Images of Women in Religion - Christian Gnosticism and Buddhism Essay

Images of Women in Religion - Christian Gnosticism and Buddhism - Essay ExampleThe absence of feminine symbol in modern religious tradition is consistent with an orthodox stance specific on the wholey inclined to scorn social and political transformations that took place in the second century and resulted in increased prominence of women in all activities of daily life, including religion.Karen Lang builds from the primordial belief that divinity knows no physical boundaries, including gender The early Buddhistic and Christian Gnostic assumption that beings once were luminous, incorporeal, and asexual, and that this state of perfection can be regained, motivates their quest for discretion. Buddhism and Gnosticism share the view that humanitys fall from divine grace springs from earthly desires, such as lust. Women, historically linked with seduction and sexuality, were therefore viewed in Buddhist and Gnostic myths as impure. Female profusion paralleled the earths fruitfulness, for they associate the enjoyment of a womans sexuality with tasting the earth, or its fruits. Human imperfection was described through the impurities of womens bodies, but this was non exclusively meant for women since both religions believed that all human bodies were impure and therefore imperfect. In both cases, owing to a pre eminently egalitarian marrow with prospects for study, teaching and prominent leadership positions in the community, women were attracted to Buddhist and Gnostic communities. Lang aims to clarify that religious tradition did not always discriminate against women.