Why Goddess Worship?

Srinivasan Nenmeli-K

Worship of female goddesses is a well accepted and common practice in Hinduism and in
Hinayan Buddhism....While Hindus worship a goddess mainly in the form of 'shakti' or energy
principle, they also worship goddesses as consorts of their favourite gods or Ishta Devata.In
Buddhism,worship of Kuan Yin as a female goddess of compassion and protection is widespread
in China and in other places.

Why worship a female god or goddess? When worship of any personal God is based on
emotions,the worship of Mother Goddess appeals to many.This form of pagan worship was
discounted and denounced when many of the Greek goddesses were obliterated in monotheistic
religion in Judaism and early Christianity.

But things are not so simple when a popular religion spreads and occupies the minds of
millions of people.Some forms of worship of female figures entered in Christianity too.Mother
Mary was treated not just as the mother of Jesus,but a kind of virgin goddess.So many
churches revere and venerate Mother Mary in subtle forms of worship , and chanting and
singing hymns in her praise.

While the Christian theologians and early apostles and others always spoke of Father in
Heaven, to be worshipped as such,while they gave lesser place to women in their male
hegemony,every effort was made either to suppress Goddess Worship or belittle that.The
pantheistic groups,nature worshippers ,as part of Christian faith or as separate groups from the
traditional church,gave vent to their feelings by worshipping "Mother Nature".In particular
,worship of the Mother Earth or Gaia was mildly accepted and followed with some
reservations...Some traditions,which are break-away groups ,free masons and Wiccas, can have
a litlte breathing space in this respect;of course,they would be frowned upon by traditional and
fundamental christians.They were clubbed with witchcraft and black magic and persecuted.

With the spread of Hindu beliefs and Buddhist practices world-widein late 19th century and
in 20th century, due to variety of reasons [not simply due their gurus or masters] people have
begun to look at "goddess worship" in a new light.They seem to accept that God is not male or
female and is beyond gender ---as Hindu philosophers have told all along.But,when it comes to
a matter of "worship" in a personal tone,why not a Goddess as much as a male GOD ? What is
wrong with churches for female goddesses ? Such questions have led in recent times for a more
open worship of Goddesses. If you say that God is a "person of Compassion",then it is more
likely it could be a mother figure--right.!
How much forgiving,compassion and kindness a mother shows even towards a vagrant son.!

Further, studying closely the early christianity and more about 'historical Jesus', many tend
to believe that the concept of Jesus as only begotten son of God could be a later addition to
theological framework,mainly to encourage a growing religion with male-dominated
church..Such thinking had lead to the reexamination by devout people of the role of female
gods ...The worship of Mother Goddess, in the form of Nature worship or worship of the Earth or
Fertility rites have been going on almost 3000 years before Chritianity was born...It is easy to
label these forms of worship as pagan cults and put a lid on the practices which the established
church [in any country] could easily do because of political and money power.The fact is that
such practices --the pagan cults--are natural and cannot be repressed for long,much as sexual
impulses of most people cannot be suppressed without unhealthy results.Therefore,in modern
times,with freedom of speech and liberal views on life,the worship of Mother Goddess is
increasingly practised --much to the chagrin of established,traditional church which cannot
easily recoil.
Another development is the increasing number of women ministers and priests and their role
in churches and in society...Will they accept only male God worship?--this a mute point to
discuss...With increasing scandals about male clergymen,it is time for women-clergy to
dominate the places of worship.!
The established churches are not only plagued by scandolus behavior of its clergy,but also
beset with the issues of gay persons in their ministry!
While in the final analysis,worshipping any God or Goddess would be and should be a
personal,individual decision,the atmosphere is now tending towards increasing churches for
female God or goddess worship...The trend is clear,even though many theologians may take a
few decades to change their stand.

Please refer to my webpages in www.freewebs.com/nksrinivasan for further

discussion on "Goddess Worship"