Religion and Theology

In the famous Greek mythology, the supreme male deity is Zeus. Zeus was noted as the overall sovereign that rules, both the earth and the sky. Zeus, according to the myth was the youngest child of Rhea and Kronos. He gained his position by revolting against his father along with his two brothers and three sisters. According to the myths, Kronos was imprisoned forever on Tartarus. Later on, Zeus married his sister Hera. Their offspring are Ares, Hephaestus and Hebe. Nevertheless, Zeus fathered several other children from different women.

Zeus was known as the god of justice and the god of the sky. He was usually portrayed holding a thunderbolt, with muscular features and wavy hair. His face is bearded with a stern look. According to the myths, other Gods would not defy the command of Zeus. His wrath is inescapable and his decisions are often final.

The description of Zeus alone reflects that the Gods of Greeks are not perfect. Zeus is not forgiving. He commits incest when he married Hera. He often tricks other women to make them fall in love. Furthermore, he started the revolt against his own father to the point of imprisoning him on the depths of the earth.

Christianity, one of the most popular among religions presented its male deity as rigidly moral. Jesus Christ, according to the writings, was the son of God. The God put him into Marys womb to give him a human form. While human, his purpose is to spread the word of God and purify man from sins. This implies that the supreme God and Jesus are both forgiving. Jesus was depicted as being single all his life and being devoted to his purpose throughout his life. He never lied and followed his father (God) commands. He could have escaped death, but he preferred to accept it than to defy his destiny.
Zeus is cruel and unpredictable. His actions are more similar to how humans act and react. On the contrary, Jesus Christ is presented as a holy figure. Jesus and the divine God were both very strict and kind. Nonetheless, both were respected and authoritative. Both had left the side of their father and lived on Earth temporarily. Both pursue to fulfill their destiny. The reason why Kronos swallowed all his children was due to an oracle that depicted his downfall. Jesus was sent as the messiah that would save humanity.

Divinities are usually associated with certain elements and characters that are attached to their gender. For example, the element fire often symbolizes the Sun and the skies. This is reflected in the cases of Zeus, the god of the sky and thunder in the Greek myths Amon Ra, the god of the Sun in Egypt Agni, the fire Hindu deity. Fire is largely a male element. It symbolizes courage, fear, heat, and war. Nevertheless, there are also several female deities with the fire attribute. One is Amaterasu, the Japanese goddess of fire. Another was Pele, the powerful goddess of fire in Hawaiian tradition. In comparison to the other elements, fire symbolizes the supreme divinities. It also reflects both destruction and creation.

The second element would be earth. This is an element that is largely feminine. The reason could be generally due to the capacity of earth to yield or bear. Some of the famous earth divinities are Gaia from the Greek tradition, Cihuacoatl or Quilaztli from the Aztec culture, and Izanami from Japanese religion.

Male deities also dominate the air element. Aether was the elemental god of air in Greek mythology. Enli was the Summerian god of air and storms. These deities are strong deities and usually portrayed as intellectuals.

Lastly, the water element is also known to be a female domain. Water symbolizes tranquility or emotional outburst. This could be connected to tears, rainstorm and other water formations. Most water deities like EaEnki (Summerian), Susanoo (Japan), Nun (Egypt) and Poseidon (Greek) are male. Nevertheless, several nymphs or lesser deities lives in the water. In Welsh, the goddess Morgan LeFay was the goddess of the sea, curses, fate and death. In Celtic tradition, Latis was the goddess of water and beer. Female deities of water have other attributes, which are still part of the water character. Water often symbolizes chaos or sudden changes. In Persian myths, Anahita is the goddess of water as a representation of semen and mothers milk. This emphasized that elements that are related to fertility are often attributed as feminine.