Religion is Likely the Biggest and Most Harmful Patriarchy
The culprit isn’t God, but men
I am over at my parents’ house for our son’s summer vacation. My parents are quite religious and spiritual – being conscious of the significant difference between the two terms.
They’ve got a nice little corner room for a “mandir” or the Hindi word for a temple. Both my 5-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter love joining grandpa and grandma for their daily prayers.
I enjoy seeing them too – peaceful and calm – quite unlike their otherwise extremely active selves.
I happen to be a Hindu by birth, and having had no strong allegiance or objections to the religion, I continue to be a Hindu – mostly defined by birth and select beliefs – rather than any radical views for or against religion.
As I looked around the mandir I realised how male-dominated the Hindu religion is.
Of course, there are numerous Hindu goddesses – Durga, Lakshmi, Parvati, and so on, but is the diversity real or more of an eyewash, akin to modern-day workplace diversity?
Let’s look at some more facts.
The Hindu religion at its core is defined by the trinity – Brahma – the creator, Vishnu – the nurturer, and Shiva – the destroyer.
