The Bible book of Judges tells of Deborah, an outstanding woman living in Israel, when the Israelites had been in captivity for twenty years. Deborah was a prophet, or seer; one who perceives reality as spiritual. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy defines prophet as, “A spiritual seer; disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth” (p. 593). Deborah must have seen beyond the male-dominated society and female repression of her day, to be aware, to some degree, of the reality of God’s spiritual creation, where none is repressed, and no group dominates another.
Chosen as the fourth and only female judge over the captive Israelites, Deborah was reportedly fair in her judgments and respected in her dealings with others. Moreover, she was a warrior who stood side by side with the captain of Israel’s army and was instrumental in leading them out of bondage. Consequently, Israel had peace for forty years. Deborah was also a poet. In her victory song, despite all her achievements, it was her role as “mother” that she focused on. Judges 5:7 says she called herself “a mother in Israel.” Interestingly, this remarkable woman’s story is not as well known as many of her counterparts in the Bible who were male.
In a bid to right such imbalances globally, March 8 is annually recognized as International Women’s Day, dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements. In the United States, March is designated Women’s History month. Furthermore, several countries choose the last Sunday in March as Mother’s Day. Despite this, in many cultures around the world, women still play a subordinate role to men. And while considerable progress has been made to institute greater equality, vocal advocacy and agitation for women’s rights, fairness, and equal opportunity are still needed. This may involve demanding equal pay for women in the workplace and other activities such as sports, for example.
The Bible reveals that God is Spirit, and God’s spiritual creation includes only right balance and justice—no hierarchy, inequality, or favoritism, as Galatians 3:28 states. And Jesus proved this by his example. He saved an adulterous woman from being stoned by her male accusers, forgave the sins of the woman condemned by Simon the Pharisee, revealed himself as the Messiah to a Samaritan woman whom he met at a well, and healed a woman hemorrhaging for twelve years who dared to touch him contrary to the rules of the day. In each of these cases, the woman was transformed and healed. These deeds show that Jesus did not discriminate or consider women less worthy than men. Because he was a spiritual seer, he saw everyone as God sees them—perfect, whole, God’s likeness uniquely expressed.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, at a time when the key roles in society and the church were mainly deemed the sole preserve of men, Mrs. Eddy started a religious movement which she named Christian Science, founded a church and a college, established an international newspaper and religious periodicals, and authored several books, most notably Science and Health. This book has been recognized as having had a profound influence on world thought. Remarkably, it presents the motherhood of God, as being just as important as God’s fatherhood.
Mrs. Eddy entrenched this fair balance in the various activities of her church and expected to see it demonstrated in every aspect of human life. She was a seer who saw spiritual reality—the perfect wholeness of God’s creation expressed in every individual. Quoting the first chapter of the Bible, she writes, “Let the ‘male and female’ of God’s creating appear” (Science and Health, p. 249).
While thinking about God as Mother was initially considered almost blasphemous by a patriarchal society, more and more, churches and cultures are beginning to realize the importance and even the necessity of broadening our concept of Deity. Human thought, that for centuries has often narrow-mindedly cited the Bible as authority to subordinate women, is changing. The spiritual sense of the Bible, revealed in Christian Science, leavens thought, enabling humanity to see the creation of Father-Mother God in more equal, balanced terms.
Everyone, man and woman, has the capacity to be a spiritual seer—to be conscious of the spiritual facts of Truth. Science and Health states: “When sufficiently advanced in Science to be in harmony with the truth of being, men become seers and prophets involuntarily. . .” (p. 84).
This more spiritual consciousness that aligns thought with reality—what God sees—reveals our true and highest selfhood as the spiritual offspring of God, begins to remove limitations and inequalities, and rights wrongs done by society. But how can this be proved practically in our individual experience, as well as collectively? First, it is reassuring to know that equality has a divine basis, and that there is nothing in God’s law that supports discrimination or imbalance in any form. Then, as we desire to align our thoughts more closely with the “facts of spiritual Truth,” through consistent study of God’s Word, prayer, and a willingness to give up long-held cultural beliefs, we will see more of what God sees, and “the ‘male and female’ of God’s creating” will appear more fully in our experience.
Whether we are male or female, we can take practical steps to be fair and equitable in our thoughts and dealings with others. We can look for and expect to see this increasingly expressed in society. And we can pray about prejudice, inequality, oppression, and repression in whatever form they take, assured that our prayers have the seal of authority of the Almighty.
The theme for the National Women’s History Alliance this year is: “Celebrating the women who tell our stories.” Deborah in the Bible was one such woman, a mother-in-Israel, and a spiritual seer, whose story points to what can be achieved when we strive to see as God sees. And what is true for a woman, is true also for a man. We all reflect God in gloriously individual ways. This is our real identity. Mrs. Eddy writes, “Man and woman as coexistent and eternal with God forever reflect, in glorified quality, the infinite Father-Mother God” (Science and Health, p. 516). Everyone has the capacity to be a spiritual seer. We can look for, see, and nurture God’s qualities as they are reflected and expressed in every girl, boy, woman, and man.
Moji George
Associate Editor
