Religious notions have often ingrained a sense of powerlessness in the psyche of many women, dominantly to those without literacy and with conservative family background. Though India is referred as “Mother land” and many Goddesses are worshiped under Hinudism, women's cultural and social subordination is allegedly rooted in the male dominated religious norms and rituals, and more than often results in the belief of women's inferiority to men and women’s acceptance of their own oppression. Even in the times of modernization, women receive conflicting messages of newly forged opportunities restricted by religious law and economic insecurity. Because of this, women often feel insecure and find a return to unproductive religious believes and useless rituals.
The teachings of total dependency on Gods are incorporated from the very early stages of childhood and they are more prone to make someone God-fearing rather than God-loving.
An young girl participate in the holy Ganga Sagar festival dressed up as a Goddess. She traveled 180 KM from hew village to attend this occasion and was told that this custom was more important than her annual exams which was due in 5 days time.
Hundreds of young girls from villages go missing every year. The statistics from my state West Bengal alone is alarming. In a latest of such incidents, 10 girls went missing during a religious trip.
Alongside religion, comes superstition. And in the name of superstition, a young girl is drugged and declared possessed and punched in the name exorcism. The whole point of this exercise was to prove that the girl was possessed by her dead mother who wants to donate her ornaments to her uncle. It was alarming that the crowd too believed in this.
There are a number of religious events where women are drugged and then worshipped to appease one's belief and not caring for the woman's plight or modesty. It is sad to see people when violate the rights of a woman and at the same time holds her as the symbol of a Goddess and worship her.
Woman are told, the well-being of her family depends on her religious practice and dedications. Often it is fascinating to see that how these believes have actually are being hold true by the women who take part in dangerous rituals like sitting with burning fire on her head and laps which is intended to bring well being to her family.
Woman are told, the well-being of her family depends on her religious practice and dedications. Often it is fascinating to see that how these believes have actually are being hold true by the women who take part in dangerous rituals like sitting with burning fire on her head and laps which is intended to bring well being to her family.
These religious and superstitious believes run so old that many women actually holds these believes true or may be to find sort of self-esteem that they only gain from society through the religious rituals.
Another instance of where the husband believes her wife's epilepsy is caused by possession. She is drugged as a cure to her seizures and in the name of exorcism she is bathed openly in the river, beaten with sticks. Her modestly, womanhood, honour are severely compromised.
A mother is told to walk over her child lying in a pool of water on the bare road to bring well being to the very child.
After leading such a life dedicated to religion and practicing numerous rituals for the well being for her family, many women are left at widow shelters (ashrams) at the old age. She is left all alone, away from the family and society and living like an outcast till she welcomes death.
It is ironic that women are now welcomed into all major professions and other positions of authority, but are often branded as inferior and are deprived of the equal right in the name of God, even though no discrimination is made while worshiping Goddesses . The plight of abused women is made more acceptable by the mandated subservience of women by religion.
The truth is that male religious leaders have had – and still have – an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women. This is in clear violation not just of the universal declaration of human rights but also the teachings of founders of all great religions – all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God.
At their most repugnant, the belief that women are inferior human beings in the eyes of God gives excuses to the brutal husband who beats his wife, the soldier who rapes a woman, the employer who has a lower pay scale for women employees, or parents who decide to abort a female embryo. It also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair and equal access to education, health care, employment, and influence within their own communities.
