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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:aeq
From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Why Witchcraft is valid for men and women
Message-ID: <1505@pucc-h>
Date: Tue, 20-Nov-84 08:47:35 EST
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.1505
Posted: Tue Nov 20 08:47:35 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Nov-84 03:23:58 EST
References: <2089@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Crypt
Lines: 26

ucla-cs!ellen, quoting "The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion
of the Great Goddess - Rituals, Invocations, Exercises, Magic", expressed
(in a lengthy passage I won't clutter /usr/spool with a repetition of) the
idea that a patriarchal religion encourages men "to be mini-rulers of narrow
universes", and discourages them from dealing with the sensitive, emotional
side of themselves.  This is, alas, true of many manifestations of Christianity
-- but not all.  Even a superficial reading of the Gospels will show the
"feminine" qualities of Jesus, whom Christians are encouraged to emulate.  In
fact a good bit of the stuff exhorted in the Sermon on the Mount would not be
considered "masculine" at all.  My experience with Christ has helped me to
better accept my feelings, both positive and negative; to be healed of past
wounds thereto; and to begin to grow into a fully human person, incorporating
both "masculine" and "feminine" aspects.  (For a long time I didn't really
have either; I was just a nerd.  Now I think I have more of the "feminine"
than the "masculine", actually, and it's taken me most of my 20's to get
this far.  Maybe by the time I'm through my 30's, in 1995, I'll really be
a man....)

But anyway, my point is that even a religion that depicts God as a Father
can help a man to become something other than macho.

-- 
-- Jeff Sargent
{decvax|harpo|ihnp4|inuxc|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq
"I'm not asking for anyone's bleeding charity."
"Then do.  At once.  Ask for the Bleeding Charity."