UCS Ipswich

Is God a Girl?

This is a article I found Interesting and thought provoking.

Bettany Hughes is a expert in acient History and questions whether god is a girl?

Bettany Hughes challenges the belief that women cannot be priests, she says that the church was originally a place where female of the species held sway. She argues that a man has always turned to womenfor good Ideas and most deities of wisdom throughout History have been mostly female.

She also feels that ‘by suppressing the story of the connection between men and women and religion, we etiolate both history and the possibilities of our own world.

She points out that the first 200 years of Christinanity, over half of all churches in Rome were built by women, it was also a women, Phoebe, who was Invited by Paul to take the word of God to Rome.

The Church of Englands turmoil over ordination of women Bishops has been played out before, she calls women the” life blood” of christianity and added that women presided as Deaconesses, Preistesses and Bishops in early centuries AD.This was decribed as ‘unacceptable and shamefull’at the time. At least 65 per cent of all those who go to Anglican Churches were also women, she also claims, that a feminist Theologian argued that Jesus could have been a hermaphrodite.

Dr Susan Cornwall of Manchester University said it Impossible to say jesus was ‘male as we now define maleness.

In Alan Boureaus study of Pope Joan- Legend refers to her as Androgyne or Hermaphrodite eliding the distintion between transvestitism and anataomical ambiguity.

“Hermaphroditic pope” when we look at the old testiment Genesis 1:27 Adam envisaged as androgynos- the Image of god divide into two to fashion into Eve a Integration of heavenly and earthly traits suited the preistly vocation.

Hermaphroditus son of Mercury and Venus.

Most Medieval and early modern Mythographers saw hermaphroditus a metamorphosis as a loss of virtue ,reason, potency,or as a fall into Indolence, and wordliness. And in turn Salmacis the nymph who was Infatuated with Hermaphroditus was seen as the blame to prompt his fall, as a vain, whorish temptress.

Hermaphroditus and Salmacis declare that Idolness nurses voluptuousness, which in turn breeds sin “which linking together make men effeminate unworldly and weak.

During my research I came across a Nun born during the 15th century,her name was Sour Plautilla Nelli, and this painting Titled The last supper, it is interesting that women were not allowed to paint the male form, and looking closley at this painting the men here seem to have a feminity about them, It is believed that the people depicted here were actually women taking on the guise of a man.

Thinking of disguise today ,I made a return to the print room to create some ghost like Images.

Experimenting with religious themes again.

Eurovision time again! ones attention turned to Conchita Wurst Austrias Eurovision contestant, billed as a Transvestite singer.

The Alter ego of 25 year old Austrian Thomas Neuworth has shocked audiences by challenging the sterotype of masculine and femine beauty.