Margaret posted the following to our GoddessChristians forum on May 23, 2008 during a gender morality and gender roles discussion.
I, too, believe that we fail to consider the children–unto 7 generations, as the Native American grandmothers insist!…. Our materialistic world-view has caused women to abandon what was a sacred calling to nurture the children–and left the Television to be the “hand that rocks the cradle”–with obvious consequences! I’m for Fathers and Mothers sharing the responsibilities of nurturing as much as possible–but that balance isn’t always achieved. My husband and I were noticing the difference between our grown kids and those of some family members who left their kids for others to raise while both parents worked outside their home….
Western dualism causes a split that is hard to heal…. which is why my work is about the “Sacred Reunion” of masculine and feminine (“integration of Logos and Sophia”) as illustrated in the “marriage window” showing Jesus and Mary Magdalene “handfasted” (posted on my website: www.margaretstarbird.net –please feel free to copy, print and disseminate! This image is on the cover and PR for the “Bloodline” Movie—and is travelling around the world)….
There is a fascinating article on the discrimination against women by the Church (and Western civilization) at this website:
http://www.womenpriests.org/teaching/wijnga_1.asp — some of the negative statements of church Fathers quoted there make my hair stand on end:
Aristotle: “A female is female by virtue of certain lack of qualities – a natural defectiveness.â€
St. Jerome: “Women is the gate of the devil, the path of wickedness . . . a perilous object.â€
Tertullian: “Do you know that each of you women is an Eve? You are the gate of Hell, the temptress of the forbidden tree; you are the first deserter of Divine Law.â€
St. Thomas Aquinas: “If a female is conceived, this is due to a defect in the mother or to some external influence like that of a humid wind from the south.â€
Kirkegaard: “What a misfortune, to be a woman! And yet, the worst misfortune is not to understand what a misfortune it is.‖
That is why it is so important to “excavate” the real truth about the original teachings of Jesus. The article’s quote from the Gospel of Thomas that has Jesus saying with regard to Mary Magdalene “…I will make her male..” is a mistranslation of the Greek which uses the word “anthropos”– This word doesn’t mean “Male” in the sense of gender. It would be better translated: “I will make her a ‘perfected human-being’ ” —
“… there shall yet be heard, the voice of the Bridegroom, the voice of the Bride!”
peace and well-being,
Margaret
“Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile”
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Dear Margaret,
It is unfortunate that the words of Jesus got misconstrued. A whole construct of dogmas has grown around that misconception.
Did the churchfathers forget that most of the stories are about Jesus talking to women and that most of the prominent supporters of “The Way” were named women of ancient historical influence?
As I’ve studied religion and religious history, I’ve found that Christianity is the only religion which hates women and sees sexuality as evil. In many religious systems womens roles might be circumscribed, but there is more a strong definition of the husband as the protecter and provider, and the wife as the home creator and organizer of the family. They have great respect for each others work. Woman is not seen as the personification of evil that needs to be subdued, and sex is seen as a wonderful way of healing, in many place considered a holy act.
As far as I see it, the main message from Jesus is that we’re all divine. He is urging us not to forget who we are, and gives us numerous techniques that will remind us. The early Christians taught that, and some societies continued the teachings.
Things changed when the Roman Empire figured out that since they couldn’t fight the Christians, they would rather join them and change them from within. The Catholic Church is the continuation of the Roman Empire. In fact there was an emperor of the Holy Catholic Roman Empire in function in Austria until the nineteenth century! It’s creation was purely political and had nothing to do with bringing enlightenment to mankind. In fact, too much information among the masses was seen as a threat. It is much easier to lead a flock of ignorant fearful sheep, than self empowered indivual thinkers.
The most powerful places at the time of Jesus and Mary Magdalene were the mystery schools. Many of these harkened back to the time of Goddess focused religion. There were many, many we can name and have traces of in geographical places. These were the universities of antiquity. They had great respect for each others learning and shared information. The different centers had different focus, and if you had your education from one, people could instantly identify your expertise.
I visited Alexandria in 1994, and got to see the site where the famous library once stood. There was a whole temple complex and university connected to it, called the Serapium. It was created around 300BC and was demolished in 425AD on orders from the Bishop of Alexandria. That is seven hundred years of giving profound eduction, collecting millions of manuscripts from all over the world, and temple work where you workshopped with the Gods, not worshipped them.
There is not even a column left. I stood in the middle of yellow rubble and felt the loss of so much wisdom, so much learning, so much science. With this destruction we started the dark ages of profound ignorance, which we are stil struggling to get out of.
The only way to recapture the knowledge lost is to engage our deepest intuition. We need our most profound willingness to see science and religion, love in all its forms, and nature in it’s beauty, all as expressions from the same source.
Thank you for giving a forum where these things can be discussed. I try to do it through my writing as well.
Wencke Braathen
There definitely exists a need to excavate the Sacred Feminine , we have a duty and responsibility to tajke a stand especially in
light of the most recent pronouncements by the Vatican on the subject of the ordination of women.
All those who hear the message of G-D have a responsibility to ensure that women are accorded the full equality that G-D endowed to them at the moment of their creation and that the full unconditional equality of women is protected because, it is only when women are accorded the full equality G-D granted to women is respected that the Logos and Sophia will begin to be balanced.