The monotheistic myth of the heavens and womenin the context of utopian discourse

The sacred texts of the major monotheistic religions (viz. Torah, Bible, and the Qur'an) are predominantly male-oriented. The dominance of the ensuing masculine discourse has always had detrimental consequences for women. Even today, the contemporary capitalist-modernist societies do not refrain from putting the power of religious doctrines and narratives into use so as to suppress women and subordinate them in public and private spheres. One especially striking example of such a utilization comes to the fore with the myth of the heavens. All the three sacred texts portray heaven almost like a utopia, where the good deeds are rewarded with eternal bliss. However, although the great benefits that the devout men, who have pursued a religiously righteous life here on Earth, might expect from this utopia of an afterlife are quite clear, it is mostly obscure what awaits women there. The present thesis concerns itself mainly with the relations between patriarchal authority and religion, the utopian discourse and paradise narratives with respect to the problems concerning women. Through a series of theoretically inclined text analyses, this study aims to examine the myth of the heavens thoroughly in a gender based context, never missing out the perspective of gender equality.