There has been a lot of talk and publicity on the idolatry and goddess worship happening at the ELCA church, Ebenezer Lutheran, in San Francisco (otherwise known as “herchurch”). If you haven't seen it yet please check out what is happening at their November conference (see here and here). Of great importance is the fact that the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop is being represented at the conference and that person will be speaking. Since this is an important topic, I thought I would share with you some more information about this conference and the ELCA pastor responsible for it.
First, I came across a blog discussing “herchurch’s” 2009 conference. This comes from the perspective of one of the conference speakers. She says: “I was very, very surprised at the feeling of singing words of love and praise to the Sacred Feminine in hymn tunes which were already familiar.” “A rich and wonderful conference such as this with the title ‘Marys, Madonnas, Goddess-with-Us’ wouldn’t be complete without small group workshops for integrating sacred feminine spirituality through creative artwork or conversations with presenters, or more meditation and chanting. . . I kept seeing people walking around with Goddess dolls, wands really, that were magical and potent and strong in color and feeling. It turned out they were from a workshop given by the artist Linda Roberts. They were personal creations that each creator seemed to be in love with, and I’m sure they will grace many home altars.” “Once we understand that Mary Magdalene is the voice of the Goddess Herself in Christianity, it becomes very interesting to learn her symbolic language so we can hear her better in our own dreamworld and artwork.” “It was a very full weekend; full of love, full of respect for Rev. Stacy Boorn and her courage within Christianity, and full of secret hopes for the religious changes we need to support ‘the New Creation’ we all want.” (see here) Now let’s hear from the woman who is responsible for this yearly conference, “herchurch” pastor Stacy Boorn (ELCA). Toward the beginning of the interview Pastor Boorn talked about the people’s reaction to her church’s name, “herchurch”: “. . . when we posted that on the front of the church, people would drive by and then identified the congregation as “herchurch,” knowing what we meant the deity was “her.” The interviewer, soon after, asked about referring to goddess as “holy other.” Rev. Boorn, in her response said, “ . . . but ‘holy other’ also gives a sense of tie, I think with many religions’ traditions.” Here are some more statements made by Rev. Boorn from that interview: “. . . but way beyond the writing of those scriptures (the Bible) the wonderful work that we’ve tied into was Maria (inadible) Buddhist and others who showed us that for tens, and tens, and tens of thousands of years that there have been women leading societies, and goddess the head of that, and they produced peace communities . . .” “For example, you know we have a Wednesday evening goddess rosary which is a ritual that we’ve developed . . . in a very similar way to a ritual of the Anglican or the Roman Catholic prayer beads but with a more intentional liberation connectiveness to the holy mother, goddess of us all. And so for some, people will pray prayers envisioning an actual in the womb or the Earth as the body of the 'holy other' or the cosmos as the mother so it is wide open and I think that is the important part of it. On this journey with ‘she who is,’ there are many voices in the feminist religious world who have various takes, and I think it is important in what we do in this ritual community is to listen and use them all for our richness.” “. . . we have in our communion at the goddess rosary, some persons who, when we talk about ‘mother, maiden, crone,” as a symbol or metaphor for the 'holy other,' there will be some in our community who will actually name three goddess, Isis and others . . .” “The day is coming, I hope, when the patriarchal religious traditions are totally dismantled and something new comes forth and I think the feminists are going to make that happen.” “Hopefully our congregation will not be just one but one of many. And when we can be a model for others we are grateful to do that.” (listen here) This goddess worshipping church, supported by the ELCA leadership wants to be a model for other churches. Their pastor wants to see feminist goddess worship dismantle and replace historical Christianity worldwide. We cannot say “well this is just one church.” Not when this church has been supported and protected for years by the ELCA leadership. Not when the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop is represented at their goddess worshipping conference. The ELCA leadership is moving the denomination in this same direction. I know I do not want to be part of a denomination that encourages the worship of demons and pagan gods.
4 Comments
Ruth
11/7/2011 10:44:16 am
You people are still making a big to-do about insignificant things. So what if some former Catholic wants to believe that Mary is a goddess ? So what if some abused woman is more comfortable calling God mother than Father. My Bible says that in heaven there will be neither male nor female. There are more important issues out there than weird beliefs. What are you doing to feed the hungry and clothe the poor?
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Dave
11/7/2011 11:59:13 pm
Ruth, what are you doing about your lack of trust in God? Your statements show that you do not completely trust in God. Believers should not tolerate perversion of the Gospel or sexual perversion. Turn back to God and away from sin while there is still time. Whether you know it or not, you have become a part of the rebellion against God.
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I was once a member of an ElCA congregation. I was forced out after I objected to church members telling my foster son he didn't have to listen to me and my husband. I believe this was just the surface issue. I suspect the pastor feared I would expose her adultery and that I would object to gay ministers ( the music minister was a lesbian UCC minister). I am now a member of The Anglican Church of North America, a denomination that broke from The Episcopal Church of America over the same issues that have you considering leaving ELCA. Good luck. The Lord be with you These are dark days for Christianity.
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Erich Aseltine
11/16/2012 04:52:52 am
I have looked at this particular ELCA church for years. This is one of the worst example of a Cult that has been allowed by the ELCA, which demonstrates the continued problem of the ELCA and Liberal Churches. There are a group of Liberal Churches, (Liberal sections of those denominations), like this one that have Open Communion with each other. The United Church, (ucc.org-President Obama/Wright's church), The Episcopal, Presbyterian U.S.A., Reformed, Mennonite, etc. These can be seen on WIKI if anyone cares to look. These Churches are characterized by denying the Word of God as being God's Word, and allow Homosexual Clergy. These Churches have in fact ceased having the True LORD Jesus Christ. To them, the LORD Jesus Christ was a sinner, and ordinary man. See the Roman Catholic Church on Dominus Iesus - these Churches no longer believe this about the LORD Jesus Christ correctly, and have a different Jesus. The conservative members of the denominations I have mentioned, (for example Missouri Synod, and Wisconsin Synod for Lutheranism), understand these matters as well as I do. This is why the Missouri Synod has "Close Communion" and does not allow a ELCA member to take communion at their churches.
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Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Dan Skogen
Former ELCA seminary student and former ELCA member who is fed up with the ELCA's consistent mockery of God's Word. If you have been helped and blessed by Exposing the ELCA's ministry, please help us continue to proclaim the truth of God's Word to ELCA members who need to hear it.
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