"Here and now, everywhere, those with eyes to see can see for themselves that religion has for thousands of years perpetuated the oppression of half our species. Half of the great minds our peoples have produced have lived and died unknown and forgotten, their educations neglected, their lives spent doing laundry and other menial tasks for men — their merits unrecognized and buried under lies promulgated by religion, in cultures soaked in the destructive myths of faith which codify misogyny and give it a godly blessing.
Isn’t that reason enough to tear down the cathedrals — that with this one far-reaching, difficult change to our cultures, we double human potential?"~ P Z Myers
In the pre-Judeo-Christian era, religions around the Mediterranean and Middle East were matriarchal. The change has been as much to do with sexual politics and the control of paternity as with religious faith. But there's no reason to feel that atheism is much better, as far as women are concerned, when the popular expression of atheism is mainly masculine.
ReplyDeleteI suspect PZ has only the Abrahamic religions in mind.
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