Can God be a Woman ?

One of the most important questions that dogs the mind of a man or woman is whether God can be a woman. God is after all a concept, something that is felt and sensed, but never seen. Over the centuries God sends his chosen ones to earth to propagate goodness and piety. Thus we have Jesus, Mohammed and Guru nanak who are supposed to be his chosen ones. But these names are all men and hence the concept of God as a woman is just not thought off in Christianity , Islam and Judaism.

But there is an exception and that is in the Hindu religion. Unlike in western thought where God is supposed to be only a man, in Hindu religious thought the concept of Goddess as omnipotent is very much prevalent.

Hinduism is the only religion that puts a woman at par with a man, hence we have the concept of the Godesses. I suspect one aspect of Western thought as to why one cannot think of a woman as a God, is the difference in the sexes. Despite all the liberlization in the West the concept of a woman as  God is non-existant.

 Hinduism has many Goddesses and some of them are diety's that inspire awe and reverence. Thus Kali or Durga is a Goddess that inspires the Hindu religion. Then we have Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth and Shakti the consort of Shiva. Hindu Goddesses are worshipped in their own right and have their own legends to go with.

How come that Hinduism is the only religion that has the concept of a  woman Goddess ? Perhaps the answer lies in Hindu culture which is the oldest in the world and the progressive nature of society at that time. Thus from the pre-vedic age Hinduism has always reverred Godesses and worshippers pray to them all over the world. For a Hindu praying to Durga is akin to praying to Shiva. This concept is ingrained into Hindu religion and philosophy. But in all other religions the concept of a woman as a god simply does not exist.

Hinduism has givena pedestal to a woman. Its a pity that neferious practices like Sati and widow remarriage taboo have crept in. but the ancient philosphy is rich and can be studied by all.