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To: Luke Skyfreeper

"Why didn't he just call an ambulance?"

Guess he forgot his cell phone. Actually, I read the book, found it to be an all-nighter. I can see why the church would be upset. I recently read a book about the conflict between the female godess principle represented by Ashtarte, Ishtar, Isis, and the masculine God principle represented by Yahweh. Apparently until the Babylonian captivity of the Jews around 500 BC, both the male and female were acknowledged in Jewish worship. It was after the captivity that the masculine Yahweh became totally ascendent, particularly because the Babylonians were strong worshipers of the female. Thus by emphasizing the masculine the Jews maintained their separateness/superiority.

Unfortunately this tendancy has been emphasized even more extremely by Islam, especially the fanatical Wahabi form of it which is followed by Saudi Arabia and the Sunni. The Catholic church, with the impetus of Paul, who had little use for women, has maintained this tendancy in Christianity. I suspect that Dan Brown's argument is with the authoritarian anti-female aspect of the Catholic church. Other Christian groups such as the Quakers represent a very different form of Christian worship.


10 posted on 05/23/2006 12:14:03 AM PDT by gleeaikin
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To: gleeaikin
Apparently until the Babylonian captivity of the Jews around 500 BC, both the male and female were acknowledged in Jewish worship.

I would like to see you substantiate this. There is NO allusion to any deity except Yahweh in the Pentateuch. There were, indeed, false deities worshiped by the Jews. The golden calf of Exodus qualifies. However, this Biblical literature which survives certainly indicates that these were deviations from the worship of the one true God.

Even the concept of a Trinity, God in three natures, has always been repugnant to Jews examining Christ.

13 posted on 05/23/2006 12:48:48 AM PDT by the_Watchman
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