Interview with Ward Gasque, Part 2
More from scholar and historian Ward Gasque …
Q. How has Dan Brown’s best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code, contributed to the current debate on goddess spirituality?
A. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code professes to celebrate ‘the sacred feminine" and the emancipation
of women. But take a close look at the book. There are two women who
play any part in the
narrative; one is the bright and enthusiastic but
rather naive Sophie Neveu and her grandmother. Sophie hangs on to every word that comes from the mouth of Harvard Professor Robert Langdon and Sir Hugh Teabing,
who are fountains of wisdom which she passively and enthusiastically
absorbs. And her grandmother, who doesn’t even have a name, plays the
role of the female consort of her husband offering her body as a receptacle for his sperm so that HE can experience religious ecstasy. Doesn’t read like a feminist text to me!
Q. What is the current appeal of goddess worship?
A. Why are some people attracted to Goddess worship today? I suppose one reason is there disillusionment
with traditional religions. One cannot live very long, it seems,
without religion. So those who have moved away from traditional
religions are often attractive to new alternatives. A second reason is
found in the influence of feminism in its variety of forms in our
society. There is a desire to escape from male dominated structures
and communities in which many have felt oppressed
and to find a more liberating environment in which the influence of
women is more pervasive. The neo-pagan Goddess worship professes to
represent this more egalitarian and libertarian society. Sadly,
however, this is all an illusion.
Dr. Gasque has endorsed a landmark statement of the biblical rationale for male and female equality, as well as its application in the
community of believers and the family. If you’re interested, you can find it at this website: Christians for Biblical Equality.
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SUSY FLORY is a New York Times best selling author, speaker, and journalist who searches out big stories with happy endings. She's I'm always looking for true stories that inspire and challenge her readers to embrace a life of passion, boldness, & adventure. 
As a practising catholic, my mouth just dropped open when I considered the ramifications if the Da Vinci code was to be true!