The worksheet entitled "The Male Privilage" by Peggy Mcintosh, has many statements that are agreeable and others not so much. I agree with number 35 (it reads) -
"Every major religion in the world is led primarily by people of my own sex. Even God, in most major religions, is usually pictured as being male."
I agree with this statment because religion is stongly followed by many and men are the ones who influence more follwers. Priests are usually males and so is the Pope, this being the catholic-christian belief. But in other parts of the world Buddism has the rich and hefty, hairless statue (made of gold most of the time) that is seen as a male. God, (for those who belive in him) is seen as a male often of the time. This is all beacause males have that sense that man came to earth before women therefore the dominet sex. It's a set of mind that has been adopted worldwide.
This is an interesting item from Deutsch's "Male Privilege List," as even though not everyone is religious, the fact that in most religions God is viewed as a male adds a sense of importance to being a male; one might interpret it as men are more closer to God, at least in form. You also allude to the fact that in the Christian version of the Creation story, God created man first. But this story is problematic as there are two versions of it in the Genesis. The first one describes how God made man, and then took one of his ribs to make a woman. But wouldn't this suggest that man or Adam, was both, man and woman, as the woman was extracted from his body? The second version describes God making,in 'his image' man and woman simultaneously, which suggests they both look like God, who is a male, and they are equally important. So how has man evolved to be the dominant one if he is inextricably connected to woman?
ReplyDeleteGod is indeed seen as a man by many and so are the other important figures of the Christian religion (eg: John the baptist, 12 apostles, Jesus, Abraham etc.) I have never seen it that way before, that's so interesting the first man God created could be part woman as well? I mean I belive he wanted the opposite of man because of the loneliness he felt. The second version in which he makes man and woman at the same time is also very interesting. Because in His image (He being a man) a woman being created is weird. I have no response to that, it really makes me think but no logical answer comes to mind. Male has eveolved to be dominent because physically male are stronger.
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