Khadija, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad and the first convert to Islam, is given the title “the Mother of Believers,” signifying her importance for the development of the religion.ĭevotion to Mary, mother of Jesus, has been common throughout the history of Christianity and remains popular today.
Many other religions revere mother figures, even if they are not worshipped or considered goddesses. For some Neopagans, exploring what femininity and masculinity signify in today’s society is an important extension of religious belief and a way to include people who have felt rejected from other religious communities. More recently, many of these traditions are intentionally expanding to reject ideas of gender essentialism and embrace a range of identities. Sometimes these goddess figures are based on specific ancient deities, such as Persephone, Demeter and Hekate, and sometimes they are worshipped more generally as representations of various phases of life. Of primary importance for many Neopagans is the triple goddess, a figure who encompasses the three aspects of maiden, mother and crone. Neopaganism’s various branches include Wicca and Hellenic reconstructionism, a religion that focuses on the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece. In Neopaganism, an umbrella term for a diverse group of new religious movements most popular in the United States, Australia and Europe, goddess figures also often play a primary role. Beginning – interestingly enough – as a male bodhisattva called Avalokiteshvara, the goddess figure was adapted in many different cultures around the world.Ĭalled Kannon in Japan and Quan Am in Vietnam, she is frequently a focal point of temple worship and is also considered the guardian of sailors and a goddess of fertility. Guan Yin, who goes by many variations of her name, is revered as the goddess of compassion and mercy in several different Eastern traditions. As a manifestation of the primal force of Shakti, Kali is essentially all aspects of motherhood wrapped up into one, often simultaneously caring, loving and fierce. Yet Kali is also an important mother figure who channels her ferocity into the care and defense of all creation. Kali is often seen as a terrifying figure, depicted using multiple weapons and dressed in clothing of severed heads and arms. One of the most well-known goddesses in Hinduism is perhaps the least understood from an outside perspective. Many religions include goddess-centered traditions that embrace many forms of the divine feminine as central to their belief systems.Īs a religious studies professor who travels with students around the world to explore different cultures and practices, I have often noticed the interest students have in the variety of goddess traditions we encounter.
Motherhood and nurturing are not celebrated only on particular days, however.
Religions use these days to honor the importance of many kinds of nurturing, from traditional celebrations to events that honor modern parenting, infertility struggles or the pain of losing a child. The mid-May date spread around the world, though many countries still maintain their own dates and traditions. Many groups are planning special events or services to celebrate Mother’s Day - a holiday founded in the United States in 1908 at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in West Virginia that became a nationally recognized holiday in 1914.
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