Please add any of your comments about the debate over ancient goddess religion and its significance for religion today.
Also, after reading the samples of student prayers to Goddess, submit your version of what a Goddess prayer might be like.
What underlying messages about gender and sexuality are implied in the animated film “Kirikou” that we viewed in class?
How do you interpret the transformation of both Kirikou and Karaba the sorceress?
Penelope Washbourn has tried to offer some positive spiritual interpretations of menstruation that many of you found to be a bit of a stretch. Now you are reading some traditional religious responses to women’s menstruation and menstrual blood. How do you react to them? What kinds of cultural messages exist today about menstruation? Do you see why Washbourn felt she needed to be more joyful about menstruation? Do you see any religious significance to menstruation?
While Valerie Saiving focuses more on the differences between male and female identity and its implications for religion, Penelope Washbourn focuses on the unique physical experiences of women’s bodies and their spiritual dimensions. Do you agree that your body is a source of spiritual experiences?
There are two perspectives presented in our first few readings. Rita Gross argues for the elimination of gender roles, while Valerie Saiving and Penelope Washbourn insist on the importance of gender for how people use religion. Do you think that men and women relate to religion in the same ways, or does religion have different functions and values for men and women? Leave your comments below by clicking on “comments”.