Role Reversals Expose Hierarchies
Hierarchies can appear normal and natural to us, especially if we were born into and raised in a hierarchical society.
Role Reversals can make elusive hierarchies come to light. The higher group takes on the role of the lower, while the lower group plays the part usually played by the higher.
Chinese American Women As A United States Deity
What if we were to wake up tomorrow and find that Chinese American women had suddenly replaced white men on top of our country's hierarchies? How would our hierarchical religions respond?
They would not want to be worshipping an inferior deity — a white male. They would need for their deity to reflect the most respected, most powerful type of person in our society.
We can imagine it would not be long before the hierarchical religion would change their deity to a Chinese American women.
Also, since Chinese America women are now in charge and want to remain in power, they would demand a change in deity in order to maintain their high position. To keep their hierarchy strong and healthy, they would require a deity who possessed their own personal characteristics.
Would We Be Different?
In a well-functioning hierarchy, a deity must reflect the people at the top who are viewed as superior. A deity could not possess the characteristics of lower groups, which are considered inferior. If a deity shared characteristics with lower groups, it would be difficult to justify and sustain the negative judgments and control tactics used to demonize those traits.
How might the history of the United States be different if people had recognized another deity?
- If Western Europeans had followed a deity who taught it was wrong to kill "heathens," would American Indian nations have been destroyed?
- If white people had displayed pictures of dark-skinned deities in their houses of worship in the last century, would ICE be abusing dark-skinned immigrants and citizens?
- Would the Ku Klux Klan be able to justify their violent racism if their deity had been an African American?
- If our legislators had worshipped a female deity, would women have had to struggle so hard for the right to vote?
- If our deity were in the form of an animal, would our society allow the torture of animals in laboratories and on factory farms?
- If our deity exhibited the enjoyment and fun of sexuality, would people feel shame and guilt about developing a healthy, vibrant sexuality?
- If our deity had a partner of the same gender, would gay men and lesbians be harassed and killed, and would hierarchical religious leaders fight against marriages of same gender couples?