In the spirit of Mother's day, I want to thank all of the mothers that love and respect their families, and raise their children to become productive adults in life. Mother goddesses were revered at times in history, and it ironic that the the Abrahamic faiths, which include Christianity, Islam and Judaism, fail to include a mother goddess in their religions.

Strangely enough,  the "all male" Christian trinity, and their "all male" creation, i.e. everything was created by a god(s)--without a mother goddess in sight--is believed by billions of people. How strange. Unless of course, the goal of those who created this story was not the eternal salvation of mere mortals--but patriarchal control over women. It would, of course, be easier for the "men" of god to accomplish this goal if no credit is given to women for creation--or anything else for that matter. How pathetically sad that women have had to suffer for centuries and were viewed as mere property due to these religious teachings, and sad they felt it necessary to kill the mother goddess in favor of patriarchy and promoting a way of life where women were viewed this way.

In memory of the goddess, and the "miracle" of motherhood, I would like to remind people that before patriarchy,Yahweh, like almost all pagan gods, had a consort named Asherah. I have written about Asherah before, (Is the Serpent the Hero? and the Illogical Nature of the Trinity) so now I want to show my respect for the various mother goddesses of other pagan religions.

From the Venus of Willendorf (24,000-22,000 BCE) to the Venus of Rome, humanity has worshiped and respected the goddess and the miracle of motherhood--and the goddess and mothers were held in high regard. The Abrahamic faiths changed all that, as they view women as mere vessels who do not participate in creation. Since then, women have been demonized and viewed as property and/or second class citizens. It has taken much time and suffering to change those views, and there is still a long way to go, which is why it is not only the loving and caring mothers that I am thankful for. I am also thankful for those who love and respect mothers as human beings who raise and teach children to become productive citizens, as miracles in their own right--instead of falling prey to the Abrahamic philosophy of women being viewed as property, and "useful" to men.

To the givers of life, to the mothers that love and raise their children to become productive adults, and to those that treat these mothers with the respect they deserve, I thank you all. We could never do it without you.