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Divine Women: When God was a Girl

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Divine Women - When God was a Girl

21/10/2013 GMT

When God was a Girl

Divine Women

BBC World News - Divine Women, When God was a Girl

Why did our ancestors think of the divine as female?

Documentary about the history of women in religion, Bettany Hughes looks at the evidence in pre and early history of worship of goddess as both giver of life and killer.

Historian Bettany Hughes goes back to the beginning of time and visits the world's oldest religious site to find startling evidence that women were part of the very birth of organised religion. She visits a world where goddesses ruled the heavens and earth, and reveals why our ancestors thought of the divine as female. Travelling across the Mediterranean and the Near East, Bettany goes to remote places, where she encounters fearsome goddesses who controlled life and death. And she ends up in modern-day India, where the goddess is still a powerful force for thousands of Hindus. Immersing herself in the excitement of the Durga Puja festival, Bettany experiences goddess worship first-hand, and finds out what the goddess means to her devotees.

BBC World News

BBC  World News

Tracing the hidden and often controversial history of women in religion.

Bettany Hughes sets out on an epic journey across continents and back in time to trace the hidden and often controversial history of women in religion.

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