What do you think was the force behind the taking over of female-based religions by men?

Question

Examples

Christianity sweeping across Old Europe and replacing the notion of a Mother Goddess with the omnipotent Father God, or God our Father.

In Japan, early Shinto was dominated by priestesses before men rose up and reduced Mikos to part-time and volunteer positions. I don't know if the religion was any different before that happened, but the queen of hell is a scorned woman and the mother of many gods and goddesses.

Answer 1

I think it is very simple...power. A man was the hunter, the woman the hearth keeper. A woman had unlimited power, and the healers in the middle ages were women...AND when Christianity reared its head, the first thing they did was to make the healers out to be witches, and their cats the familiars. As a result, hundreds of thousands of healers were put to death and their cats with them...the cats kept the rodent population down and the healers cured victims of the "Black Death". Without either, the plague ran rampant killing most of the population of Europe.
If you will look at the God/Goddess descriptions, they are right on with Jesus, the Virgin, etc. But did you know, that every major Christian holiday, even Christmas and Easter has pagan origins? Did you know, at a certain in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, there was a huge debate about whether or not women even had souls?
I think it was basically to keep women at a disadvantage and under control and give the men the power.

Answer 2

Great question!
Well, women by nature are keeping the home and the fields.
Men are hunters/ sailors, warriors.
For a long time after people were organized in societies, they were living peacefully. When the people started traveling, fighting, hunting, the people started appreciating their role (or imposing this role) more and the peaceful women goddess was replaced by men gods!

Answer 3

Going back to the garden of Eden Eve forfeited her equality with Adam when she disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree and convinced Adam to partake in sin as a result God cast them out of paradise and appointed Adam dominion over Eve. Eve was punished with the pain of child birth
The driving force was to reinstate man's dominion and leadership over women

As well as to stomp out false religions who worship Goddesses

So that man would not be mislead by women

Answer 4

I believe it came from men's fear of women in positions of power. Societies were male-dominant back then. I think they believed to keep things this way, they imposed a male-only religion as a way to show that men were superior to women.

Answer 5

Wow. Good question. I think it has something to do with the male ego. It's hard for men to let a woman preside over them. Kind of a sexist answer but it's the best I can do. Good luck on finding a best answer!

Answer 6

Male-dominated societies conquered those areas, and imposed their own religions on them.