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When God was a Woman
When God was a Woman | Merlin Stone
Here, archaeologically documented, is the story of the religion of the Goddess. Known by many names--Astarte, Isis, Ishtar, among others--she reigned supreme in the Near and Middle East. Beyond being worshipped for fertility, she was revered as the wise creator and the one souce of universal order. Under her, women's roles differed markedly from those in patriarchal Judeo-Christian cultures. Women bought and sold property and traded in the marketplace, and the inheritance of title and property was passed from mother to daughter. How did the change come about? By documenting the wholesale rewriting of myth and religious dogmas, Merlin Stone details a most ancient conspiracey: the patriarchal reimaging of the Goddess as a wanton, depraved figure. This portrait that laid the foundation for one of culture's greatest shams--the legend of Adam and fallen Eve.
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vonnie862
When God was a Woman | Merlin Stone
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1. I'm not sure if it's unusual but it's something we don't hear about often. This book gives a brief history of women and how they were powerful before Christianity came into existence. It talked about beliefs, evolution, and traditions.
2. Some. For instance, people that say that the pyramids were built by aliens...
3. Can't think of any right now.

@ozma.of.oz
#sundayfunday

BookmarkTavern You‘ve tagged an interesting book! Thanks for sharing! 3y
14 likes1 comment
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GingerAntics
When God was a Woman | Merlin Stone
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Oy. 🤦🏼‍♀️ By this chick‘s logic, I can‘t study or write about my specialty in the history field because it‘s mostly about men, and I‘m not a man. THANKS FOR BEING A GOOD FEMINIST SWEETHEART!!! 🤬🤬🤬 Real feminists don‘t make 🤬 comments like this, because they see how the flip side actually hurts women. 🤬 FFS, I know a brilliant historian that studies women in the military through history. It‘s fascinating. HIS papers are always eye opening.

GingerAntics If a man is interested in the female perspective and he wants to spend all his time reading about it and he decides to share what he‘s discovered with the world, MORE 👏🏻 POWER 👏🏻 TO 👏🏻 HIM!!! 👏🏻 FFS #rant #rantover #feminismshouldnthurtwomen #pleasestopattackingfemalehistorians #womenhistorians #womeninhistory 4y
Chrissyreadit It may also be a reflection of when this was written and how women in academia were treated. When I was little girls were not considered good at math or science, should be nurses not drs, etc. I really remember the difference of how some teachers were with boys compared to girls. 4y
TheBookHippie People are fun. 🙄🤬 4y
See All 17 Comments
TheBookHippie My favourite “but you‘re a feminist and you‘re always cooking so how can that be ?!......” oye 4y
GingerAntics @TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit 🤦🏼‍♀️ I don‘t get people who can‘t figure out the very simple concept that feminism just means believing (sometimes militantly when necessary) that men and women are both capable of the same things. Women cook, but men are chefs. WTF?! Ugh. (edited) 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit @TheBookHippie the book was written in a period when that was the case. Hell, I had teachers in the 90s that acted that way. Still, this review was written in 2013...and sadly this is an argument I hear all the time. By making some things just for females, you‘re keeping us separate, and separate is never equal. Sadly, I see this mentality A LOT with feminists my age. “We want x for ourselves.” (edited) 4y
GingerAntics @TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit they just don‘t see how that‘s the exact thing feminism is against! Drives me nuts! 4y
TheBookHippie @GingerAntics SAME. It makes me crazy. 4y
GingerAntics @TheBookHippie though, from what I heard and read, almost as soon as feminism started, women who were happy as home makers and wanted to be home makers were excluded because the early feminists thought they were brain washed or supporting the patriarchy. Wasn‘t the whole point that women should be free to be and be whatever they want? I don‘t get why anyone thinks restricting males is the answer, ie any better. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 4y
Birdsong28 🤯😵🤬📚📖 4y
Chrissyreadit I think part of this is that so many women experienced patriarchy in different ways, and it can have an effect. I think if we follow the anger we will find trauma. The bad side is people who demonize the term feminist. I love when people understand it means equality in general but even that term is taken out of context often. BTW- it was used against women in many ways- I would have loved to be home with my children instead of working full time. 4y
Chrissyreadit Reagonomics used women in the work force to create an economic system that further disenfranchised single mothers and glorified two working parents as a gift instead of decimating a healthy middle class. In terms of matriarchy I love that we had Native American societies that were matrilineal. 4y
TheBookHippie @GingerAntics Yup. It blows your mind. Equal people it means equal! 4y
TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit gahhhhh Reganomics 🤢🤬 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit matriarchal and matrilineal are two different things. Many cultures around the world, before and since the rise of Rome, have been matrilineal (mostly in places the Romans didn‘t go). Matriarchy is just the patriarchy in reverse and that is a actually quite rare and always has been. Many cultures determine lineage through the mother or allow children to inherit from the mother (matrilineal). 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit Anderson Cooper actually rejected his matrilineal inheritance when his mother died (mostly because he never thought he was getting it because she‘d told him that, and he basically held her to her word I guess). America is matrilineal now and was when this book was written. 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit @TheBookHippie Reagan certainly demonised single mothers, along with some other folks. I‘m sorry, I don‘t trust a “Republican turned Democrat.” 4y
16 likes17 comments
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Chrissyreadit
When God was a Woman | Merlin Stone
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#7days7books books that have had a lasting impact on me. Book 5.

GingerAntics Oh my. Tell me about this!!! It sounds intriguing. (edited) 4y
Chrissyreadit @GingerAntics I think spell correct is changing your words? 4y
GingerAntics GAH!!! Bloody autocorrect!!! Yes. This book sounds interesting. Tell me about it. 4y
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WomanistBibliophile I loved this book so much! 💗 it was one that really opened my eyes 4y
Chrissyreadit @WomanistBibliophile I agree! It gave me the beginning to understand the patriarchy and know women were well off in matriarchy. 4y
Chrissyreadit @GingerAntics I think this is in your wheelhouse. I read it when I was an undergrad- so almost 30 years ago. It was the first time I had an understanding of women under matriarchy compared to patriarchy. It was like opening a door I did not know had been closed against me. 4y
GingerAntics I‘ll look into it. I‘m skeptical of the whole “before Rome and Greece the world was run by women” thing. It‘s not supported by history or archaeology, so I tend to avoid books that make that claim. It‘s actually a feminist invention from the 1970s. I‘ll give it a look, though. My favourite is an Amazon review saying women‘s history should only be written by women. 🤦🏼‍♀️ 4y
Chrissyreadit @GingerAntics I don‘t think I realized that- my understanding was that there were more matrilineal cultures before Judaism but I also have not studied that concept so maybe the book has misinformation and I did not know? For me it was the first feminist view I had been exposed to. My parents did not like Gloria Steinem or Geraldine Ferraro. I grew up being told very clearly boys were superior. 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit so was I. I totally get that. I remember reading Betty Friedan in grad school and thinking “my grandmother is rolling over in her grave right now.” 😂 I thought that at one point. It was a very popular idea that came out of second wave feminism in the 60s and 70s. It all sounds really scholarly, but if you try to go read about these societies, they were mostly patriarchal, but gave much better standing to women. 4y
WomanistBibliophile It‘s one of my pet peeves when people insist patriarchy has existed “forever”—things were different once, and can be again. 4y
Chrissyreadit @WomanistBibliophile I think the idea that matriarchy doesn‘t exist is insane. But my biggest frustration is always the subjugation of women today in blatant actions and words by the so called leader of this country and his minions. 4y
74 likes4 stack adds11 comments
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haileybean
When God was a Woman | Merlin Stone
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I've been on a "books about spirituality," kick lately. I've been really interested in the role of the feminine in religions before Christianity and after more patriarchal religions took over. It's definitely interesting! (To me at least.) ??

Suet624 Have you read Looking for Mary yet? I loved it. And discovered Mary of Medjugorje. 7y
haileybean I have not read it yet, but I'm hoping to get to it soon! As I say for all the books I get 😂😂 7y
20 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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alexxisasynner
When God was a Woman | Merlin Stone
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Currently I am waiting for this book by mail.
I'm pretty excited.
Has anyone here read it?

5 likes1 stack add