When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone

First, if you believe that the Bible is a factual account of actual events as dictated to a human by God, this book will probably offend you and maybe even anger you. Consider yourself forewarned.

The thesis here is that from earliest times the primary deity and object of worship was the goddess. In the pre-history era, society was matriarchal and women occupied an honored place in all aspects of the community. The author details numerous archeological discoveries which would seem to support this contention. Then, the author asserts, the Middle East was invaded by Indo-Europeans, who conquered various regions and attempted to stamp out matriarchy in favor of patriarchy. This attempt to re-focus society peaked when the Levite tribe of the Israelites wrote the beginning chapters of what is now known as the Old Testament. Their account of Adam and Eve and the supposed beginning of humanity was a conscious attempt to stamp out goddess worship and denigrate women, casting them as naturally subservient to men (made from his rib), not too bright (easily tricked by the serpent), deceitful and seductive (persuading Adam to eat of the apple). Man must thus keep woman, who destroyed paradise, perpetually in check, regarding her as one would a small, potentially destructive child, lest she cause further harm.

The many Old Testament pronouncements about punishments for sexual transgressions were aimed at ensuring that the male could be as sure as possible that any children born of a union were parented by him, a necessity in a patriarchal society. For example, while a woman who committed adultery should be stoned, the husband might have numerous wives and concubines. The matter of sexuality was also important in that goddess worship probably included ritual sexual rites, and so the Israelite authors deemed sexual union to be shameful and sinful, to be only tolerated under the auspices of marriage when a man could just not restrain himself. This attitude extended into the New Testament. (Read the writings of St. Paul.)

The heritage of this teaching is alive and well in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions of today and has permeated culture, even among those who do not subscribe to religious belief. Women have never gained their previous status, being still considered by so many as less than and subservient to men.

So much for the premise, as I understand it.

Whether or not a reader buys into the totality of this premise, it should be obvious to anyone that the concepts promulgated by the three current major religions have determined many of the attitudes of today. In the Muslim world, women are sometimes still stoned for adultery and are admonished to wear a veil to avoid tempting men. In the Jewish and Christian world, some still blame the woman for being seductive when she is raped. In all these cultures, many still believe that it is desired by God that women should be subservient to men, supportive of their ruling males (fathers or husbands) and personally silent in family, religious, political, and intellectual matters.

Personally, I felt, rather than knew from my own research, that many of the evidences gathered from archeology were selectively chosen to support the predominance of goddess worship thesis. Particularly revealing were the large numbers of phrases such as "it is possible" and "the evidence suggests" and "perhaps." So, really, nobody knows for sure. I was often reminded of reading Chariot of the Gods, with its archeology-supported thesis of pre-history visitations by aliens from another planet. As presented, that thesis, too, seemed plausible. I felt that the archeology evidence was the weakest part of this book.

Again personally, I can see from my own observation as a resident of the evangelical South that current attitudes about the relationship between men and women are largely dependent upon the belief that God ordained men to be superior. From the news, I can see that many in the Muslim world also holds this view. Whether or not the goddess once ruled, it is apparent today that the god rules.

And whether or not any or all of the assertions of this book are believed, it is still very interesting in the light that it throws on the study of fictional literature.

Recommended.