Covenant Woman

I'm going to write a bit about the Da Vinci Code. I'm only going to mention what is fairly well known about the book, so I doubt there will be any spoilers for those who haven't read it. But, if you haven't read it, and don't want to take the chance, don't read this entry. I actually wish I had been surprised about this fact when I read it rather than having heard it from everyone and their mother since the book came out. *Shrug*

I was telling Mother about the book yesterday, and how much I loved it. She exclaimed, "Jesus was God! God can't be married!" Then she sighed and said, "Please don't get so far from your beliefs." It was weird hearing her refer to Christian beliefs as 'my beliefs.' As if I have some claim on them. As if I still believe them the way I used to. How are they my beliefs? Anyway, I kept that question to myself.

To be perfectly honest, I would like Christianity a whole lot better if Jesus was married, and if the Goddess was a part of it. For one thing, a strong female character in the equation would make the religion a bit more palatable to me. Yes, there's the Virgin Mary, but quite frankly, she just reinforces that old idea that women can only be saved through chastity or motherhood. Veteran Seeker made a wonderful point to me when we discussed it the other day. He read somewhere that the Virgin Mary has actually been a negative role model for women to aspire to be like because she is both a virgin and a mother - something real women can never be. More hoops to jump through, ladies.

But a Mary Magdalene who is not a prostitute, who is the mournful widow, who represents the feminine Divine... ahhh I love it.