Posted on 04/25/2007 6:54:31 AM PDT by NYer
“WOW -- coming from RC tradition I thought I’d never return to the Rosary. But here it is and here SHE IS. Blessed be, Mairly.”
The “here” in this message, found on herchurch.org, is Ebenezer Lutheran Church in San Francisco. But the SHE is not the Mother of God. SHE is “God/dess.”
On Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Ebenezer opens its sanctuary for the “Christian Goddess Rosary.” The church says it offers “Goddess Rosary Beads” and that “prayers and suggested meditations will be on hand as well as incense, candles and bells.”
“The Goddess rosary is grounded in traditions of the Christian Church and the proclamation of the gospel which is a vision of release from bondage for a new creation,” says the church’s web site.
The Goddess Rosary page on herchurch.org says that though “God as Father plays an important role” in Christian tradition, its “exclusive emphasis... contributes to a limited understanding of God, an understanding that supports a domination structure that oppresses and subordinates women.” Jesus used “Abba” as a “revolutionary deconstruction of domination structures of his day in both religious and social institutions.” The modern task is to do the same with “Goddess.”
Ebenezer, however, does not want to eradicate masculine images of God but to balance them with feminine images to “confront the biblical texts, products of their day and cultures, for the blatant patriarchal biases and misogynist attitudes.” And herchurch.org cites three Catholic theologians in support this confrontation: Harvard’s Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Fordham University’s Sister Elizabeth Johnson, and Rosemary Radford Ruether (who will lecture students in the course, “The History of God in Feminist Theological Discourse,” at LA’s Mount St. Mary’s College this spring.) Ruether calls the exclusive use of male imagery for God “idolatry.”
Herchurch.org offers a “Hail Goddess” prayer by feminist theologian Carol Christ, formerly of Harvard Divinity School but now director of the Ariadne Institute for Myth and Ritual in Greece. The prayer goes: “Hail Goddess full of grace. Blessed are you and blessed are all the fruits of your womb. For you are the MOTHER of us all. Hear us now and in all our needs. O blessed be, O blessed be. Amen.”
“I felt that I had stepped into a Presence, like a mother’s warm embrace,” wrote Dalyn Cook of Ebenezer’s Goddess Rosary. “The attendees were few in number, yet there was a sense of fullness in this welcoming space. I inhaled deeply the earthy scent of the incense, sending up delicate tendrils of smoke which curled around the altar in a nimbus visible against the warm rays of the evening sun filtering through the stained-glass windows....
“From the basket of rosaries, I took into my hand a strand of vibrantly-colored beads with a silver goddess icon in place of the traditional cross. The goddesses came in a variety of shapes and sizes, celebrating the beauty of the feminine form; I found reflections of my own figure in the full hips and Rubenesque curves of my goddess,” Cook wrote.
I am not saying that God set up his base in Egypt. I do not know where you got that, I find it quite entertaining. Origen and other great Early Church Fathers came from Egypt. The Church is not based in Egypt and not some extension of Polytheistic Egyptian Religion. Our Church is not Egyptian. Its quite an entertaining and false straw man. Try to be a little more informed in the future, you embarrass yourself.
They’re more of a liturgical church than what we usually call protestant, like catholic, lutheran, episcopal type churches. But, we will be seeing a lot of wierd things happening in churches before the Lord returns. This is just one of the heresies. Hold onto your hat...
Good post, DM.
Hmm, let me guess, Queen Mother?
Aging hippies: Bill and Hillary Clinton! Arrghhhh.
Hmm, that must be why so many of them are closing in our area or being placed as mission churches to a larger church.
Hey, someone who finally gets it (grin).
There are prayers to Mary in our newspapers all the time. Don’t see too many of them to Jesus.
I know you are, too, lady. The true church is the entire body of Christ worldwide, those of us who love Him and put our faith and trust in Him and Him alone.
I believe it was aramaic but since I’m no biblical scholar, I could be wrong. (I was once—smile.)
Having been a women’s studies secretary for many years, we had a catholic nun who taught there who was very much into the goddess theology. It’s everywhere, even in the rc church.
Please see 255, and 266. Have a great day.
Which would be an example of the above for you?
I just don’t care to kowtow to your construction on rationally and on reality.
Sliding by the
AND WHO ARE YOU TO SAY WHAT CHRIST MEANS?
Clearly, RC reality is the only one tolerated regardless of how distorted, biased, narrow, rigid etc.
There are prayers to Mary in our newspapers all the time. Don’t see too many of them to Jesus.
= = =
Very sad, that. Incremental training in minimizing Jesus is so rampant across the culture and around the world. Even in the churches. Hideous.
I mentioned this on another thread, using as an example two of our (Orthodox) parishioners who, out of personal devotion to Mary, perform metania at the liturgical mention of the Blessed Mother, but not when we are called to bow and fall before Christ. Clearly, this is showing grater reverence to Mary than to God. I don't think they see it that way, but it seems that way and it's wrong by that fact alone.
Again, the appearance is the key word.
Thanks kosta for directing me to those posts.
You & I will have to agree to disagree on this point.
IT IS THE CONTENTION BY PROTESTANTS THAT THE INFALLIBLE CHURCH, PROTECTED BY THE H.S. TO NOT TEACH ERROR, DID, AND THAT IS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE WITH THE H.S. PROTECTING IT.
It was not my intent to delve into all of the differences that led to the schism.
ME; I AGREE, INTERMINGLING CHURCH AND STATE WAS A BIG PROBLEM, BUT ALAS, THE ‘SOLUTION’ RESULTED IN CONTINUAL FRACTURING OF CHRISTIANITY, RIGHT DOWN TO TODAY, NOT EXACTLY A GLOWING EXAMPLE FOR THE WORLD....EXCEPT FOR ROME, WHICH HAS REMAINED STEADFAST....
My ex-husband used to say something to me with a twinkle in his eye... Let's be reasonable & do it my way! From my perspective, division was a creation of both sides.
EVER NOTICE WHEN CHRISTIANITY IS FEATURE PROMINENTLY ON THE NEWS, IT IS THE VATICAN OR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH THAT IS THE FOCAL POINT AND NOT THE ‘GOOD BOOK AND MY INTERPRETATION VERSUS YOUR PREACHERS POINT OF VIEW BAPTIST REFORMED CHURCH ON THE CORNER’.
No.
ME; EXACTLY,YOURS WERE FOUND ON MEN, OURS WAS FOUND ON CHRIST, WITH PETER LEADING THE WAY.
I've read some of the teachings & have seen some of the fruit that claim has born...
ME; BTW, I TYPE MY REPLIES IN ALL CAPS SO THAT POINT IS MOOT.
All caps is like yelling.
Intent? You know what people have in their hearts?
Again, no one is twisting their arms to subscribe to anything regarding Mariology. If they don't like it, they can move on. Spewing venom at something they personally find outside of their realm of beliefs and practices is un-Christian to say the least.
I'm reminded of the patience Christ showed when He dealt with the Pharisees. Their constant attempts to catch Him in error were used as opportunities to teach.
Man-made problem.
We seem to be pretty good at that, creating problems.
The treatment of Mary in the Apostolic Church is deep reverence and gratitude. A saint of saints. Some people have a stronger devotion to her then others, just as some favor one parent over another; in this case saints. But some people can't stand the fact that people do love Mary, and venerate her in a very demonstrative manner.
I see it kinda like watching the luggage turnstile at the airport. Sometimes it's too easy to mistake someone else's baggage for ones own...
Like I said, in some case (very few, given the whole congregation) it appears idolatrous. But the Church would never teach that. Yet, what is the priest to do when someone does it? Throw that person out of the church? Judge him? Say "Look I noticed..."? I don't think so.
Pray for them?
Failure to venerate Mary is not a sin. It's sad, but it's not a sin.
I knew I shoulda put quote dealybobs around the word sin. LOL
I found most Lutherans and Anglicans (of the conservative kind) close and dear brothers and sisters in Christ and I lament their separation from us.
Orthodox churches are rare in my neck of the woods & I can't say I know anyone who attends an Orthodox church. I've called a couple of "Bible" churches in my area & asked people there a couple of questions about some basic things they teach, but wouldn't know where to begin in doing the same with any of the Orthodox churches in my area.
Walk in your faith; that's more important. But we get dirty, and sacraments and prayers are like spiritual hygiene.
We can pray wherever and whenever, but we can only get sacraments in the church, our spiritual hospital.
I was married in a Roman Catholic church, back when a marriage included a full Mass. I'll never forget the looks of shocked horror at my questioning my exclusion from partaking in the Eucharist. That which is a spiritual hospital to you comes with some rather high immovable barriers for me.
Well good...You know who the Word of God is...Obviously, you don't hold any reverence for the 'word' of God...
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
The 'word' of God, the mere book you refer to is the weapon of choice for God and His Christians...
So when you build statues and bow before them and claim that as the 'real' Christianity, we'll slash you with the Sword...
And when you claim that your church is the one, true church, we'll swing that Sword again and draw blood...
Here's one that you likely won't get in a million years:
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Did you notice that 'book' is looking back at you??? Ha Ha...
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