When God Was a Woman Essay Example

to enter the world and the fall of man began. Stone questions why all of life's suffering is attributed solely to Eve's mistake and why Adam's actions are not equally regarded as foolish. (Page 5).

Despite never becoming very religious and rejecting organized religions in her adolescent years, the author found intrigue in the Adam and Eve story, leading her to research and explore other religions' teachings on the creation of life. Through this exploration, she discovered ancient cultures that held the belief that it was a "goddess" who created the world, giving females a higher authority. The author believes that the Adam and Eve story is merely a fable, representing an innocent attempt to explain the beginning of existence (Page 7).

Stone was driven to uncover alternative religious beliefs regarding the deity's gender. The author highlights that goddess worship has been present since 25,000 to 7000 BCE, while the Bible's reference dates from 1800 to 1550 BCE (Page 10). It is evident that the earliest cultures followed a matrilineal structure, and there is mention of a god, Ashtoreth in the Old Testament of the Bible. Ashtoreth was renowned in Canaan as the "Great Goddess" or the "Queen of Heaven" (Page 9). Stone was surprised at this newfound information and questioned why her Sunday school teachers had never spoken about the gendered deity.

According to her statement, the findings in archaeology suggest that worship of a certain god was present many years before the Hebrew prophet Abraham. Studying the artifacts of early religions provide insight into the state of women in those communities. For instance, between 3000 to 1800 BC, a goddess named Inanna was worshiped in the

matrilineal society of Sumer. Women participated in business activities, and practiced polyandry without punishment for adultery. Around 3000 BC, Egypt's Upper region worshipped a vulture symbolized goddess named Nekhebt. It was believed that she existed before anything else was created (Page 35).

In Lower Egypt, the "Great Serpent" goddess Ua Zit was worshipped, while another goddess named Isis was recognized mythologically as the daughter of Nekhebt, the Cobra goddess. Isis is known as the creator of agriculture, a healer, a physician, and the first to establish laws in the land. One early Egyptian law stated that the queen should enjoy greater power and honor than the king, and among private individuals, wives should have authority over their husbands (Page 36). According to Herodotus of Greece, women in Egypt were even reported to "go to the marketplace, transact business and occupy themselves with commerce, while their husbands stayed at home and weaved" (Page 36).

In early communities, women held a higher status. Evidence of this can be found in Ethiopia and Libya around 49 BC, where women were warriors, practiced communal marriage, and raised their children. These societies worshipped goddesses and therefore honored women. However, the power of women began to change when Northern countries invaded around 2400 BC. This is supported by literature and artifacts found from that time. Interestingly, these invaders believed in a male deity and viewed themselves as superior people.

Racism towards dark-skinned individuals was influenced by the belief in the goodness of light and evilness of darkness established by a certain group. Their literature portrayed their deity as the supreme god, leading to a belief that their society should

dominate everywhere. In Sumer around 2000 BC, they introduced Nammu, who was responsible for creating the world. Additionally, previously-revered god Innana relinquished power to Enki according to literature on page 83. Evidence from ancient Egyptian literature known as the Jemdet Nasr seals indicates that before 3000 BC, the Northeners took control of Egypt.

Merlin Stone explains on Page 87 that the replacement of goddesses Ua Zit and Nekhebt by male deity Shu, Lord Air, resulted in the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt for the first time. This change transferred power from queens to pharaohs, ultimately eroding women's authority. Stone attributes this shift to barbaric Northerners who imposed their dominance over women across various communities including India, Iran, Babylon. On Page 105, Stone delves into Hebrew history pinpointing Abraham's era to around 1800-1700 BC while Moses lived between 1300-1250 BC.

Stone suggests that there are indications of Indo-European influence on the Hebrews. One such sign is the practice, first observed among the Hittites, of a woman marrying either her dead husband's brother or father-in-law if no brother is available (Page 108). Additionally, Abraham requested to use land belonging to Ephron the Hittite to bury his wife Sarah in the Torah. Ephron referred to him as a "mighty prince among us" and offered him an excellent burial site (Genesis 23:6). The account of Noah's flood in the Torah also shares similarities with an Iranian story about Yima, who was warned by Ahura that due to people's sins, a flood would destroy the world.

Stone discusses the Hebrew war God Yahweh's orders to destroy cities that worshipped goddesses like Ashtoreth, which is illustrated throughout the Old Testament in stories

of conquest by figures such as Moses, Joshua, and David against civilizations like the Philistines, Canaanites, and Ammorites. In these battles, entire populations including men, women, children, and animals were destroyed with only virgins spared who mourned for a month before becoming wives (Deuteronomy 21:10-14). However, Stone also highlights the mistreatment of women in Hebrew society where adultery by a married woman or loss of virginity by an unmarried woman led to death by stoning (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:20-22).

According to Stone, there exists a religious belief where men hold power and advocate for the stoning of both the rapist and married woman in cases of rape (Deuteronomy 22:23-25). Nevertheless, if such an incident occurs in rural areas with a cry for help from the victim during the attack (Deuteronomy 22:25), only the perpetrator would face punishment. The author cites historical instances where women were subjugated and punished for their disobedience. Stone believes that this oppression stems from worshipping a male deity as ancient societies revered goddesses and held women in high esteem.

According to Stone, certain cultures considered pre-marital sex and adultery to be holy, despite the absence of laws prohibiting these actions. In the past, male-dominated societies took over previous civilizations and denigrated the status of women. Stone suggests that the Adam and Eve tale could be a political agenda influenced by Northern countries, where Eve was tricked by a crafty evil serpent leading to the entry of evil in the world. Stone asserts that this fable was used to promote male dominance over women. She suggests that the serpent may have symbolized a goddess like Ashtoreth who was defeated by a male deity like

Yahweh. Stone's viewpoints align with the goals of the contemporary women's movement.

The author's intention was to elucidate the historical reasons behind gender discrimination and encourage individuals to strive for gender equality. Women have made significant progress by obtaining voting rights, equal pay, and shedding traditional gender roles. Unlike biblical times, present-day women are taking a stand against subordination and demanding respect and equitable power in all aspects. The author aims to urge both men and women to move beyond Adam and Eve, transcend their differences, and reach mutual agreements. These ideas are relevant to contemporary society as the author does not intend to subjugate males but rather encourages both genders to "value each other's perspectives and opinions with reverence and consider the world and all its resources as a property of every living being on it. We can only become a genuinely civilized species when we accomplish this" (Page 241). Readers must consider researching alternative perspectives regarding religion and the origin of life before accepting them as definitive truths.

Readers, just like Merlin Stone who challenged her Sunday school teachers, should question the reliability of information provided by the author in her book When God Was a Woman. According to Apologists Norman Geisler and Ron Brooks, one should never arrive at a firm decision without examining all evidence impartially (McDowell page XI). Therefore, readers should analyze this book with a similar attitude (Page 103). However, it's important to note a significant flaw in Merlin Stone’s inspiration to write this book where she blamed females solely for the fall of man (Page 5), without discussing Adam's actions which could be equally foolish.

Inaccurate is Stone's

claim that woman enticed man with the fruit, as it contradicts the Bible. The responsibility for the forbidden fruit is assigned to Adam in Genesis 2:16 where God commands him not to eat from the tree of knowledge. Even though Eve ate first, there were no immediate consequences. Romans 5:14 explains that death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin like Adam.

The opening of eyes of Adam and Eve when Eve gave the fruit to Adam and he ate it is clearly stated in the Bible (Genesis 3:7). This resulted in their shame upon seeing each other’s nudity for the first time. The offense committed by one man, Adam, led to condemnation for all men (Romans 5:18). The transgression occurred due to Adam’s disobedience to the Lord God and thus, many became sinners as a result (Romans 5:19). Despite this, the question remains: why didn’t the fall begin when Eve ate the fruit? Stone suggests that many modern religions perceive sexual activity as being somewhat sinful and dirty (Page 155).

According to 1 Corinthians 6:9, sexual immorality like fornication and adultery is considered evil in the Bible. However, Hebrews 13:4 states that marital sex is "undefiled." The Old Testament book of Songs of Solomon features tales of erotic love between a man and woman. Stone's book contained an error regarding Moses' life and Yahwist accounts; he suggested that Moses lived from around 1300-1250 BC (Page 105) and claimed the accounts were written about 1000 BC (Page 104 & 190), which creates a contradiction since Moses couldn't have authored them if he died before they were written. While citing two professors who

posit changes, censorship, and contradictions within the Bible on page 104, Stone fails to provide any evidence supporting these claims despite including them in his book.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 in Qumran, Egypt provides recent evidence that supports the argument made by Biblical apologists regarding the unchanging and uncensored nature of the Bible. These scrolls contain a thousand-year older version of large portions of the Old Testament, including an entire book of Isaiah. By comparing them to modern-day copies, it further strengthens the belief that no alterations have been made to its contents (Comfort Page 794). However, Merlin Stone on page 111 disputes this claim and states that Noah's Ark and The Great Flood are mere tales created by Hebrews inspired by Iranian and Sumerian cultures.

Despite the author's personal beliefs about these stories, they are required to account for the presence of 270 flood narratives that exist in different countries around the world. A Hawaiian legend recounts how Nu-u constructed a canoe with a house to rescue himself, his family, and animals from flooding. Meanwhile, an ancient Chinese classic called "Hinking" tells of Fuhi, who escaped a deluge with his wife, three sons, and daughters. To find more accounts of floods, please refer to www.creationism.com or www.

The existence of seashell fossils and marine life on mountaintops worldwide is a controversial topic discussed on drdino.com. This raises questions about how those fossils were deposited without a rise in water levels. It is crucial for readers to thoroughly investigate the evidence presented in this book due to its contentious nature.

Merlin Stone refers to all beliefs as "myths," implying the lack of divine

or religious revelation. While Stone has the right to express her own opinions on the accuracy of biblical and other religious teachings, it is not acceptable for her to spread untrue information in order to bolster her arguments. J.B. Phillips asserts that he did not come across any mythological elements in the Bible despite having read numerous myths in Greek and Latin (McDowell Page XXXVII).

When discussing the Gospel of John, C. S. Lewis expresses that despite his extensive reading of poetry, romance, vision-literature, legends, and myths throughout his life, none of them compare to this particular text (McDowell Page XXXVII). Ultimately, whether a particular religion is considered a myth is left to the individual reader's discretion.

Merlin categorizes all of these beliefs as myths, so which one is accurate? While her intention was to highlight the status of women in societies, she could have achieved this goal without discrediting certain beliefs. It is evident, however, that the book When God Was a Woman fails to include God as a subject. Sources: Hovind, Kent - www.drdino.com, www.

The text includes information about different sources related to creationism. These include a video called "Dinosaurs and the Bible" from creationism.org, located in Pensacola, Florida in 2007. Additionally, there is a book by Josh McDowell titled "The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict" published in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. Another source is a book called "When God Was a Woman" by Merlin Stone that was published in New York, New York in 1976. All of this information is enclosed within an HTML paragraph tag.