The World of Religions, January-February 2009 —
There are fewer common points than one might imagine between the various religions of the world. Above all, there is the famous golden rule, declined in a thousand ways: do not do to others what you would not have done to you. There is another, in flagrant contradiction with this principle, which surprises by its antiquity, its permanence, and its quasi-universality: contempt for women. As if woman were a potential or failed human being, assuredly inferior to the male sex. The historical and textual elements that we provide in this issue's dossier to support this sad observation are all too eloquent. Why such contempt? Psychological motives are undoubtedly decisive. As Michel Cazenave reminds us, following the pioneers of psychoanalysis, man is both jealous of female pleasure and frightened by his own desire for women. Sexuality is undoubtedly at the heart of the problem, and Islamic males who only tolerate veiled women have nothing to envy the Fathers of the Church, who saw women only as potential temptresses. There are also socio-historical reasons for this degradation of women in almost all cultures, a degradation to which religions have contributed decisively. The very ancient cult of the "great goddess" testifies to a valorization of the feminine principle. The shamans of humanity's earliest religions are male or female, like the spirits they venerate, as evidenced by the oral societies that have survived to the present day. But a few millennia ago, when cities developed and the first kingdoms were formed, the need for social organization became apparent and a political and religious administration appeared. However, it was men who assumed the roles of government. The priests responsible for administering cults rushed to masculinize the pantheon, and the male gods, like what was happening on earth, took power in heaven. Monotheisms, in turn, only reproduced and sometimes even amplified this polytheistic pattern by giving the one god an exclusively masculine face. A great paradox of religions for millennia: so despised, women are often the true heart of them; they pray, transmit, and sympathize with the suffering of others. Today, mentalities are evolving thanks to the secularization of modern societies and the emancipation of women that it has fostered. Unfortunately, certain terrifying practices – these fifteen Afghan teenage girls recently doused with acid while walking to their school in Kandahar – as well as remarks from another age – such as those made by the Archbishop of Paris: "It is not enough to have skirts, you also have to have things in your head" – show that a long way remains to be covered before religious traditions finally recognize women as equal to men, and erase from their doctrines and practices these centuries-old traces of misogyny.