Goddesses and Gods.wps - Welcome to Our Temple

She is always portrayed as dependent on man. She does not belong to herself, but to
her father or husband. In addition, unmarried women are defined by their sexuality.
They are either "good little virgins", or "evil temptresses."
Such limiting roles offer few role models for young women trying to find their place
in the world. Many girls suffer from low self-esteem and a negative self-image,
because to them, what is there to be proud about? They're "just a girl." They're not
special or sacred. All the gods, prophets and disciples are male. Patriarchal religions
constantly refer to the Divine in male terms, such as "Lord", "Father","He" and "Him."
Many churches still refuse to ordain women as priests and ministers.
Carol Christ, author of "Why Women Need the Goddess," part of Woman Spirit
Rising: A Feminist Reader is Religion, which she co-edited, agrees. She states,
"Religions centered on the worship of a male God create moods and motivations that
keep women in a state of psychological dependence on men and male authority,
while at the same time legitimating the political and social authority of fathers and
sons in the institutions of society,". She also says, "Even people who no longer believe
in God or participate in the institutional structure of patriarchal religion still may not
be free of the power of the symbolism of God the Father,". Indeed, people who don't
practice a set religion but grow up in mainstream society have absorbed ideas that
male power is superior and beneficial and female power is inferior and dangerous.
Women are not taught to love their bodies, to follow their intuition or to trust
themselves.
The Goddess, however, can liberate the minds, bodies and spirits of women. Starhawk
sums it up beautifully in The Spiral Dance, "The Importance of the Goddess symbol
for women cannot be overstressed. The image of the Goddess inspires women to see
ourselves as divine, our bodies as sacred, the changing phases of our lives as holy, our
aggression as healthy, our anger as purifying and our power to nurture and create but
also to limit and destroy when necessary, as the very force that sustains all life.
Through the Goddess, we can discover our strength, enlighten our minds, own our
bodies and celebrate our emotions. We can move beyond narrow constricting roles
and become whole,".
Where Where do do men men fit fit in?
in?
Some people ask, "Isn't Goddess religion just reverse sexism?" The answer is definitely
"No!" In fact, many practitioners of Wicca also recognize a male hunter God. The
Goddess is female in essence, but She works in women and men. One of the
characteristics of the Goddess is that She is the Creator. This role is naturally much
better fulfilled by a female image of the Divine, since women do give birth. The
Goddess provides unconditional love and nurturance, like only a mother can. Also,