It is quite remarkable, when you think about how long women had to fight for even the most basic rights and how that struggle is still unfinished. As of 2026, women have spent over two thousand years in societies where their rights were either nonexistent or severely limited. Legal personhood, political participation, bodily autonomy, and economic independence were, for most of recorded history, privileges reserved almost exclusively for men.
What makes this history even more striking is that progress has not followed a straight line. In several BCE societies, such as ancient Egypt and parts of Mesopotamia—women possessed relatively more legal and economic rights than they would later have in many CE civilizations. While still living under restrictive and patriarchal systems, some women could own property, initiate divorce, conduct business, and hold religious or political authority. These limited freedoms were gradually changed as centralized states and organized religions codified male dominance into law, morality, and social order. Rather than expanding over time, women’s rights in many regions regressed, becoming more tightly controlled and more difficult to challenge.
Today, it is true that women enjoy more rights than at any other point in history, but this reality is uneven and very conditional. In much of the Western world, legal equality has largely been established, though social and economic inequality persists. Meanwhile, in many Eastern and Global South countries, women’s rights remain severely restricted and actively suppressed, whether through law, religious interpretation, or cultural enforcement. This uneven landscape shows us that women’s rights are not an inevitable outcome of time or progress, but the result of sustained resistance. The long suppression of women’s rights is not simply a legend of the past, but it is a living issue that continues to thrive due to systematic control and patriarchal systems. That control bleeds into the social lives and home lives, where this uneven structure is a cause of many domestic issues, divorces and unhappy marriages.
Why is that? Why a woman, a human being with different sexual organs yet fully capable to the same humanly processes, would have to be treated as a lesser being according to men?
When we look at the history, the fight for the rights hasn’t been straightforward. In BCE era women experienced more respect and freedom when it comes to their rights, however that changed with religious establishments. Religion didn’t invent patriarchy, but reshaped it, stabilized, and justified gender roles in ways that deeply affected women’s rights, especially moving from BCE into CE. In ancient times, women were viewed as sacred and divine, they had different rights and their roles could exercise some sort of freedom of expression and womanhood. Their primary roles were tied to homes and to be a mother of course, but not only. In some parts of Egypt women were successful businesses women, had spiritual authority and in some parts were even worshiped as sacred. We also see in the Bible stories of women prophets and spiritual leaders, like Deborah, Miriam or Huldah. We also know that in the early years of CE era, early Christianity viewed Holy Spirit as a female, a She and a mother. The word for the spirit in Hebrew was “Ruach” which is a female noun, however that was changed by the church into Latin word “spiritus”, which is a male noun, to solidify it’s male origin. However, even Jesus, in the Gospel of the Beloved Companion spoke about the Holy Spirit as a mother:
“And Yeshua therefore answered them ‘Do not murmur amongst yourselves. No one can enter the Kingdom unless they are born of the spirit. You speak well when you say that my mother gave me birth but, only from the truth I tell you, it was my true mother who gave me life” (GBC 18:3)
Unfortunately things started to change with religious establishments and changes or interpretations of religious texts. Suddenly gender hierarchy was framed as God-given, not negotiable and challenging roles became not just social rebellion, but sin or heresy. Major religions embedded male authority into theology, especially when looking at Christianity and Islam. The big shift started with the Apostle Paul’s theology that viewed women as weaker vessels due to Eve’s original sin narrative. This doctrine came from Apostle Paul and was not practiced in early Christianity when looking at gnostic texts. Paul also brought a hierarchal system into the church of men as a head and women tied to obedience and chastity. This then expanded with the doctrine of coverture: a wife’s legal identity merged with her husband’s. Religion turned marriage into a moral institution, reducing women’s autonomy.
Religion also strongly reshaped how female sexuality was viewed. Virginity was idealized through virgin Mary, who wasn’t actually a virgin that was impregnated by the female Holy Spirit, but that would be a different topic. Female desire was framed as dangerous and sinful, often reshaping into prostitution and uncleanness or even at times, demon possession. And not to mention that women were excluded from any spiritual authority and organized religions. Of course, I am not saying that only religion was the root cause of the inequality between men and women, however religion made gender inequality harder to challenge. The long term effects of this last till modern times and although we can see some changes, the major shift that hasn’t occurred is male perception.
I recently received a comment under one of my videos saying: “Jesus didn’t make any women apostles, so understand why.” This comment undoubtedly frustrated me, because Jesus did make Mary Magdalene as the main Apostle and Leader, yet this has been changed and suppressed by the patriarchal Roman Catholic church, however I am aware that 99% of men are probably not aware of this or they reject that idea. In a way, I can understand that after almost 4 thousand years of female suppression, it would be hard to imagine that a woman could be a leader, yet this was all by design of institutional churches rather than how God wanted the roles to be reflected. As I mentioned in my previous post, the reason that church wanted to suppress women so much can only mean one thing – it’s a seed of a serpent. Only by suppressing women and trying to silence them, remove them or, like in the case of the Holy Spirit, change its gender, just so that people would not worship feminine at all, they are fulfilling God’s words and acting as serpent’s seed that would hate women:
“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;” Genesis 3:15
This could be controversial for some, however the truth is not trying to bend to adjust to people’s emotions or attachment to the institution. The truth is the word of God, which clearly says that enmity or hostility towards women only comes from the seed of a serpent. We also know that Satan would want to “sit on the mount of the congregation”. Congregation in Greek is “ekklesia” otherwise known as church, therefore Satan would want to sit at the top of the church to be worshipped:
“‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.” Isaiah 14: 13-15
Therefore it shouldn’t surprise anyone that it would be religious systems and churches where this suppression and hate towards women would firstly occur. As religion was tided to the social and political laws, this also transpired into the social lives. But we have to remember that any type of system: political, religious, social – it’s all a construct of man made invention and not a will of God. Throughout the Old Testament, God was calling people to Himself and to true autonomy and righteousness, however people wanted structure, they wanted kings and they wanted visible authority. The tension was especially clear when contrasted with the period of the Judges—a unique era marked by the absence of centralized political power and monarchy.
During the time of the Judges, Israel had no king, no standing government, and no permanent ruling class. Authority was not inherited or institutionalized but arose temporarily, often unexpectedly, in response to moments of crisis. Judges were not monarchs; they were individuals called for a purpose, characterized by true moral and spiritual maturity and tasked with restoring justice, order, and faithfulness before returning to ordinary life. In this system, responsibility rested heavily on the community and the individual rather than on a permanent ruler. The Bible verse: “everyone did what was right in their own eyes,” is often read negatively, yet it also reflects a society with individual autonomy and accountability, a time without imposed hierarchy and one where moral accountability was meant to flow directly from obedience to God rather than submission to human authority.
This period reveals a vision of society grounded in moral autonomy under divine guidance rather than rigid political structure. God’s leadership was intended to be sufficient, with law, justice, and righteousness rooted in covenant rather than coercion. However, this model required a high level of personal responsibility and spiritual maturity, something people repeatedly struggled to sustain. As a result, people eventually demanded for a king, as described later in the Old Testament that marked a decisive shift. Somehow it was easier to shift the responsibility into one person, rather that live in a constant accountability of ones’ actions. People asked for a ruler “like the other nations,” seeking stability, predictability, and centralized control. In doing so, they traded moral autonomy for political order, and divine guidance for human hierarchy. The establishment of kingship brought structure, but it also introduced new forms of inequality, abuse of power, and distance between the people and the ideals of justice the Judges had previously restored.
The time of Judges reminds us that order does not necessarily require hierarchy, and that righteousness was once envisioned as something arising from direct relationship with God and individual responsibility rather than enforced authority. But most importantly, that time showed us a glimpse of gender equality with one of the most influential judges of those times – Deborah. It also highlighted that it is possible for people to live in moral autonomy and equality without seeking centralized control. It revealed this human never ending desire for freedom guided by conscience versus the comfort of structure enforced by power.
And this is something Jesus wanted to restore – spiritual and moral autonomy paired with gender equality and true connection to God without any hierarchical and religious systems. This however was misunderstood by some of his disciples, hijacked by the Apostle Paul and later rewritten by the Roman Empire. Jesus in reality was a spiritual rebel that came to disrupt their systems and remind people of who they were – a children of the light. On many occasions Jesus was reminding people that the Kingdom of God is within, to attain the Kingdom you have to become like little children and unlearn, fast from the world, not be part of any worldly systems. You don’t need any temples, priests, sacrifices but you need to cleanse your hearts. Simple message yet too controversial for the systems of power that wanted people in the dark and desperately wanted people dependent on their institutions and dogmas. And yes, Jesus made woman an Apostle and even a Leader of His ministry.
In the Gospel of the Beloved Companion, Jesus made Mary as the leader and the successor of His ministry, due to her spiritual maturity and disciples didn’t actually fully understood Jesus’ message. Jesus said:
“You do not understand what she has done. I tell you this: when all have abandoned me, only she shall stand beside me like a tower. A tower built on a high hill and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden. From this day forth, she shall be known as Migdalah, for she shall be as a tower to my flock, and the time will soon come when her tower shall stand alone by mine.” ( GBC 32:4)
“The disciples said to Yeshua: “When will you depart from us? Who is to be our leader?” And Yeshua said to them: “I will not leave you orphans. When a father goes away, it is the mother who tends the children.” (GBC 35:16)
“Only from the truth I tell you, there is one amongst you who has my commandments, and keeps them. That one is the one who loves me, and that one who loves me is also loved by me, and by spirit. To that one will I reveal myself so that you will know that what I have said to you is true, that I am in the spirit as the spirit is in me. And that same one will the spirit complete in all ways, so that by this sign you may know my words are true.” (GBC 35:17)
This is a clear proof that Jesus appointed Mary as a “tower to his flock” and a “mother who tends the children.” She was the only disciple who really understood Jesus’ teachings and could carry on his teachings in a true light. However, this has been taken away from her and later suppressed by the church. Moreover, suppressed texts of early Christianity show us that Mary was also viewed as a leader. Her tomb was marked with the title “Mara” – which in Aramaic means Lady. She was viewed as a spiritual leader and a writer. We can only think and imagine how the world would have looked liked if the true message of Jesus and His true successor – Mary, would have been appointed to carry on this spiritual advancement. It is not the time of regret and resentment for the past, as everything happens for a reason and humanity had to go through all those lessons to come to those conclusions that we have now. It is however time of reclaiming the power back and shifting perspective into the truth that was suppressed. A time of unlearning and undoing to learn again.
Unfortunately the true message of Jesus was hijacked and suppressed by men wanting power and control. They used the rebellious movement of Jesus against organized authority into their advantage. Rewritten, reshaped and reborn as a different version of Jesus – the one who came to establish a new religion, a new system and a new covenant, because God the creator somehow made a mistake in establishing the Law. The one who somehow wanted to put women under men and only championed men. The one who wanted to marry all believers – men, women and children and wanted to take them all on the cloud to His Kingdom like a superman. The one who wanted to be worshiped and only His name was important to Him – not your behaviour towards other people, your spiritual maturity, your knowledge about God, just His name. This Jesus was molded and created by the patriarchal system of the church, yet this is not the same Jesus that walked 2 thousand years ago. The one turning the tables at the temple, saying to people that they don’t have to worship God in the temple and calling Pharisees hypocrites for monetizing on faith. Yet still till this day, the claws of the dragon of the Roman Empire are holding tight to people’s consciousness and making people stuck on the system that wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place. The truth about the suppression of real Jesus and real Christianity is out and people are examining it. It is now up to people and their minds to let go of the old systems, to let go of that control and that suppression. It is up to people to realize of who they are and that the real connection with God starts in their hearts and their prayer closet, not with buildings and priests. It is up to people to let go of this illusion and construct of Imperial institutions. The time is Now.
By Dagmara Z.