Download Free Goddess Unmasked Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Goddess Unmasked and write the review.

This book is a critical evaluation by a qualified scholar of the theological, anthropological, and historical claims of the "Goddess" movement, the most influential form of radical feminist spirituality.
This monograph focuses on "Christian Goddess Spirituality" (CGS), the phenomenon of (mostly) women who combine Christianity and Goddess Spirituality, including Wicca/Witchcraft. Mary Ann Beavis’s study provides ethnographic data and analysis on the lived religious experience of CGS practitioners, drawing on interviews of over 100 women who self-identify as combining Christianity and Goddess spirituality. Although CGS also has implications for Goddess Spirituality and related traditions (e.g., Neopaganism, Wicca), here, CGS is considered primarily as a phenomenon within Christianity. However, the study also shows that the fusion of Christian and Goddess spiritualties has had an impact on non-Christian feminist spirituality, since Goddess-worshippers have often constructed Christianity as the diametrical opposite and enemy of the Goddess, to the point that some refuse to admit the possibility that CGS is a valid spiritual path, or that it is even possible. In addition, biblical, Jewish and Christian images of the divine such as Sophia, Shekhinah, the Virgin Mary, and even Mary Magdalene, have found their way into the "Pagan" Goddess pantheon. The main themes of the study include: overlaps and differences between Christian feminist theology and CGS; the routes to CGS for individual practitioners, and their beliefs, practices and experiences; proto-denominational classifications ("spiritual paths") within CGS; CGS thealogy (Christian discourse about the female divine); and the future of CGS in social scientific and ecclesiological context. Christian Goddess Spirituality will be of interest to scholars of religion, especially those with interests in women and religion, feminist spiritualities, feminist theology/thealogy, alternative spiritualities, New Religious Movements, and emergent Christianities.
How have the goddesses of ancient myth survived, prevalent even now as literary and cultural icons? How do allegory, symbolic interpretation, and political context transform the goddess from her regional and individual identity into a goddess of philosophy and literature? Emilie Kutash explores these questions, beginning from the premise that cultural memory, a collective cultural and social phenomenon, can last thousands of years. Kutash demonstrates a continuing practice of interpreting and allegorizing ancient myths, tracing these goddesses of archaic origin through history. Chapters follow the goddesses from their ancient near eastern prototypes, to their place in the epic poetry, drama and hymns of classical Greece, to their appearance in Platonic and Neoplatonic philosophy, Medieval allegory, and their association with Christendom. Finally, Kutash considers how goddesses were made into Jungian archetypes, and how some contemporary feminists made them a counterfoil to male divinity, thereby addressing the continued role of goddesses in perpetuating gender binaries.
How Wiccan Spirituality Is Filling a Spiritual Hunger in America Hundreds of thousands of people practice Wicca and other forms of modern Pagan spirituality in America today, and journalist Catherine Edwards Sanders wanted to understand why such belief systems are rapidly attracting followers. When a routine magazine assignment led her to realize that her stereotype of Wiccans as eccentric spiritual outsiders was embarrassingly misinformed, her curiosity compelled her to understand the Wiccan mystique. With the support of a journalism fellowship, Sanders spent a year interviewing neo-Pagans and witches and found that the lure of this emerging spirituality was not the occult, but rather a search for meaning in an increasingly fragmented and materialistic culture. With keen observation, challenging insight, and compassionate critique, Sanders produces a lively narrative about what she experienced and discovered during her travels: Halloween rituals in Salem, anti-globalization protests in New York, and the contrasts between what seekers find in neo-Paganism that they perceive as lacking in Christian tradition. In Wicca’s Charm, Sanders explains the powerful attraction of an increasingly mainstream spirituality that celebrates the wonder of creation and the life-giving energy of women while also exploring why Christian churches often fail to engage these seekers, but how they can learn to tap into the deep roots of Christianity to nourish the hunger of so many who seek a holistic and authentic worship experience.
Honorable Mention for the 2022 Elli Köngäs-Maranda Prize awarded by the Women's Section of the American Folklore Society Goddess characters are revered as feminist heroes in the popular media of many cultures. However, these goddess characters often prove to be less promising and more regressive than most people initially perceive. Goddesses in film, television, and fiction project worldviews and messages that reflect mostly patriarchal culture (included essentialized gender assumptions), in contrast to the feminist, empowering levels many fans and critics observe. Building on critiques of other skeptical scholars, this feminist, folkloristic approach deepens how our remythologizing of the ancient past reflects a contemporary worldview and rhetoric. Structures of contemporary goddess myths often fit typical extremes as either vilified, destructive, dark, and chaotic (typical in film or television); or romanticized, positive, even utopian (typical in women’s speculative fiction). This goddess spectrum persistently essentializes gender, stereotyping women as emotional, intuitive, sexual, motherly beings (good or bad), precluded from complex potential and fuller natures. Within apparent good-over-evil, pop-culture narrative frames, these goddesses all suffer significantly. However, a few recent intersectional writers, like N. K. Jemisin, break through these dark reflections of contemporary power dynamics to offer complex characters who evince “hopepunk.” They resist typical simplified, reductionist absolutes to offer messages that resonate with potential for today’s world. Mythic narratives featuring goddesses often do, but need not, serve merely as ideological mirrors of our culture’s still problematically reductionist approach to women and all humanity.
And the recent pedophile priest scandal, he shows, has revived many ancient anti-Catholic stereotypes."--BOOK JACKET.
A collection of three crime mystery novels by B.R. Stateham, now available in one volume! Murderous Passions: Detectives Turner Hahn and Frank Morales are the dynamic duo that tackle the toughest cases, the ones that nobody else wants. Turner, a suave man with an uncanny resemblance to a movie star, and Frank, a towering genetic oddity with a photographic memory, are both equipped with razor-sharp wit and an arsenal of unconventional methods. From thrilling car chases to tense interrogations, these detectives take on each case with a style all their own. No matter the challenge, Turner and Frank will stop at nothing to get justice served. Death of a Young Lieutenant: Jake Reynolds isn't just any art thief, he's a master criminal with an extraordinary talent for creating perfect replicas of famous paintings. He's also a man with a conscience, haunted by the sight of murder victims and compelled to bring their killers to justice. Jake's unique talent and sense of justice land him in hot water when he stumbles upon the murder of a young lieutenant. Compelled to solve the crime and bring the killer to justice, Jake sets out on a dangerous and thrilling hunt for the murderer. Death by Greek Fire: Decimus Julius Virilis, a distant kin to the Imperator and a professional soldier for twenty years, is commissioned as the third in command of Legio XII Brundisium in Dalmatia. After a deadly blunder by the untrained legion, he is commanded by Tiberius Caesar to find the mastermind behind a diabolical trap and prevent a civil war. But can he solve the seemingly impossible crime?
Humorous and witty entries for every day of the year provoke new ideas and new ways of exploring paganism as a spiritual practice, revealing how contemporary spiritual experiences show up in the most unexpected places. Original.
Chynoweth asserts that the feminist message is false. His topics include the roots of the falsehood, which stem in part form the 1964 Civil Rights Act's Title VII, the right order of the human sexes, the role of art and culture, marriage, biblical paradigms, and his interpretation of Catholic thought. His chapter entitled "History as a Society Column for Lovely Ladies--'Herstory'" is interesting as is his summary of thought on egalitarianism from Aristotle to Bryce and Stephen. The bibliography is shorter than one would expect. Hamilton Books is an imprint of the University Press of America. Annotation :2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).
This book draws on twenty-four academic disciplines to provide a critical analysis of some 100 theories that explain the origins, nature, and management of human conflict. The book treats intellectual, individual, moral, interpersonal, organizational, community, political, and international conflicts. It suggests six criteria for distinguishing good from bad theory and discusses how existing theories may be used and improved.