Has Feminism in the Lutheran Church Gone Too Far?

A friend of mine recently directed me to an article regarding an ELCA church in San Francisco, Ebenezer Lutheran, which had the following sign up: "Goddess Rosary, Wednesday 7 pm." (You can read the entire article here) While I have my own reservations about certain "feminist" language that is being imposed on biblical translation, this transcends a mere question of whether God has feminine qualities. When a "Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete" (sponsored by a pagan group that is dedicated to the worship of "goddesses" - plural, not singular, and includes the Greek goddesses like Aphrodite) is being touted and supported by the ELCA, I start to get more than just a little nervous. When I read what this "Goddess Pilgrimage" entails - I shudder and have to wonder myself if the ELCA has crossed a threshold that may bring about the downfall of our most basic beliefs within the Lutheran Church. At what point have we ceased to be Christian, and become the very thing Paul and the other early Christians were fighting against? Not just fighting against, but died for because they refused to partake in these practices.

Perhaps I'm being an alarmist. Wouldn't be the first time. But if the trend within the Lutheran Church is to begin embracing worship among Minoan pagan altars, of tapping into the "power of the Goddess" within mountains and caves (not that worship in caves and mountains is wrong in and of itself, but these places are also the traditional sites of pagan/nature worship practices - because they could "feel" the presence of the god or goddess who would dwell in the caves and mountains - their "power" was thought to be strongest in these places because they were a part of the rocks, trees, etc.), I won't be able to run away from this denomination fast enough!

While I'm all for women being validated as women, and that "patriarchal oppression" indeed needs to be fought against, and that we should highlight the counter-cultural treatment of women by Jesus, Paul, etc, and yes, I can even see the usage of certain "mother" imagery in imaging God... it's moves like these that invite criticism from those who think the ELCA has gone woefully astray, and I would be among those who would agree with that sentiment. If this ELCA congregation needs to close its doors in San Francisco because they are unable to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then so be it. We shake the dust from our sandals and move on, we don't adopt pagan practices in an attempt to entice people into our pews!! I have to ask - what is the Sierra Pacific Synod thinking??? What is the National Synod thinking allowing this to occur under the auspices of Lutheran practice and theology? While the idea of "herchurch" is a lot outside my comfort zone to begin with, after reviewing their site, I can at least accept it as an attempt (an ATTEMPT, mind you, not that they're actually achieving it) to still be within the bounds of Christianity - but when they ally themselves with paganist groups such as the Ariadne Institute which states they explore "the ancient and contemporary myths and rituals of the Goddesses," (PLURAL!) I think the line has definitely been crossed. The "herchurch" site begs that we read all of what they believe, and based on their professions of faith, I inherently have nothing against "herchurch." It's the company "herchurch" is keeping that causes me to cringe and the warning flags to start flying!

As a woman, I understand the plight of women fighting for the right to be leaders in the church, and I even to a degree understand certain portions of "feminist theology." I myself have received criticism for deigning to become a woman pastor, accused of "ignoring scripture" because I put the 1 Timothy text into its proper context and do not apply it as a church-wide mandate. But in my humble opinion - it's actions such as these at Ebenezer Lutheran that caused Paul to clamp down so harshly on women in the first place and is what led to his condemnation of their taking leadership roles in 1 Timothy. Something similar is going on in San Francisco - the church is acquiescing to it's surrounding culture, giving into the pagan practices that predominate the area, and just like in Ephesus - it's women that are leading the headlong plunge into apostasy.

If Christian women don't want to feel the back-lash of this, of people pointing to the Lutheran church and saying "see, this is why women should never be leaders - look at what it leads to!" we need to be loud about our disapproval of such practices. And for those who want to further the argument and cause of ordaining practicing homosexuals in the Lutheran church - they had better scream long and loud as well! Why? Because one of their arguments is that the reason God called homosexuality an abomination was because it was being done as part of the Canaanite pagan cults. When (and yes, I'm probably stereotyping given the location of the church in question) lesbians get together and want to start "goddess worship" among the pagan ruins of Crete, it's not a huge leap for the next few steps into full-blown pagan practices to start taking hold once again. Female sexuality has long been a practice of "goddess worship" throughout the world. In the age of "Christendom" the practices were essentially squashed to only a few adherants, but with the rising tide of interest in the "old" religions and practices of our ancestors, neo-paganism is on the rise - and is finding ways to utilize Christianity so that it doesn't seem like it's "paganism" on the surface. Yet, that's exactly what it is. At the very least, it's promoting pantheism. At the very worst - polytheism.

Now let's envision for a moment... women engaging in "Goddess worship" among the pagan altars of Crete... feeling her power in holy mountains, sensing her mysteries in the darkness of caves (which is where the chosen priestess and male "stag" would traditionally copulate during the spring equinox festival of Beltane in the hopes of impregnating the priestess, who would then raise the child among the female priestessess of the cult. Both the man and the woman would wear a mask so the identity of each would be hidden), and pour out libations of milk and honey on Minoan altars....

Is anyone else seeing warning flags??

The 12 Days of Christmas

OK, this is a totally random posting... but I was sitting here discussing the lyrics of the 12 days of Christmas with my mom (yeah, that's what it's degenerated to, I'm afraid) and how I always get the last 3 totally mixed up, so I looked up the lyrics online and discovered that the symbols of the 12 days apparently actually stand for something! (I know - most of you probably know that and are all shocked and a little disappointed that dear Rivkah had never given the song a lot of thought before now!) :-p I mean, I knew what the 12 days of Christmas were - the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany that are supposed to be a feasting celebration, but in case there are any others out there who have never thought about what "12 Lords a Leaping" meant before either... I dug around and found some interesting things - some of which is a bit disturbing, I'll admit! :-) (Most have to do with fertility issues and are somewhat sexual in nature... DOH!) :-)

1st Day - "A partridge in a pear tree"
Well, fruit trees are representative of fertility - and of course there's a whole history of a CERTAIN fruit tree from the Garden of Eden! Apparently, part of the folklore is that a young woman should be able to walk backwards around the pear tree, then gaze through its branches and see her future husband. (Hmmmm... think it's too late for me to go find a pear tree???) And a partridge is known for being a very "lusty" suitor. But the "my true love," religiously, is supposed to represent God.

2nd Day - "Two Turtledoves"
Doves for centuries have symbolized both love and fertility. Astarte, the Phoenician goddess of love, is said to have been hatched on the banks of the Euphrates River from an egg that was warmed by two doves. Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, was born of water, where doves are often depicted drinking. This is why they are often seen as fountain art. It's also why Christianity adopted the dove as the symbol for the Holy Spirit. But doves are also said to mate for life, so they are symbolic of marital devotion, faithfulness, and ever-lasting love. Many associate the "two" with the Old Testament and New Testament as well - the two "covenants" or "testaments" of God that bind us together and tell the full story of God and his relationship with humanity.

3rd Day - "Three French Hens"
One Christian tradition is that it is believed a rooster crowed when Jesus was born heralding the coming of the light into the world and is seen as a symbol of resurrection. (This is why some Christian tombs have roosters on them!) But during the 18th century, large exotic fowl from the orient were brought to England and bred with the local common chicken and created a new breed. And hens also symbolize motherly devotion. They're also thought to represent the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity.

4th Day - "Four Calling Birds" (Actually it's COLLY Birds!!!)
A "Colly" bird is a European black bird. It's essentially a crow (which does call!) :-) Blackbirds were a delicacy in medieval times. Religiously, the "four" is associated with the four gospels that "call out" the good news of Jesus.

5th Day - "Five Golden Rings"
Unfortunately, it's not jewelry, but represents the five rings of gold around a pheasant's neck. This goes way back to the Greek heroic tale of Jason and the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece. The pheasant is supposedly a sub-species of the "bird of Phasis" which were used to create the Golden Fleece. Pheasant soon became viewed as a delicacy reserved primarily for the rich and royal (tell that tall the hunters around here!) and was seen as the "high point" of the feast. These "five golden rings" are also associated with the Torah/Pentateuch, the first five books of the bible.

6th Day - "Six Geese a-Laying"
Geese are involved in many ancient folklore tales. Because of its migrationg patterns, it's long been associated with the solar year and (you guessed it) fertility. The Roman Goddess Juno revered the goose as sacred because in 387 BC the geese in her temple honked and alerted the Romans the invading barbarians were close. They have since been revered for their protective qualities. Ancient Egyptians also believed that a mummy's sould would rise with the head of a goose. Six is then also representative of the six days of creation.

7th Day - "Seven Swans a Swimming"
Like the goose, swans were also highly revered animals in the ancient world. Egyptians continued to link them with immortality, but it was their dual ability to be both of the water and of the air that caused the ancients to believe they represented a connection between both the supernatural and natural worlds. British and Celtic myths frequently pictured loved ones who had died turning into swans with chains around their neck to represent their enchantment. Then on the festival of Samhain (Halloween) when the window between the two worlds would open, the swan would transform and the loved-one would cross over into the spiritual world. This "spiritual" theme is carried on in the Christian significance, representing the seven-fold spirit of God.

8th Day - "8 Maids a Milking"
When a maiden was asked to go "a milking" it was viewed as either a marriage proposal, or a very risque invitation for intimacy. (How does a young maiden know the difference??) ;-) But this also represents the 8 Beatitudes.

9th Day - "9 Drummers Drumming"
In England, there were town "waits" or watchman who would call out the hours of the night. Eventually, they became the town musicians and would be nicely rewarded at Christmastime. The beat of a drum is traditionally also associated with warfare along with trumpets that would hearld a coming battle - but later, trumpets also signalled the arrival of each course at a meal. A musician would usually know how to play both a trumpet and a small drum. This is also associated with the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit.

10th Day - "10 Piper's Piping"
Being a shepherd was a pretty boring job, so most shepherds played pipes to keep themselves entertained. 10 also stands for the 10 commandments.

11th Day - "11 Ladies Dancing"
Dancing and music of course always goes hand in hand. Dancing and singing were ways in which stories were told - hence "Christmas caroles" are one way in which the story of Christmas is told. The number 11 is associated with the 11 faithful apostles. Like the crow who announces the good news in the 4 gospels, music and dancing are another way in which the gospel story is told. (Though I have to wonder how many strains of more misogynistic Christianity would view the 11 apostles as "ladies"!) :-)

12th Day - "12 Lords a Leaping"
Well, we had the 11 ladies dancing, now we have the Lords a Leaping - dances that were strictly for men alone, such as certain fertility dances and war dances. Some Roman dances involved men leaping as high into the air as they could in the hope of inducing rain to fall to help the corn grow as tall as they were leaping. In Britain, a similar dance was performed by men during the festival of the 12 days for entertainment purposes. 12 is associated with the 12 points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed.

Aren't you glad you now know this bit of Christmas trivia??

The Voice of Christmas

I'm sure most of you read or heard about the man who was trampled to death at a Wal-Mart in New York. Eager holiday shoppers stampeded the store, tore doors off their hinges, and trampled the employee to death, while injuring more who were attempting to help the fallen man - all in the name of bargain shopping.

The story made me sick to my stomach. For more reason than one. First, just the general indifference people seem to have for one another these days - that their bargain shopping was more important than the life of this man is more than just appalling, it's reprehensible. Second, that it was done on a day that was supposed to mark the start of "the Christmas season." Well, I'll tell you - if that's what "the Christmas season" has become, I don't want to be part of it! I think "the reason for the season" would be more than just a little annoyed that the celebration of his coming into the world has been turned into not only a "commercial" enterprise, but has now turned into a cause for human beings to lose all sense of civility. Rather than lifting up the things that Jesus' life exemplified - caring for the downtrodden, weak, poor, sick, etc. - Christmas has seemingly become the very thing Jesus despised. A focus on materialism, on ourselves, on all the distractions and problems that we put upon ourselves this time of year.

Thus, I thought the text for this coming weekend, the voice of one calling in the wilderness (Mark 1:1-8), was an interesting text to follow on the heels of such depraved indifference in our world. Amid all the commercialism, gift buying, human idiocy, etc. - we are given an image of a man who lived in the desert, wearing a robe made of camel hair and eating locusts and honey. Few people would think to add John the baptist to their nativity set! Not exactly the yuletide picture we think of when it comes to Christmas, is it? No turkey and stuffing for John the baptist. No gift-laden tree, no serene nativity scene lit all aglow. Just a wild-man in the desert, awaiting "the one who is to come."

Advent is the time we await the coming of Christ into the world. John's waiting for the coming of Christ is similar to our waiting - but we seem to be preparing for it quite differently.

There are a lot of voices we hear at this time of year - buy this, buy that, find this, come here, go there... and amid all of that, we faintly hear the voice of one crying in the wilderness. It's a hard voice to hear, because we have a lot of distractions. Shopping, cooking, making travel plans, putting up decorations, fighting with family, etc. etc. We hear the voices that make us empty promises... of how our lives will be better if only we bought this... or tried that... and I confess, I know I'm just as guilty.

But I can't help but wonder if we aren't being called back into that wilderness - back to a place where the demands of the "season" are left behind. A place where a desert man cries out "Repent! Repent!" I am beginning to wonder if this isn't a message we need to heed - repent of what we've turned this season into. Repent of bargain shopping frenzies that have lost all sense of human decorum. Repent of stuffing ourselves full of Christmas treats (of course, there's more than one benefit of this for me!). Repent of family strife and arguments.

Because John speaks of "preparing the way" for the Lord. John prepared the way for Christ's coming not by exchanging gifts, or eating a large turkey or ham dinner (especially not the ham since he was Jewish, after all) - he prepared the way by baptizing, teaching, and proclaiming the good news of the one who would come to save the world. He prepared by retreating to the wilderness and removing himself from the cultural hub-bub of his day.

So I have to wonder... what can we learn from John the Baptist this Christmas season???