Guest guest Posted October 29, 1999 Report Share Posted October 29, 1999 I am an American woman who studies Hinduism, but I have never been to India. I am fascinated by the relationship between women and religion and I am perplexed by the structures of Indian society in this regard. I don't understand why Hinduism, a tradition which so greatly reveres the feminine force of creation, Shakti, could be so oppressive towards women?> Obviously, it is an oversimplification to assume that religion singularly and directly influences cultural ideas. However, it seems illogical to me that in the Hindu Religion, women and/or female archetypal symbols play more of a dominant role than in many other major world religions and yet at the same time there is a very serious problem with violence and oppression towards women. Do archetypes of woman as destroyer (Kali) get negatively associated with women? Are other cultural values strongly influenced by religion that would enforce the illogical nature of this dichotomy? Why do you think the reverence of Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati, etc... isn't expressed towards Hindu women? Do Hindu men and women in India identify with their faith in different ways? If anyone has feedback about this, I would be really appreciative! -Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 1999 Report Share Posted October 30, 1999 > > Amy S Beckhusen [sMTP:ab004f] > Friday, October 29, 1999 8:16 PM > Ramakrishna > [ramakrishna] goddess in Hindu society > > Amy S Beckhusen <ab004f > > I am an American woman who studies Hinduism, but I have never been to > India. I am fascinated by the relationship between women and religion and > I am perplexed by the structures of Indian society in this regard. I don't > understand why Hinduism, a tradition which so greatly reveres the feminine > force of creation, Shakti, could be so oppressive towards women? [Madhava Replies:] Hari Om! Some body must have given you very wrong idea... There are one billion people in India. Women abuse happens every where in the world. Statistically speaking, it happens to a lesser extent in India than compared to the world! Hinduism has got nothing to do with it. Read further... > Obviously, it is an oversimplification to assume that religion > singularly and directly influences cultural ideas. [Madhava Replies:] On the contrary, religion does influence a lot of cultural ideas. During the course of the time, the culture takes over the religious values. New ideas do get induce into the culture, culture changes. Religion never changes. Hence, an apparent rift, but culture stands on the ground of religion. > However, it seems > illogical to me that in the Hindu Religion, women and/or female > archetypal symbols play more of a dominant > role than in many other major world religions and yet at the same time > there is a very serious problem with violence and oppression towards > women. [Madhava Replies:] No other religion, as I understand them, allow women to play a major role, except Hinduism. A significant part of our Veda is contributed by women seers. Had we been male chauvinistic, we would have deleted those parts, long back! But we didn't... Think of it... So I wouldn't agree with your points. > Do archetypes of woman as destroyer (Kali) get negatively associated with > women? [Madhava Replies:] The answer is NO. > Are other cultural values strongly influenced by religion that > would enforce the illogical nature of this dichotomy? [Madhava Replies:] I wouldn't say it as dichotomy. Though I understand your personal feelings. I would advise you to stand above them and look at our religion in an unbiased way. Then only one can understand the exorbitant beauty of it. > Why do you think the reverence of Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati, > etc... isn't > expressed towards Hindu women? [Madhava Replies:] You must have encountered some wrong people :-) We always name them and adore them. Western influence and British rule has its toll on our people also. How ever, I am not putting the blame on western influence. You might encounter british-oriented-indians and Americann-oriented-Indians. You should meet people who are Indiann-oriented-Indians. I am sure you will change your opinion. > Do Hindu men and women in India identify with their faith in different > ways? [Madhava Replies:] That is the beauty of it. We are diversified, yet we are Hindus. The sun illumines a lot of objects. Each object is different. At every object draws its light from the Sun. The same way, men and women draw their ideas from the single idea called paramatma. That is why, you find sayings like " satyamEkaM viprAh bahudhA vadaMti " (truth alone, wise speak of it in different ways) --- ONLY IN HINDUISM... Regards, Madhava > If anyone has feedback about this, I would be really appreciative! > -Amy > > > Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah > Vivekananda Centre London > http://www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 1999 Report Share Posted October 30, 1999 Yes i guess u r very right abt in saying that " Obviously, it is an oversimplification .... cultural ideas " . Religion is something which constitutes great ideas n thoughts. But everyone in this world is not gr8 to follow or understand these. No i don't think that archetypes of woman as destroyer get negatively associated with women. Kali symbolises the destroyer of evil. no man or woman is as gr8 as kali or as other godesses. If they r that gr8 i guess they surely will get that respect for after all we all r human beings who behave acc. to their own limitations. All the godesses r worshipped as mother n i guess mother is the most respected of all in Hindu society. Religion is something which cannot be forced on someone it is something which comes frm inside. As such religion says that every woman be looked as mother or sister i.e. with all respect. So only if religion is inside the inviduals only then it can be that one may find females be worshipped like goddesses. I remember there r many customs in hindu society where women r given all respect. On Fri, 29 Oct 1999, Amy S Beckhusen wrote: > Amy S Beckhusen <ab004f > > I am an American woman who studies Hinduism, but I have never been to > India. I am fascinated by the relationship between women and religion and > I am perplexed by the structures of Indian society in this regard. I don't > understand why Hinduism, a tradition which so greatly reveres the feminine > force of creation, Shakti, could be so oppressive towards women?> > Obviously, it is an oversimplification to assume that religion > singularly and directly influences cultural ideas. However, it seems > illogical to me that in the Hindu Religion, women and/or female > archetypal symbols play more of a dominant > role than in many other major world religions and yet at the same time > there is a very serious problem with violence and oppression towards > women. > Do archetypes of woman as destroyer (Kali) get negatively associated with > women? Are other cultural values strongly influenced by religion that > would enforce the illogical nature of this dichotomy? > Why do you think the reverence of Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati, > etc... isn't > expressed towards Hindu women? > Do Hindu men and women in India identify with their faith in different > ways? > If anyone has feedback about this, I would be really appreciative! > -Amy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 1999 Report Share Posted November 1, 1999 your answer to that lady about women abuse and hinduism was so ver good and to the point. keep it up i think poverty and ignorance has a lot to do with abuse but i see wife battering worst even in educated society like america and that is why they have pheobes homes and so many christians and muslims beat up their wives. so i donot think it has anything to do with religion. Madhava K. Turumella <madhava Ramakrishna <Ramakrishna > Cc: saradaji <saradaji Saturday, October 30, 1999 12:47 PM RE: [ramakrishna] goddess in Hindu society > " Madhava K. Turumella " <madhava > >> >> Amy S Beckhusen [sMTP:ab004f] >> Friday, October 29, 1999 8:16 PM >> Ramakrishna >> [ramakrishna] goddess in Hindu society >> >> Amy S Beckhusen <ab004f >> >> I am an American woman who studies Hinduism, but I have never been to >> India. I am fascinated by the relationship between women and religion and >> I am perplexed by the structures of Indian society in this regard. I don't >> understand why Hinduism, a tradition which so greatly reveres the feminine >> force of creation, Shakti, could be so oppressive towards women? > [Madhava Replies:] > Hari Om! Some body must have given you very wrong idea... There >are one billion people in India. Women abuse happens every where in the >world. Statistically speaking, it happens to a lesser extent in India than >compared to the world! Hinduism has got nothing to do with it. Read >further... > >> Obviously, it is an oversimplification to assume that religion >> singularly and directly influences cultural ideas. > [Madhava Replies:] > On the contrary, religion does influence a lot of cultural ideas. >During the course of the time, the culture takes over the religious values. >New ideas do get induce into the culture, culture changes. Religion never >changes. Hence, an apparent rift, but culture stands on the ground of >religion. > >> However, it seems >> illogical to me that in the Hindu Religion, women and/or female >> archetypal symbols play more of a dominant >> role than in many other major world religions and yet at the same time >> there is a very serious problem with violence and oppression towards >> women. > [Madhava Replies:] > No other religion, as I understand them, allow women to play a major >role, except Hinduism. A significant part of our Veda is contributed by >women seers. Had we been male chauvinistic, we would have deleted those >parts, long back! But we didn't... Think of it... So I wouldn't agree with >your points. > >> Do archetypes of woman as destroyer (Kali) get negatively associated with >> women? > [Madhava Replies:] > The answer is NO. > >> Are other cultural values strongly influenced by religion that >> would enforce the illogical nature of this dichotomy? > [Madhava Replies:] > I wouldn't say it as dichotomy. Though I understand your personal >feelings. I would advise you to stand above them and look at our religion >in an unbiased way. Then only one can understand the exorbitant beauty of >it. > >> Why do you think the reverence of Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati, >> etc... isn't >> expressed towards Hindu women? > [Madhava Replies:] > You must have encountered some wrong people :-) We always name them >and adore them. Western influence and British rule has its toll on our >people also. How ever, I am not putting the blame on western influence. >You might encounter british-oriented-indians and Americann-oriented-Indians. >You should meet people who are Indiann-oriented-Indians. I am sure you will >change your opinion. > >> Do Hindu men and women in India identify with their faith in different >> ways? > [Madhava Replies:] > That is the beauty of it. We are diversified, yet we are Hindus. >The sun illumines a lot of objects. Each object is different. At every >object draws its light from the Sun. The same way, men and women draw their >ideas from the single idea called paramatma. That is why, you find sayings >like " satyamEkaM viprAh bahudhA vadaMti " (truth alone, wise speak of it in >different ways) --- ONLY IN HINDUISM... > > Regards, > Madhava > >> If anyone has feedback about this, I would be really appreciative! >> -Amy >> >> > Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah >> Vivekananda Centre London >> http://www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/ > >>Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah >Vivekananda Centre London >http://www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 1999 Report Share Posted November 1, 1999 Amy, I think the present oppression of Indian women is because of our ignorance of Hinduism and overinvolvement in rituals. A true follower of HInduism respects women in form of Mother. Rajiv >Amy S Beckhusen <ab004f >Ramakrishna >Ramakrishna >[ramakrishna] goddess in Hindu society >Fri, 29 Oct 1999 13:15:38 -0400 > >I am an American woman who studies Hinduism, but I have never been to >India. I am fascinated by the relationship between women and religion and >I am perplexed by the structures of Indian society in this regard. I don't >understand why Hinduism, a tradition which so greatly reveres the feminine >force of creation, Shakti, could be so oppressive towards women?> >Obviously, it is an oversimplification to assume that religion >singularly and directly influences cultural ideas. However, it seems >illogical to me that in the Hindu Religion, women and/or female >archetypal symbols play more of a dominant >role than in many other major world religions and yet at the same time >there is a very serious problem with violence and oppression towards >women. >Do archetypes of woman as destroyer (Kali) get negatively associated with >women? Are other cultural values strongly influenced by religion that >would enforce the illogical nature of this dichotomy? >Why do you think the reverence of Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati, >etc... isn't >expressed towards Hindu women? >Do Hindu men and women in India identify with their faith in different >ways? >If anyone has feedback about this, I would be really appreciative! >-Amy > > >------ >Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah >Vivekananda Centre London >http://www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/ ><< text3.html >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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