Romantic love as a metaphor for divine love In many religions, romantic love is to be seen as a mirroring for the love or devotion to the divine. This is present in Hinduism and similarly in Islam. Hinduism’s Sita is the devoted companion of Rama. She is important to note in her strong worship of her husband in his exile and too when she was wrongly suspect of infidelity and was to be banished.
To be loyal and dedicated to one’s partner is embellished in many of the teachings of Hinduism and mirrors the worship of Hindu Gods. Katherine Young in Sharma A., Women in World Religions states that “A woman’s appreciation of her husband as god was more central to her daily religious life than her husband seeing her as goddess”. What Young refers to here is what is known as “Pativrata” otherwise known as the ‘husband vow’. This rules that in marriage the Hindu wife must give truthful dedication to her husband. This is said to be a mirror to the time and love spent on worship of God.
If we look at Pativrata from an equality point of view, it is said that the wife merely earns good karma from her worship but the same is not expected for the man to be so devoted to his wife. Like Hinduism, Islam too presents romantic love as a metaphor for divine love. It is recommended to have a romantic life partner over celibacy. Muhammad said that marriage, followers fulfil “half of their religious obligations” (Tirmidhi 3096). Still to this day, a Muslim man can legally have four wives.
This mirrors the path of Muhammad, who had up to 11 spouses throughout the Medina period of his public life. Hinduism and Islam are relevant choices which speak to love as a metaphor for divine love as they both mirror their relationships in the ideals and roles shaped by religious Gods and scripture. There are strong similarities inequalities of gender roles and rights. Pativrata and the Muslim male’s right to have several wives are both quite patriarchal in the obedience of female and the freedom given to male counterparts. Eve The portrayal and the discussion of Eve in religion can be a key point of discussion in the case of gender equality. Christianity and Islam both refer to Eve in their sacred texts but express different views on the basis of gender equality.
If we look at the story of the Garden of Eden or the mention of Eve, it has been referred to in many religions however it is arguably the most prominent in Christianity. The committing of first original sin is one that represents women as the focal point to where sin began. This is expressed in the writings of religious leader St Augustine of Hippo (354–430). Augustine wrote that Eve’s actions were the cause of original sin and thus were then embellished in man through a hereditary tie to woman. There are obviously several problems with having women represented as the instigators of sin. This portrayal of Eve is not common with Judaism or the Orthodox churches or Islam.
Islam is far less partisan in its stance and says the events that occurred in the Garden of Eden happened a little differently. The “Original sin” in Islam is seen as a forgiven sin made by both parties male and female not simply by Eve. It can be seen that in Christianity the painting of Eve as a temptress who brings sin upon the world which is then held on the shoulders of man to repent for is not fair. Then on the other hand Islam’s view that the shared sin which had shown remorse from both parties would then be forgiven so that Adam and eve could continue look after the rest of humanity. Dowry (given to husband or wife) Dowry, which is an amount of property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage, can be an important part of culture. It presents several problems ethically and morally for many women. The existence of child bride culture and the rejection of the notion that women can be economically independent from family or partner are just a few of the strong issues surrounding Dowry. This action is primarily used in gift-giving by the bride’s family to the groom’s family at the time of the wedding.
This can also be referred to as a “bride price” in which the groom gives a gift to the bride at the time of the wedding. The idea that women can be bought or paid for is fundamentally an issue that is concurrent with many cultures and not just in religion. However, in the case of Hinduism and in Islam we will explore a patriarchal base line to these trades of goods which are imbedded deep into culture and even politics that do not appear to have a ending anytime soon. The main part of Dowry that arouses concern is the idea of ‘bride-price”. The name says it all. The groom hands over a price to the bride’s father to have her hand in marriage. The Islamic tradition of ‘Mahr’ is similar to dowry but however according to Islamic law once the gift has been given it is her property and the woman has the right to do with it as she chooses. The ability or access for women to do as she chooses, or to put simply, have the choice is fundamentally more equal than the deep cultural ties of dowry.
Islam presents more equality in this aspect of relationship before marriage with the direction of the gift is in favour of the wife and unlike a “bride-price” in Hinduism. Islam’s ‘Mahr’ is gifted to the bride on a personal level. This exclusion of family ties allows for women to be able to have a greater choice in their marriage acquisitions. Dowry may be embedded deep into the roots of culture but it triggers many issues with women, especially women of lower caste in Hinduism having an inability for access to basic human rights, like choosing whom to marry. Divorce and remarriage Divorce and remarriage has had many conversations of politics throughout many religions.
In Islam divorce is identified in the Qur’an as something allowable but not recommended. The problems that are situated in terms of divorce with Islam can be noted in the accessibility for males to be able to initiate divorce over that of females. ‘Talaq’ is the term coined for when the wish for divorce is undertaken by a male. Concurring to Islamic law, a husband only needs to speak three times with his wife that he plans to divorce her. The wife can too pledge for a divorce which is known as ‘khul’. The inequality that arises here is that the female unlike the male needs to present her case for divorce to an Islamic marriage tribunal. Even in the period of three months (called iddah) which is noted as the stage where reconciliation should be attempted by both parties this presents a issue of danger for women in waiting for the divorce to be able to occur.
A man and a woman can remarry twice, but after a third divorce remarriage to each other cannot take place unless the woman has been married to another man in the meantime. Buddhism takes a different stance on marriage to that of Islam. Buddhism says marriage is considered an individual choice but not a religious obligation. This freedom allows for marriage to take place only by individual choice. Although in Buddhism most followers marry, religious monks choose to live a life of celibacy. Unlike Islam there are no laws which prompt monks to choose to marry or particular laws which govern marriage. In fact the Buddha was married with children before he left the palace walls to experience “the Four Sights”. The lack of dogma on topics of separation or divorce is a testament to Buddhism.
The simple act of allowing a person, either male or female, to be able to dictate their own life decisions, in this case in regard to marriage and remarriage, is one many religions deny their adherents. In the instance of gender equality Buddhism avers that the relationships we have with others and especially our spouse should be positive ones of equal and shared partnership. Women as models of holiness It is obvious that having women as models of holiness is an important parameter for women in religion. Hinduism for instance significantly exalts ties women as models of holiness. It is worth acknowledging that goddesses are evident and strong in many areas of Hindu art and expressions of divine worship. Hindu art portrays women in goddess forms and even more diversely presents some women in hermaphrodite forms.
There are many feminine concepts of divinity and holiness, one of which is Durga the Goddess, celebrated as the nurturing mother at the heart of Hinduism. The nine day Puja festival dedicated to the worship of Durga celebrates the worship of one’s own holly Shakti, which is the feminine and divine creative force in all women. Another representation is the Holy Goddess Durga transformation into Kali. Kali during battle comes out of the goddess’s mouth and slays the demon in times of trauma. It is said that females in times of trauma can become the powerful Kali.
Similarly to Hinduism, Buddhism has many feminine pillars, in particular their literature with many in-depth references to the importance of birth or womb. The presence of women as models of holiness can be seen in women’s roles as arphat or bodhisattva in teaching and a strong presence in the worship. In sacred texts Mahapajapati, who is the Buddha’s aunt and step mother, is mentioned several times in ancient writings as a model of holiness. Buddha’s two main female disciples are mentioned for their amazing dedication in worship and teaching. These are Khema and-Uppalavanna, the same is true for the female Tara in Tibetan tradition.
Women as models of holiness are so important for religion that even the Dali Lama himself says one of his predecessors may be a woman. Hinduism’s imagery and practice of worship of females works alongside Buddhism’s accessibility and unity of females as models of holiness to create a more equal gendered environment in the spheres of models and trailblazers in worship.
