Let us bring back into balance the forces of the masculine and the feminine, then peace will reign on earth.
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8th Sep 2011 (#)
Thank you Steve for an incisive comment
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30th Sep 2011 (#)
I am a spiritual person, but not a religious person, partially for this reason. I grew up in a Christian family and always resented the fact that the feminine had no representation. We were just here to serve the men. Of all the religions, Hinduism is the only one I've ever been drawn to. This was a very well written article and right on the mark. Thank you, Madan.
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