Something for you, too long to post so I'll give you the url:
igc.apc.org
Here's a taste:
Beyond Nostalgia:
RETHINKING THE GODDESS
by Judith S. Antonelli
The pagan temple was the original brothel.
Once upon a time there was a Great Mother Goddess who was worshiped all over the world. Under Her benevolent care, humans lived in peace with each other and in harmony with nature. Women were honored as Her earthly representatives and served as Her priestesses, enacting Her sacred sexual rites in groves and temples at seasonal festivals.
One day a band of male warriors with a violent male god invaded this utopia, destroying the Goddess and installing their god as the "one and only" deity. From that day forward, women were subjugated, nature was exploited, militarism was glorified, and sexual repression became the law. This new order is described in the Hebrew Bible.
Two decades ago, the feminist spirituality movement emerged from the general women's liberation movement. Many women who had rejected the male God and sexist teachings of their religious upbringings nevertheless found that they needed some form of spirituality to nourish their souls. A kind, nurturing mother Goddess seemed to fill the void.
In searching for female images of the Divine, we turned to ancient pagan goddesses such as Asherah and Anat of Canaan, Isis of Egypt and Ishtar of Babylonia. Not only did we embrace these goddesses, however, we also adopted the perspective that these societies -- because they worshiped goddesses -- held women, sexuality and nature in high regard. Thus the "feminist fairy tale" (described above) was born. In the last 20 years it has become widely accepted as historical fact and, in one form or another, it continues to fuel the imaginations and feed the spiritual hunger of women who are understandably searching for an alternative to male-dominated religion.
There's just one problem with this story:..... |
