In my last column I wrote of the sex change from 25,000 years of female Goddesses to the male God of the sword, and of the fanatic zeal of Paul and the early Christian cult to destroy the female. The destruction of the female Goddesses were built into the dogmas and laws of the three religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I have concentrated on the Christian since we are assured by the Christian and political right wing that this is a Christian nation, ignoring President John Adams signing of the Treaty of Tripoli which states in clear language that quote: “The United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”
The early Christian cult destroyed the shrines of the Goddesses. Paul, in his writings, went on to command in his writings that women should be submissive to husbands…should not speak in church…and he reminded them that “women were created by God for men…” How convenient.
The early church fathers of the 3rd, 4th and 5th century said in clear language what they thought of women and the degradation of women shifted into high gear. The female, as a symbol of the Goddess, was from Satan. There was a Goddess in every woman that had to be crushed.
The founder of Western theology, Tertullian, wrote: “woman is a temple built over a sewer, the gate-way to the devil. Women are the gate of hell.”
Later church “fathers” held similar views of women. Martin Luther wrote that: “if a woman grows weary and dies from childbearing, it does not matter. Let her die bearing children, that is all she is here for.” John Wesley, of Methodist fame, wrote his wife: “Wife. Be content to be insignificant. Of what loss would it be to God or man had you never been born.”
When the Christian church really went full steam ahead in their destruction of women, the female and the Goddess within women, was during the Great Inquisition:
I am quoting now from a classic academic work on the Goddesses by Marija Gimbutas, “The Language of the Goddess“…The author is a Professor of European archaeology at UCLA and the curator of the Old World archaeology at UCLA’s Cultural History Museum: On page 319: quote: “Women were called Disciples of Satan and this period was one of the bloodiest in history. The witch hunt of the 15th to 18th centuries was the most satanic event of European history. The murder of women accused as witches escalated to MORE THAN EIGHT MILLION. The burned or hanged women were mostly country women who learned the lore of the Goddess from their grandmothers.”
In “The Crone: Woman of Age, Wisdom, and Power” by Barbara G. Walker the number of witches slaughtered was estimated by scholars to be 7 to 9 million also. Will Durant, in his 12 volume History of Civilization sets the figure also at 7 to 9 million.
The Christian destruction of the female is one of the great crimes of human history. The degradation continues to this day in fundamentalist churches, Mormon, Roman Catholic and other mainline churches. I could give examples that would take this entire paper to print. But only a sample.
Listen to Episcopal Bishop C.L. Meyers: “A priest is a God symbol. God is masculine in both the Old and New Testaments. Christ was a man, masculine. That was a divine choice.” He said this at Grace Cathedral before 700 delegates fighting the ordination of women.
Listen to the former Senior Minister of the one of the largest Presbyterian churches in Houston, Texas. the Rev. Dr. Charlie Shedd. He wrote this in a book called “How To Treat A Woman.” “Women are simple souls who like simple things. Our family airedale will come clear across the yard just for one pat on the head. Wives are like that. They will come across the house, across the room, across anything if you will just keep patting them on the head.”
Listen to that religiously illiterate “born again” misogynist Cal Thomas who wrote this in his column last year: “Before career women hogged the spotlight and before they reduced men to wimps. …before day care centers, before all of this, there was one certain type of woman known as a Lady. She wasn’t stuck up…as are the ladies who lunch.”
In the twisted mentality of Thomas the word Lady applies only to those women who stay home, stay pregnant, barefooted and are good “homemakers.” Martin Luther would have loved this guy.
A woman named Sonia Johnson was recently booted out of the Mormon church for being too blunt and questioning and heresy. Her departing words were these: “my fantasy…is that next Sunday…not one single woman…anywhere in the entire world….will go to church.”
Change with me now please to another subject: I have lost count this past week of those who have asked me to make some observation about the terrorist attacks. I will say much more at a later date, but for this day, the thought that is resting gently on my mind is this one. I share in the tears and sorrow and anguish of those who have lost loved ones. But..with that said, I am at a total loss as to why “God” is front and center all across this nation. The New York Times today wrote that “God Bless America” is the number one anthem now. And prayers to God are flooding the universe from every hamlet, town and city.
What “God” is it that people want to bless America. The “God” that watched the terrorist attack and did nothing about it? Everyone says that God is Omnipotent. My Webster’s dictionary defines “omnipotent…as unlimited influence and authority…Unlimited in power and knowledge…” So, if God is omnipotent, as everyone says, then he obviously knew all about the attack…the planning…preparation…and execution and did nothing about it…and yet now is being asked by millions to bless us…America. If an omnipotent God wanted to bless America he would not have allowed the attack.
One of the greatest plays in American history, in my opinion was “J.B.” by Archibald MacLeish. It won the Pulitzer Prize. J. B. is a modern business man who plays out the role of the biblical Job. I saw it on the stage in Chicago. Christopher Plummer was “J.B.”…Raymond Massey was God.
The play is built around the following thesis:
If God is God…He is not good…
If God is good…he is not God….
Take the even…take the odd…
There could not be a good omnipotent God…unless you call the terrorist acts good…or Hitler…or cancer…and on and on and on into the dark night of evil and tragedy.
And…if there is a God who is good…he is obviously not omnipotent…and does not have control or knowledge of earthly activities…Take the even…take the odd.
That is my thought for this day…WHAT GOD…WHOSE GOD…are we calling on to “Bless America?”