Where did it all begin: the degradation of women? Some contend that there was a time, a long, long time ago when Mother Earth and women were revered; however, a pro-male mindset came in when we substituted the powers of the sky out there over the earth below us. But if we begin with the cornerstone of Western philosophy, Socrates, some 2,500 years ago, we see how we’ve managed to have the mindsets that we now have. Continue reading ‘#2- The Queendom Of God’
Monthly Archive for May, 2007
People are so frantic about putting a ribbon or label on every person and then placing them neatly in a box that we can put on the shelf for future reference- if need. Let’s take the two barrel fundamentalist’s question. Do you believe in Adam & Eve and the virgin birth? If I answer YES, the questioner interprets me as saying I believe it LITERALLY. If I answer NO, the questioner would label me a heretic and not a true Christian. Damned if we do, and damned if we don’t. Continue reading ‘Damned By Either Answer!’
A lot of thoughts came to me as I wrote the six part series on Adam & Eve last week. An unusual thought came as I was reading and reading again how Eve was NOT formed in the image of God, if you take the second creation story LITERALLY: which I don’t. Eve was formed from the rib, bone, image of man. My May 19th commentary reveals my thinking on the whole Adam & Eve, male-female paradigm. But that has now led me to this. Continue reading ‘#1- The Queendom Of God’
I know I’m going to make a lot of Catholics mad: however, I am an equal opportunity offender. Protestants are the main focus of my attention though. The thrust of this web site after all is to question those things that really make no sense- according to me of course; however, I hardly stand alone on any of these modern-day “95 Theses“. In fact, I stand with the majority in most of them, but I live in the midst of the minority. Did you follow that? Continue reading ‘#28- The Mary-Making Myth’
A seven-part (currently) series on how the church has led society into degrading women and hindering the Kingdom of God by not recognizing the Queendom Of God!
That’s a way of bringing attention to a still serious subject of women’s rights- especially in the church, since it is the literal interpretation of Genesis that got the whole mess started off on the wrong foot.
Even the obviously UGLY new born baby is beautiful. The head can be distorted as a result of coming through the birth canal. Red smudges may show themselves for the same reasons. There can be no hair, too much hair, you name it. That the child has arrived and is healthy is all that matters. What a beautiful baby! Praises to God for such a miracle of life. Original sin? Give me a break! Continue reading ‘Born Beautiful!’
I used to buy that line!
We all know that change brings REGRESSION and who wants to do that? Having to rethink doctrine, theology, or any of our firmly-held beliefs hurts at first! But, who wants to hold on or embrace that which is not true? The answer is only the insane; however, here is the diversion that I’ve often heard.
“I just have a simple child like faith” and that’s all I need.” All a person needs for what? To satisfy friends, to ease one’s conscience, or to minimally fit in as a devout religious person? Let me encourage any who come to that mentality to look at following Jesus in a new way. Here’s how I see what’s wrong with the child-like faith. Continue reading ‘The Big Spiritual Cop Out!’
Mention the word MYTH and people get all freaky and many different ways. And you can get killed, burned at the stake, or just ostracized by mentioning the word MYTH with any Bible concepts. Well, here I go. 
We need to demythologize the Bible in many ways. Etiology is the study of “causation“. What caused this or that to happen. More specifically, what’s the message, the point, of many Old Testament stories?
An etiological myth is a myth intended to explain a name or create a mythic history for a place or family. In Biblical criticism, etiologies give theological explanations or understandings for names or occurrences. Here are some examples. Continue reading ‘# 27- Etiological Understandings’
May 25, 2007 – Why do so many Christians look sad and burdened down by life? And why do many non-Christians seemingly have more fun? W. H. Auden said, “As a rule, it was the pleasure-haters who became the unjust.” What’s up with that? Friday night we’ll look at the abundant life Jesus and the Kingdom offers us.
#3- The Queendom Of God
Let’s move on to the Old Testament, and particularly the second creation story, which is where so much of our attitudes toward women started. If there is a reason to believe Gen. 2&3 as just that “a story“, what it said and says about women is argument enough.
St. Jerome is a typical male example, of what the creation story put into the minds of men as he said, “When a woman wishes to serve Christ more than the world, then she will cease to be a woman and will be called man“. There are no words to describe such stupidity, which unfortunately still runs rampant in churches today. Continue reading ‘#3- The Queendom Of God’