Chasing Sophia, Part 2

Posted by Susy Flory on Oct 24th, 2007 | 1 comment home title

"Women are looking for new ways to know themselves and to connect
with God, two forms of knowledge that are intrinsically linked. Many
have left traditional religion in frustration that it didn’t reflect
their real lives, turning instead to alternative spiritualities that
purport to honor women’s experience." (from www.lilianbarger.com)

"Chasing Sophia is a wise guide for the many women who find themselves
forging a spiritual path between traditional church and the rejection
of it." –Diane Connolly, editor of ReligionLink.org

Is there a Christian spirituality for women whose faith feels at odds with their feminism? Can women follow both Jesus and the goddess? Get some answers in this, the second part of my interview with Lilian
Calles Barger, author of Chasing Sophia: Reclaiming the Lost Wisdom of Jesus.

Q. What did you find attractive in goddess spirituality? Why are many women
exploring this mystical path?

A.
Goddess spirituality takes women’s experiences seriously. In
particularly their embodied experience.
The transitions of a woman’s life are validated as significant. First menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause are celebrated. Even infertility is recognized as significant. These are powerful experiences that shape women’s lives. In a culture in which women’s bodies are medicalized and objectified this is attractive to many women.

Q. Are
there women who follow Christ and the goddess at the same time? Can these
two paths be reconciled?

A. Goddess spirituality and the way of
Jesus are ultimately irreconcilable. The way of Jesus is rooted in Hebrew
religion, which claims that there is one and all-powerful deity, Yahweh. Hebrew religion is monotheistic while
goddess religion is polytheistic – a goddess for every women. Closer
examination will reveal that the goddess is really none other than yourself.
The God of Jesus is one God who is creator and outside of us and to whom we owe
our allegiance.

Q. When
you encounter women who see God as a “distant, harsh patriarch who have no
use for a woman,” what is the best approach? Is there a way we can help
show them there is more to God than patriarchy?

A. I would not refer to God as Father
to a woman who has not experienced God as such. That would be a
mistake and
unnecessary. I would draw from the vast storehouse of images for God in Hebrew
scripture. God is creator, as strong tower, a shepherd, the Almighty, a refuge,
a rock, and forth. People need different things at different times and it’s
still all God.

The best way to show that there is
more to God than patriarchy is to show that God is not a validation of
patriarchy or, I prefer, male rule. What alienated women need to see is both
women and men who are free from male rule assumptions and living full human
lives.

Part 3 in my next post, along with some info on The Damaris Project, a new way to reach out to women seeking truth.

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