This is an interesting thread - from last June

[bloom]

over in the Science section. A couple of snips by newswolf56:

"If one reasons from the (again relevant) Marxist premise that the ultimate struggle of the past 88 years has been monopoly capitalism's effort to protect itself by imposing global fascism, first German/Italian/Japanese, now American -- that the real turning points in this struggle were the defeat of the New Deal at home and the collapse of the Soviet Union abroad -- then the probability is the plutocracy will intervene on the side of tyranny, facilitating the creation of Concentration-Camp Earth and creating the ultimate irony of Communist China -- now the most savage despotcy on the planet -- becoming by default the last remaining defender of liberty."

...

"The feminists (whose political psychology and metaphysics I am admittedly here defending) would argue, correctly I think, that all of these empires save the Minoan were clearly already patriarchal: still polytheistic, yes, but with male gods dominant in every case. Even so, I would point out that under polytheism there are by definition goddesses and gods for various human functions -- birth, learning, poetry and art, agriculture, war, commerce etc. But Yehvehistic (or as many call it, "Abrahamic") religions eventually eliminated all of those divine functions except war. Yehveh is not the god of birth (note that Yehveh is reckoned as absent from an infant until ritually invoked, as with baptism or circumcision). Yehveh is not the god of learning, poetry and art (note the Inquisition, various Fatwas etc.). Yehveh most assuredly is not the god of agriculture (note both his rejection of Cain's sacrifice and all Yehveh's followers' endless and quite possibly planet-killing war on the environment). But what Yehveh clearly is -- note the Biblical mandate to conquer and subdue -- is the god of war: doomsday war, better-dead-then-Red war, if-I-can't-have-Gaea-then-by-God-no-one-will-have-her war, domestic-violence-against-all-humanity war, total war-of-extermination war. Such war is the ultimate expression of Yehveh's "obey-me-or-I-will-destroy-you-all" ethos. It is also the defining difference between the variously named goddess, who purposefully takes life so that life may be reborn, and Yehveh, who vengefully kills only to destroy -- and from which the only escape is being proclaimed "reborn" by one of his priests. It is no coincidence the German Army (and not some corps of farmers or delivery-room nurses) had inscribed on its belt-buckles Gott Mit Uns -- "God is with us." Nor is it any conicidence modern-day politicians could contemplate destroying the entire world merely to prevent the other side from winning: the ultimate expression of "we had to destroy the village to save it." Thus too the connection the feminists so aptly make between the microcosm of domestic violence, the macrocosm of terracide, and the psycho-spiritual model of Yehveh himself...."


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=228&topic_id=7454

[bloom]

1. Thinking of the Republican God...

(along with the Likudist's God & the Jihadist's God) as the "God of War" - it makes more sense when they want to put "In God we Trust" everywhere - money, license plates, etc. And put "Under God" in the pledge... How Bush talks of God in the State of the Union Address...

When you think of their "God of War" - it even makes more sense that they want to put the "Ten Commandments" on Courthouses - esp. when you know that what they really mean is "Thou shalt not kill those people whom you agree with - those in yourgroup" and that all others are fair game.



It makes a lot more sense than if you think of God as the consciousness that permeates all life forms, for example.

[ismnotwasm]

2. The Christain agnostics

Believed (I'm going from memory) that the God of the old testement was basically a "mad scientist" who took credit for creation. The creator in part was a Goddess named Sophia. Kind of an "over God" I have to go to work, but I'll try to find out is tugging my memory.
My point is, the agnostic were of course wiped out, along with a number of other early Christian sects that didn't toe the line. All references to female influence, except for subservient ones were deleted.

I know (also from memory) that some modern day feminist Christains believe that the third part of the Trinity--The holy spirit, is the female aspect of God.

The influence of religion on women's roles cannot be overstated. (One of the reason I enjoy reading Elaine Pagels)