Category Archives: Religion and Menstruation

Jesus healing the bleeding woman

Posted on June 8, 2014 by atozinco

In the Bible there is a story about a woman had suffered from bleeding for 12 years. She had suffered a great deal and seen many doctors, yet instead of getting better she had grown worse.

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Catholic ban on contraception

Posted on January 6, 2011 by atozinco

The development of the Birth Control Pill: The man most prominently associated with the development and introduction of the pill, John Rock, was an Irish Catholic doctor from Boston. Dr. Rock didn’t set out to make waves with the Vatican; … Continue reading →

Posted in Contraception, Religion and Menstruation | 1 Comment

Menstrual blood can stain mirrors

Posted on December 17, 2010 by atozinco

Back in the day, some people believed that menstruating women could stain mirrors simply by looking at them (such was the power of menstrual blood). The Secreta Mullierum [Secrets of Women], written circa 1300 stated: “If a woman has this … Continue reading →

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The Destructive Powers of Menstruation

Posted on December 4, 2010 by atozinco

PLINY the Elder (a naturalist from the Roman Empire) published the Naturalis Historia encyclopedia (circa AD 77–79).  He wrote that: Contact with the monthly flux of women turns new wine sour, makes crops wither, kills grafts, dries seeds in gardens, causes … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Menstruation, Religion and Menstruation | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Menstruating women in religious temples

Posted on November 22, 2010 by atozinco

Most religions have menstrual rules and restrictions. Some religions, but not all, prohibit menstruating women from entering their religious temples because they are seen as religiously unclean. Personally, I have a problem with women being barred from religious events for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Menstruation Restrictions, Religion and Menstruation | Tagged | 14 Comments

Menstruation and Religion

Posted on November 19, 2010 by atozinco

Menstruation and Christianity: In the Old Testament of the Bible there were Jewish restrictions around menstruating women (in Leviticus 12). Menstruating women were unclean for 7 days and couldn’t have sex with their husbands (men who had a seminal discharge were also … Continue reading →

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Menstrual taboos: why is menstrual blood seen as dangerous?

Posted on November 14, 2010 by atozinco

Menstrual taboos exist in most cultures (most cultures view menstrual blood as potentially dangerous & place restrictions around it). In the past, Western (male) anthropologists held that such taboos existed because menstrual blood was seen as polluted and unclean. More recently, some female … Continue reading →

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Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Menstruation

Posted on November 9, 2010 by atozinco

A couple of years ago I read the autobiography of Waris Dirie (a woman who grew up in Somalia but moved to London at the age of 14). In her book she describes the horror of  the FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) that … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion and Menstruation, Stories | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Menstruation on Screen

Posted on September 29, 2010 by atozinco

Menstruation in Film: Generally, when movies depict people using restrooms or bathrooms they show women going to apply makeup, and men going to urinate. Anything to do with women actually using toilets is almost never depicted in movies (unless they … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitudes to Menstruation in Society, Religion and Menstruation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments