Why are Spiritual masters all male?

[Narrue]

Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Zoroaster and the vast majority of all prophets have all been male.
If you look back in history it looks like all great spiritual masters are always male, why?

[firecoins]

because we have lived in male dominated societies that won't listen to women.

[CKava]

Shamans are often female though.

[Narrue]

because we have lived in male dominated societies that won't listen to women.

I’m not sure about that, if a woman possessed great spiritual powers I think people would have listened. Think for example some of the miracles Jesus preformed. Do you think if a woman walked on water nobody would have taken any notice, I doubt it.

[holyheadjch]

Women dont need to found religions to control our lives - they use far more cunning methods to lead us down the righteous path.

[Yama Tombo]

Religion sees man as the dominate figure, christianity the arrangement of God is:

'God head of jesus, Jesus head of church and man, man head of wife and family, wife head of children'

Other cultures seem to follow the same headship

Why? I don't know. In christianity, there was more righteous women than men. I guess, it goes back to the story of genesis, man was created first and woman created from the rib of man.

[Thelistmaker]

In Tibetan Buddhism there are several female Buddha deities such as Vajra Yogini and Tara although admittedly the majority of great historical and semi mythical teachers of Buddhism are male.

But the orthodoxy is that we have all had countless past lives as male/female/hermaphrodite ect.

Unfortunately the secular culture in many Buddhist countries was and till is to some extent patriarchal. However before the Chinese invaded Tibet was one of the few places where polyandry (having more than one husband) was practiced. It’s still practiced in some remote parts of Nepal but the practice is declining. It serves as a form of cultural population control and supposedly does put the woman in a better position than some monogamous cultures in other parts of rural Nepal and in isolated communities it makes sense for a woman to have children by several different men as it ensures more genetic variation in a population.

[Narrue]

A woman having more then one husband! I never heard of that before. Men having more then one wife yes but womenhaving more then one husband, are you sure?

[Thelistmaker]

A woman having more then one husband! I never heard of that before. Men having more then one wife yes but womenhaving more then one husband, are you sure?

:) very much so, you just havn't been moving in the right circles :p

maybe this will help http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyandry

[Thelistmaker]

An interesting female prophet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Southcott

I strongly suspect there where some female spiritual leaders who where left out of history by male historians.

NB. If you want to learn about women in Islam a good start is the ‘women and Islam’ program link on this page (a little bellow the picture of the crystal earth: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/beyond_belief/index.shtml

[slipthejab]

A woman having more then one husband! I never heard of that before. Men having more then one wife yes but womenhaving more then one husband, are you sure?

For many many Tibetans this is quite a common practice. Often times they will marry more than on brother from a particular family.

I think you need to get out more. ;)

[Yama Tombo]

In Tibetan Buddhism there are several female Buddha deities such as Vajra Yogini and Tara although admittedly the majority of great historical and semi mythical teachers of Buddhism are male.

But the orthodoxy is that we have all had countless past lives as male/female/hermaphrodite ect.

Unfortunately the secular culture in many Buddhist countries was and till is to some extent patriarchal. However before the Chinese invaded Tibet was one of the few places where polyandry (having more than one husband) was practiced. It’s still practiced in some remote parts of Nepal but the practice is declining. It serves as a form of cultural population control and supposedly does put the woman in a better position than some monogamous cultures in other parts of rural Nepal and in isolated communities it makes sense for a woman to have children by several different men as it ensures more genetic variation in a population.

I was going to mention that but I forgot that word... :bang:

[Lame Leopard]

Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Zoroaster and the vast majority of all prophets have all been male.
If you look back in history it looks like all great spiritual masters are always male, why?

Toypurina, Lozen (Native American Shamans), Helen White, Aimee Semple MacPherson, Mary Baker Eddy, were all female "spiritual masters" in my book. I'm sure there are many more that others could name. I think the ratio of male to female is very unbalanced though.

[KickChick]

I strongly suspect there where some female spiritual leaders who where left out of history by male historians.[/url]


Good point! :)


:Angel:

[Ragnarok2005]

Women are intelligent enough to not feel the need to spark thousands of years of warfare by preaching lies! :D

*The Buddha not included in that criticism.

[pj_goober]

What about Catholosism?

Ok, so Mary's not quite up their with God or Jesus, but she's pretty revered by Catholics.

[LiaoRouxin]

In China the most popular religious idol is the Lady of Forgiveness, Guan Yin. Our traditional creator was Nuwa, whose name "nu" means "Woman". She made the first men from clay, drove away the demons that would harm us, and repaired the sky so that we might live. She was married to her brother, Fuxi, the first mythic emperor of mankind.

The Cult of Isis in the Roman Empire had many female leaders.

[Kwajman]

because we have lived in male dominated societies that won't listen to women.


Amen, why do you think the "rules" that most religions espouse are so anti-female? Least it seems that way to me.

Aimee Semple MacPherson. I think the ratio of male to female is very unbalanced though.


After her scandal though she never rose back to prominence. It seems even in scandal men can get back to where they were and women can't.

[aikiMac]

I'm sure there are many more that others could name. I think the ratio of male to female is very unbalanced though.
In the New Testament epistles the Apostle Paul mentions by name and with admiration and graciousness numerous female church leaders. Some of them he even calls "apostles." Obviously there were significant female leaders in the first century AD, and obviously Paul had no problem with that.

A few centuries later there were many prominent women in Celtic Christianity, before Rome took over the islands. Large and very important Christian monestaries were founded, and then led for decades, by female priests. The Celts had no problem with that. (This practice died out after Rome took control of all Christian churches in Britain.)

Maybe people, and not God, are to blame for the reduction in number of highly-positioned women in religious organizations. :confused:

[adouglasmhor]

I always thought that the fictional Y Chromosome superiority that pervades many religions is an affront to the spirituality of the world and consciousness of us all.

[reel deel]

most religions are male dominated because, the males wanted to keep women in their 'place'.
However in the Wiccan and pagan relgions women are not only the high preistesses but the three aspects of the deity (mother earth/nature) are also female.