Religion 2019: Indian Women Challenge Hindu Misogyny

Richard Mellor

Afscme Local 444, retired

Hinduism
Organized religion is a tool of the ruling class no matter what it calls itself or which god it claims. All of them are patriarchal and steeped in misogyny.  But the world is changing.

In India this week, over 5 million women have formed a “women’s wall” from the northern state of Kerala to its southernmost city of Thiruvananthapuram. The protest is to support two women who entered Kerala’s Sabarimala temple to pray. Women of “menstruating age” said to be between 10 and 50, are considered impure and are forbidden from entering the temple. 

There have been massive protests and clashes over this issue from conservative Hindu’s and Hindu nationalists. Women are banned from this particular temple because they might tempt the temple’s main Hindu god Lord Ayyappa and he could break his vow of celibacy. It’s a bit bothersome as if menstruating women go in, the priests will have to perform “purity rituals” to set things right. Another major issue Facts For Working People thinks is a problem is whether the priests will be paid overtime for the cleansing and get the required tea breaks. Either way, this is another example of women refusing to be pushed further back in to the dark ages with organized religion as the lever.

Judaism

Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel are not always appreciated by other Israeli’s for a number of reasons. One is that they don’t like work as they read religious tracts all day long and they have been exempt from military service. They also have a lot of kids. 

More than half of the ultra-Orthodox live below the poverty line and often, due to the focus on mind numbing religious indoctrination, have few skills that can bring in enough to feed their families. Like all extremist cults they fear any influence from wider society which is why they have, through their political power, been exempt from military service until recently and they don’t send their children to regular schools and avoid university. We have a similar situation with some Christians here in the US. But there is a growing division among them over this issue.    

Also, a small point, readers may have seen and welcomed the anti-Zionist stand by some New York City Orthodox Jewish groups but when you take a look, notice that there won’t be any women among them.

This Israeli film gives a glimpse in to the lives of these people.

Vatican Inc.

There is hope yet for the victims of the Roman Catholic Church’s history of rape, sexual abuse and most importantly, the cover up of this activity on the part of its full time staff (priests) by higher ups.

US Catholic bishops met yesterday outside Chicago for a week long retreat on sexual abuse according to reports. Vatican Inc. has been battered by this activity and been forced to pay millions of dollars in fines and payments to victims. Unfortunately, the victims in places like Brazil, Colombia or other former colonial countries where some of the guilty parties were sent in order to brush their crimes under the rug, will not likely get what they deserve. A tribal community in Peru doesn’t have too much clout when it comes to taking Vatican Inc. to court. Plus, as the only religion with its own state (leaving out the Jews and Israel for a moment), Vatican has diplomatic relations in any country where it has a presence.

Good old Morales.

If the reader thinks the retreat will come up with any cures for the, dare I say it, sins committed by this all male ruled club, they should consider that the plan at the retreat is to focus on prayer and spiritual reflection never mind that prayer has never been proven to affect any human activity. 

The Hammer and Sickle present that Bolivia's Evo Morales gave to the Pope is interesting. it was designed by a Jesuit priest killed by right wing assassins. The Hammer is a symbol for the industrial worker and the sickle the rural peasant.

Confession anyone? Lol.

Islam

Giving Islam a break for a minute. The US Predator in Chief and others in the crusader world have been on them like dogs (Arabic Kelb). But like them all it is patriarchal and in worse cases misogynistic. The main problem though is their philosophy and explanation of the world is completely flawed.

Happy New year