Lucille Michaels
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195378443
- eISBN:
- 9780199869701
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195378443.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines the roles of women in the Holy Order of MANS and in the Order of Christ Sophia (OCS) and offers a model for understanding the relationships among gender roles, gender qualities, ...
More
This chapter examines the roles of women in the Holy Order of MANS and in the Order of Christ Sophia (OCS) and offers a model for understanding the relationships among gender roles, gender qualities, and power in religious movements. It explores the teachings of these orders and how they relate to the roles of women. The founders of the OCS live in a time that is more appreciative of the feminine and have created an organization that more effectively empowers women and values the feminine. But, as happened with the Holy Order of MANS, there is always the risk of reversion to societal pressures to conform to gender roles. The fact that the OCS has integrated an appreciation of women at all levels of the structure and that the order educates its members to see, understand, and combat social and emotional pressures to conform to gender roles is key to its support for the long-term empowerment of women and honoring of the divine feminine.Less
This chapter examines the roles of women in the Holy Order of MANS and in the Order of Christ Sophia (OCS) and offers a model for understanding the relationships among gender roles, gender qualities, and power in religious movements. It explores the teachings of these orders and how they relate to the roles of women. The founders of the OCS live in a time that is more appreciative of the feminine and have created an organization that more effectively empowers women and values the feminine. But, as happened with the Holy Order of MANS, there is always the risk of reversion to societal pressures to conform to gender roles. The fact that the OCS has integrated an appreciation of women at all levels of the structure and that the order educates its members to see, understand, and combat social and emotional pressures to conform to gender roles is key to its support for the long-term empowerment of women and honoring of the divine feminine.
Jaya Tyagi
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199451821
- eISBN:
- 9780199084593
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199451821.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Social History
The chapter explains why there is need to study the goddess tradition in the Puranic texts as they reveal the manner in which gender ideology extends to perceptions related to the ‘divine feminine’. ...
More
The chapter explains why there is need to study the goddess tradition in the Puranic texts as they reveal the manner in which gender ideology extends to perceptions related to the ‘divine feminine’. It traces the historical context in which representations of the divine feminine occur in textual and iconic traditions. Exploring Vedic traditions, the chapter moves towards the manner in which assimilation of diverse traditions relating to worship of feminine forces take place, culminating in the worship of Kali and the Saptamātṛkās in the Gupta period. The chapter explores how the Purāṇas reflect two parallel trends—first, the acknowledgement of the presence of various feminine forces and energies and goddesses, sometimes depicted in their multiplicity and at other times collapsing into each other, and second, the need to channelize this energy for male causes, namely war, land acquisition, or control of disease.Less
The chapter explains why there is need to study the goddess tradition in the Puranic texts as they reveal the manner in which gender ideology extends to perceptions related to the ‘divine feminine’. It traces the historical context in which representations of the divine feminine occur in textual and iconic traditions. Exploring Vedic traditions, the chapter moves towards the manner in which assimilation of diverse traditions relating to worship of feminine forces take place, culminating in the worship of Kali and the Saptamātṛkās in the Gupta period. The chapter explores how the Purāṇas reflect two parallel trends—first, the acknowledgement of the presence of various feminine forces and energies and goddesses, sometimes depicted in their multiplicity and at other times collapsing into each other, and second, the need to channelize this energy for male causes, namely war, land acquisition, or control of disease.
Orianne Aymard
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199368617
- eISBN:
- 9780199368648
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199368617.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
Calling on concepts of religious experiences and institutionalization, this book explores the devotional movement of the enduring religious figure, Ānandamayī Mā, through the compelling question of ...
More
Calling on concepts of religious experiences and institutionalization, this book explores the devotional movement of the enduring religious figure, Ānandamayī Mā, through the compelling question of what happens to a charismatic movement after the death (mahāsamādhi) of the guru. In her lifetime Mā Ānandamayī, also called the “Human Kālī” in Bengal, became arguably the most famous female religious leader in India, counting hundreds of thousands of followers, including personalities like Kamala Nehru, and her daughter Indira Gandhi, and was venerated in turn as a guru and avatar, incarnation of the Divine on Earth. While this study fills a current lacuna, by bringing together different scholarly perspectives in a dialogue on death and guruship, it also adds to the existing corpus of work on holy women in the Hindu tradition. It highlights a new vision of holiness by revealing a different way of venerating female gurus: that of the tomb’s cult. Mā Ānandamayī then represents a shift to female leadership in the world of Hindu guruship, and her grave (samādhi) is, in this sense, a symbol of the affirmation of the Divine Feminine. In addition, this study is a reflection of the globalization of religion, in that it reflects the West’s growing interest in the holy figures of Hinduism. Based on interviews and research, this book affords important insights into the explorations of gurus and devotion, thereby contributing to a better understanding of a community’s attempt in modern and postmodern times to sustain and enliven the worship of a renowned guru.Less
Calling on concepts of religious experiences and institutionalization, this book explores the devotional movement of the enduring religious figure, Ānandamayī Mā, through the compelling question of what happens to a charismatic movement after the death (mahāsamādhi) of the guru. In her lifetime Mā Ānandamayī, also called the “Human Kālī” in Bengal, became arguably the most famous female religious leader in India, counting hundreds of thousands of followers, including personalities like Kamala Nehru, and her daughter Indira Gandhi, and was venerated in turn as a guru and avatar, incarnation of the Divine on Earth. While this study fills a current lacuna, by bringing together different scholarly perspectives in a dialogue on death and guruship, it also adds to the existing corpus of work on holy women in the Hindu tradition. It highlights a new vision of holiness by revealing a different way of venerating female gurus: that of the tomb’s cult. Mā Ānandamayī then represents a shift to female leadership in the world of Hindu guruship, and her grave (samādhi) is, in this sense, a symbol of the affirmation of the Divine Feminine. In addition, this study is a reflection of the globalization of religion, in that it reflects the West’s growing interest in the holy figures of Hinduism. Based on interviews and research, this book affords important insights into the explorations of gurus and devotion, thereby contributing to a better understanding of a community’s attempt in modern and postmodern times to sustain and enliven the worship of a renowned guru.
Terryl L. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199794928
- eISBN:
- 9780199378432
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199794928.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The Christian tradition, with a few exceptions, finds no place in its theological history for a female component to the Trinity. (Shakers, Quakers, and Unitarians challenge traditional formulations.) ...
More
The Christian tradition, with a few exceptions, finds no place in its theological history for a female component to the Trinity. (Shakers, Quakers, and Unitarians challenge traditional formulations.) Mormonism, from about the time of Joseph Smith’s death, asserts a female consort to Heavenly Father, called Heavenly Mother. Absent in Mormon scripture, she is affirmed in a popular hymn, in numerous official declarations, and both undergirds and is implied by the doctrine of eternal marriage and the eternal family.Less
The Christian tradition, with a few exceptions, finds no place in its theological history for a female component to the Trinity. (Shakers, Quakers, and Unitarians challenge traditional formulations.) Mormonism, from about the time of Joseph Smith’s death, asserts a female consort to Heavenly Father, called Heavenly Mother. Absent in Mormon scripture, she is affirmed in a popular hymn, in numerous official declarations, and both undergirds and is implied by the doctrine of eternal marriage and the eternal family.
