Images of Women in Religion - Christian Gnosticism and Buddhism Essay

Images of Women in Religion - Christian Gnosticism and Buddhism - Essay Example The absence of feminine symbolism in modern religious tradition is consistent with an orthodox stance specifically inclined to resist 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: â€Å"The early Buddhist 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 enlightenment†. Buddhism and Gnosticism share the view that humanity’s 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 fertility paralleled the earth’s fruitfulness, â€Å"†¦ for they associate the enjoyment of a woman’s sexuality with tasting the earth, or its fruits†. Human imperfection was described through the impurities of women’s bodies, but this was not 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 message 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.