The Burning Times: fascinating docu on women's power before Christianity

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ANd why women are feared to the extent that they are accused of witchcraft and killed for it

FWIW, I was at a conference on Saturday and met a guy who informed me that women academics tend to write weaker papers because they get distracted trying to make everything fit with feminism. I was actually quite angry and upset, but maybe he's come across idiots like this. It is fucking depressing, and to be honest dittany you may think you're doing great things by being angry about oppression of women but when you act like this you might as well donate your spare cash to Misogynists R Us and go campaign for the Tory Party.

Why is it still happening?

'Why is it still happening?'

Why is what still happening?

Tyr I don't quite go with that. I would say that religion was already indoctrinated into the vast majority of the population, so by saying they were secular at that time doesn't have the same connotations as it does now.

goodkate Mon 30-May-11 19:22:25

I must admit I've only read the 1st and last pages of this thread as it is very long, but I have to agree with dittany.

When I was much younger I once had a Boss who moaned about the way the Irish Catholics were treated by the Protestant Brits, which I know they were but I turned round and said that's nothing compared to the 2000 years of religious shit that us women have had to put up with - I didn't last long BUT boy it felt good!

Yes, the Irish were all Catholic and the "brits" all protestant.
Having grown up there, I've been enlightened.
Clearly, you were over qualified for the job and he just had to let you go......

In the church, I think it is important to have women bishops - as we have a woman as head of the church it seems odd that some find this so difficult to accept!

However I am not religious - despite being subject to plenty of it in my youth. I see it as a cultural artefact.

But dittany, nobody is ignoring it. SGM obviously spends time researching and teaching about precisely what happened to these women; Milly and others clearly know a lot about it too. Once again, it seems that just because you don't know about it, you assume others are equally ignorant, when in fact they've shown you they are already active in this area.

'Why is it still happening?'

Why is what still happening?

Witch trials.

LRD less of the Tory Campaigning link with Mysogynists stuff please. I'm sick of women assuming that just because you have right wing views you don't believe in total equality. So get off the case OK.

Sorry, kate, I called it as I see it but didn't mean it as a personal comment to you as a Tory feminist. If I'd known you were one I'd have chosen another comparison.

From your remark that I quoted.

Swallowed a fly - turns out there wasnt anything inaccurate, there are just some odd types on this thread.

Tyr, yes me too. and you misunderstand and i was young! My boss was a god awful misogynist man moaning about inequality, while he expected his wife to stay at home "bake his buns and suck his dick"! I was trying to make a point.

Sorry, my post at 19:34 was in reply to yours of 19:08, ditanny. This thread's whizzing along on its broomstick

Erm it was more than the date of the introduction of Christianity they got wrong!

The use of the term "celts", their ideas on the treatment of women in pagan times, setting up a laughable dictomony between Christian and pagan beliefs... All outdated historial views.

swallowed - the short answer is, all of it, pretty much.

They make out that there was once a pre-Christian era in which women were powerful, and that witches drew on this pre-Christian power and were therefore persecuted. Unfortunately, they placed the pre-Christian era of woman power at a time when many women were in fact being oppressed by Christainity and by other religions, some of which we know were explicitly and fundamentally misogynistic. It basically pretended that everything was great for women during this time, whereas in fact women were being treated pretty horribly for much of that time.

Dittany, you're a historical illiterate.

Hope am not included in 'witchcraze had nothing to do with misogyny' having already described it earlier in thread as rampantly insane misogyny (or something like that). Just found it very difficult to get past the whole 'before Christianity everything was lovely for women' thing which spoilt the whole documentary for me. That is not intended in any way to defend Christianity, just for avoidance of doubt.