Most of us were taught the myth that God is a man. This is where religion has fundamentally failed and damaged us.

It is one of the world’s greatest shames that we have only half the equation of God. We need the other half—the Goddess, or the feminine aspect of God—in order to be whole, in order to achieve our fullest expression and balance of life.

The word Goddess is derived from the word God; Goddess is the feminine essence of God.

The Goddess Durga is also known as Devi to the Indians and Diva to the Italians, from the Latin word diva, meaning “Goddess,” the feminine version of divus, meaning “God.”

Consider these quotes from the Bible:

• “For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of man. Neither was the
  man created for the woman but the woman for man.” (1 Cor. 11:8–9)
• “I permit no woman to have authority over men. She is to be silent.” (1 Timothy 2:12)
• “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22)

These are just a few of the many texts present in the sacred scriptures of the Judeo-Christian tradition that have been used over the centuries to denigrate women, assign them second-class positions, and prevent them from exercising such natural rights of citizenship as voting, becoming educated, and assuming roles of religious leadership.

Every advance that women have made has had to fight against these biblical definitions and deformations.

The fact that God has been envisioned in the Judeo-Christian tradition almost exclusively as a male has only added fuel to the fires of oppression, and today the Christian church remains the major bulwark of patriarchy.

This negativity however, is not limited to the Judeo-Christian tradition: it appears in other non-Western cultures and most of the great religions of the world.

In a sacred text of the Hindus, we are told: 

• “It is the highest duty of woman to immolate herself after her husband’s death.”

In another Hindu text, we read:

• “Women are to be debarred from being competent students of the Vedas [sacred Hindu scripture].”

In the laws of Manu, the Hindu creator of humankind, we read:

• “In childhood, a female is subject to her father. In youth, a female is subject to her husband. When her Lord is dead, she shall be subject to her sons. A woman must never be independent.”

In Buddhism, one is reborn as a woman because of one’s bad karma. Buddhist prayers include:

• “I pray that I may be reborn a male in a future existence.”

From a book of Jewish prayers, Jewish men are taught to say:

• “Blessed be the god who has not created me a heathen, a slave, or a woman.”
• Talmudic writers added:  “It would be better to burn the words of Torah than to entrust them to a woman.”

In the Muslim Qu’ran (Koran), we learn that the woman is regarded as:

• “half a man,” and that forgetfulness overcomes the woman, who is inherently weaker in “rational judgment.”

(Bender, Sierra. Goddess to the Core. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2009.)

Femicide: a hate crime or the intentional killing of females by males because they are female.

The term femicide was first used in England in 1801 to signify the “killing of a woman.” The oldest weapon of war is raping women and girls to destroy a culture.

Twenty-two-year-old Mahsa Amini was beaten to death on Friday, September 16th, 2022.

She was initially arrested for what was referred to as an “improper hijab.” It is said that she died three days later. The police in Tehran, Iran, deny that she was murdered and states that she suffered a heart attack, even though her family confirmed she had no prior health conditions.

This is horrific incidence is an example of male herding. The Iran morality police broke their laws of morality and guidance and made it a hate crime.

“This is the root of femicide; Blaming the victim and Male Herding. Male Herding is anti-female in any organization in power such as religion, politics, medicine, science, corporate and Hollywood.” – Sierra Bender

Although this happened to an Iranian woman, it is an attack and message to females globally.

From the beginning of a female’s existence, there is no equality. This is the source of women’s and girls’ anger. Until we face this truth and tap into our righteous anger, being victorious and courageous, not victimized and compromised, the cycle and history of femicide will continue. Our righteous anger is love into action, claiming our space, using our voice, and asserting our rights without asking permission or needing validation from men or organizations that have historically disempowered women.

Amini is a sacrifice for all women around the world to wake up.

How many women and girls is it going to take? When will we realize that love takes action and is compassionate yet fierce. Each of us plays a role in demanding equality in the bedroom, boardroom, and beyond.

There is now public outrage over what happened.

Women are protesting across several cities in Iran. However, many women are also protesting online on TikTok. Women are cutting their hair to show that they stand with Amini. Some women are even shaving their heads. Men also are protesting along with women and shaving their hair too.
(Ng, Kate. “Iranian women shave heads and burn hijabs on TikTok to protest the death of Mahsa Amini.” Yahoo News, 21 September 2022.)

As an activist and advocate for feminine freedom and equality, men always ask me how can they participate in female empowerment. My answer is simple. Hold other men accountable for their actions.  – Sierra Bender