Is Gender a New Religion? Or a Very Old One? | Daniel Howard James

The long controversy between heretics and mainstream Christianity led to the Roman emperor Constantine setting up the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. This gathering of church leaders nailed down Christian belief as being in one male creator God responsible for everything that existed, one and only son of God born of a virgin offering salvation through resurrection, and a holy spirit to round out the Trinity. For those of us who have heard the Nicene Creed repeated many times, it may come as a surprise to find out that in the early Christian era, all of these basic beliefs were disputed, which is why the Creed had to be agreed on by bishops from the dominant regional factions within the Roman Church.

For Gnostics, the God of the standard Bible is a minor deity sometimes called the demiurge, a jealous male who merely pretended that there were no other gods. Polytheism had been standard practice in the Roman empire, of course.

Elaine Pagels, who obtained her doctorate from Harvard and was appointed chair of the religion department at Barnard College, Columbia University in the mid 1970’s, published a popular account of the Nag Hammadi texts in 1979. Her book ‘The Gnostic Gospels’ appeared at a time when second-wave feminism was still a thing. It made the case that the Gnostic sects had been in favour of sex equality, with women priests recorded in the early Church. This was not merely a case of equality in the workplace for religious employees, but a radical reshaping of what Christianity had meant since the time of Constantine.

In the third chapter of her book, Pagels pointed out that the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are relatively unusual in declaring that God is exclusively masculine. The Gnostics disagreed with mainstream Christians and each other on the subject of gender, as they did on many topics, with the Gospel of Thomas stating “…every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. Other Gnostics prayed to a dualistic Divine Father and Mother, while some insisted that the Holy Spirit must be feminine. The Gnostic text known as the ‘Secret Book’ stated “She became the Mother of everything, for she existed before them all, the mother-father”.

In the Gnostic ‘Apocalypse of Adam’, a parthenogenic goddess is the source of all human life: “She came to a high mountain and spent time seated there, so that she desired herself alone in order to become androgynous. She fulfilled her desire, and became pregnant by her desire…” Valentinius opined that this goddess called Wisdom, being a single parent, raised her demiurge offspring to manage the mess she previously made by bringing forth all living creatures in this one-sided manner. According to one Gnostic source, it was Wisdom that saved Noah and his family from the great flood caused by her bad-tempered son. In those days, the symbol of the rainbow had something to do with God, rather than Pride.

The ‘Trimorphic Protennoia’ discovered at Nag Hammadi contained words spoken by a divine feminine voice: “Now I have come a second time in the likeness of a female… I have revealed myself in the Thought in the likeness of my masculinity” and “I am androgynous. [I am both Mother and] Father, since [I copulate] with myself… [and with those who love] me…” A Gnostic poem called ‘Thunder, Perfect Mind’ contains another divine revelation in a feminine voice: “I am the whore, and the holy one. I am the wife and the virgin.” This Gnostic goddess is sex-positive.

According to Pagels, notions of the divine feminine were driven out of official Christianity by the year 200 AD. With that shift in theology, women were also prevented from being priests in the official Roman church, possibly as a result of Greek Jews converting to the religion and bringing their orthodox traditions with them. Tertullian flamed an African Gnostic priestess he called “that viper”, stating: “It is not permitted for a woman to speak in the church, nor is it permitted for her to teach, nor to baptize, nor to offer [the eucharist], nor to claim for herself a share in any masculine function – not to mention any priestly office.”

Some believers have taken the Gnostic idea of a self-made salvation to its logical conclusion. Jo Clifford’s one-transwoman play “The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven” has been performed in Calvinist Scotland, sexological ground zero Germany and liberation theology’s territory of Brazil since its debut in 2009. The play has been welcomed in actual cathedrals and churches in the USA, not just edgy arts venues. The show’s website promises that we may “Join Queen Jesus for a revolutionary queer ritual in which bread is shared, wine is drunk and familiar stories are reimagined by a transgender Jesus.”

While the transgender phenomenon has many facets – political, medical, social – talk of gendered souls imprisoned in human bodies is classic Gnostic heresy, and needs to be recognised as a supernatural claim. It’s hard enough being Jesus without being subject to the attentions of the gender clinic as well. Who knows how many of the advocates for invasive medical and surgical procedures on gender non-conforming people are motivated by self-affirmed religious belief?

Source: Is Gender a New Religion? Or a Very Old One?

‘It’s not fair’: Transgender girl smashes records at school sports day | news.com.au

Parents at a private Catholic school in South Australia have voiced “anger” and “disappointment” after a transgender student broke a number of records competing against girls at a recent sports day.

Following last year’s sports day, the school took to social media to congratulate a number of students for breaking records, saying it was “not an easy achievement”.

The transgender student was singled out for setting a new under-13 female javelin record of 20.58 metres — smashing the previous record by more than three metres.

It did not make a similar post this year, sharing only the overall house results.

The father said usually the sports day notice would be sent out with all the winners “but it didn’t come out (this year) because this (child) won the majority of the events — running, high jump, javelin, discus”.

He stressed that he didn’t want the transgender student to “cop abuse” but said “we can’t allow this kind of stuff to happen, to change the whole school for one person”.

Another father, who has three children at the school, said “the entire day was marred”.

“Literally all day, it was all anyone was really discussing,” he said.

The school last year also began installing gender-neutral toilets.

“I have a daughter at the school and if (this child) is being freely allowed to go into the female toilets, you’re setting yourself up for lawsuits,” the dad wrote.

Source: ‘It’s not fair’: Transgender girl smashes records at school sports day | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site

‘Trans toddlers’ allowed gender treatment on NHS

The NHS is treating nursery-age children who believe they are transgender after watering down its own guidance, The Telegraph can reveal.

The health service was previously set to introduce a minimum age of seven for children to be seen by its specialist gender clinics, claiming anything less was “just too young”.

The limit was removed after the proposals were put out to consultation, with new guidance due to be published showing that children of any age are eligible.

However, a source close to the consultation process said NHS England had “caved to the pressure” of trans activists to remove the limits.

The children are not given powerful drugs such as puberty blockers at the clinics, but are offered counselling and therapy along with their family.

Up to 10 children of nursery age are being treated, according to new data, while as many as 157 children aged nine or younger have been referred to the clinics.

The exact number of under-fives was withheld in order to prevent them from being identified, but with 157 children under 10 waiting to be seen, it raises the prospect that dozens of under-sevens have been referred to the clinics as a result of the about-turn.

Source: ‘Trans toddlers’ allowed gender treatment on NHS

Women Create

May 30th – 31st, Central London

Women Create! Is the world’s first ever event platforming cancelled, censored and at risk female and feminist artists, art activists and creatives from across the political spectrum, and the world.

Source: Women Create

Lesbians: the canaries in the mine (Susan Hawthorne) – Verity La La

I would suggest that when lesbians become victims of attack, they are a signal. They are the canaries in the mine. And if the perpetrators get away with it, then other attacks will follow. So, we need to be protesting every attack on lesbians, because it is a sign of hatred in the social system. If lesbians are not protected, then people who don’t fit some other social dimension will not be safe from attack either. Keep your lesbian sister safe and watch the effect it has on society (Hawthorne 2020, pp. 171-172).

Source: Lesbians: the canaries in the mine (Susan Hawthorne) – Verity La La

Happy “Universal Motherhood Month” to Mothers around the World | Women’s Coalition

Mother’s Days celebrate individual mothers (notice where the apostrophe goes). Calls are made, cards are sent, presents are given—and that is great. Each and every mother should receive accolades for having nurtured their own children.

However, Motherhood itself used to be revered and celebrated, not just individual mothers. Communities would most often celebrate in May, when Spring was in bloom and it was halfway to the Summer Solstice. Ancient ceremonies and rituals exalted fertility in nature and in human mothers for their amazing role in continuing life. Goddesses represented the sanctity of Motherhood.

Those early societies, deeply in synch with nature, revered Mothers as a Class—females who conceive, gestate, give birth, nurse, and nurture; and, thereby, continue the human race. They were mostly matriarchal egalitarian societies, where women had power over their lives and their children’s, some of which still function today in remote places.

This is in contrast to patriarchal hierarchical societies that replaced them ten thousand years ago. The holistic, societal reverence for motherhood was lost. Actually it was stolen. Deliberately. As part of the disempowering of women in society.

It’s time we regained and reclaimed the reverence for Motherhood that was wrongly disappeared.

A first step in this direction is to proclaim May “Universal Motherhood Month”.

Yes, it’s time we bring back the reverence of old for Motherhood and re-instill maternal values back into society. A good way to start would be to designate May “Universal Motherhood Month”.

This will unite mothers from around the world to focus on and highlight important matters relating to mothers everywhere. Of course, one of the main problems facing mothers around the world is losing custody in family courts, which is The Women’s Coalition’s focus.

Source: (3) Happy “Universal Motherhood Month” to Mothers around the World

#FamilyCourtReform #ProtectChildrenNotAbusers #SafeNotSilenced

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Bound, gagged, degraded: The eroticised torture of women approved for a public audience – Collective Shout

A new public mural in Fitzroy, Melbourne depicts a woman in BDSM fetish gear gagged and bound with ropes.

The chilling image of eroticised violence against women as ‘art’ is on display for the general public – including survivors of rape and sexual assault, domestic abuse, and children.

Responding to objections, the artist defended the mural as “empowering” and told objectors to “chill”.

But there is nothing “empowering” or subversive about normalising or glamorising violence against women. While the artist may view female subordination and degradation as the means to empowerment, ALL women are harmed by the promotion of violence against us, dehumanisation, and the message that deep down we desire violence and abuse.

 

Source: Bound, gagged, degraded: The eroticised torture of women approved for a public audience – Collective Shout

Women’s sports are fighting an uphill battle against our social media algorithms | The Conversation

Women’s sport is more and more getting the attention it deserves.

Stadiums are filling, television ratings for many sports are climbing and athletes such as the Matildas’ Mary Fowler, triple Olympic gold medallist Jess Fox and star cricketer Ellyse Perry are becoming household names.

Despite this progress, an invisible threat looms, one that risks undoing years of advocacy and momentum.

That threat is the algorithm.

As more fans consume sport through digital platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and increasingly, AI-curated streaming services such as WSC Sports, the content they see is being selected not by editors but by artificial intelligence (AI).

Algorithms, trained to maximise engagement and profits, are deciding what appears in your feed, which video auto-p

But here is the problem: algorithms prioritise content that is already popular.

That usually means men’s sport.

This creates what researchers call an echo chamber effect, where users are shown more of what they already engage with and less of what they don’t.

Over time, content from women’s competitions risks being squeezed out, not because it is unworthy but because it has not yet achieved the same levels of engagement.

This is not a glitch, it is a structural flaw in how digital platforms are designed to serve content.

It means women’s sport, already underrepresented in traditional media, risks becoming all but invisible to many users in this AI-driven ecosystem.

Source: Women’s sports are fighting an uphill battle against our social media algorithms

Captured in Cyprus! Is this Underground Railroad Stop Now Defunct? | Women’s Coalition

A British mother, who escaped Family Court tyranny six years ago, has been captured in Northern Cyprus.

This is especially bad news, as the island of Cyprus has served as a welcome stop on the Underground Railroad for Mothers. Her arrest—and two others—may signal that it it is now a defunct depot.

Sarah was arrested April 7th and deported back to the UK last week. She is now languishing in a prison in Cheshire awaiting trial.

Cyprus has been such a popular destination for fleeing mothers that there is an attorney who specializes in these cases. Mine Atli helps mothers get amnesty, protective orders, and visas.

These women are being failed in their country. They need some kind of amnesty and there needs to be a path to safety for these women and their children.

It is unclear whether Sarah applied for amnesty or was just in hiding.

Law enforcement descended upon their place of refuge and arrested Sarah. They forcibly removed Tom from his mother’s arms. He was taken to the UK and placed into a care home. How traumatic that must be for him…

One reason Turkey has served as a safe haven for mothers is because it is not a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. That means the father cannot file a “Hague case” there to get his child returned.

A larger problem, as seen in Sarah’s case, seems to be extradition agreements between countries. Turkey can extradite a criminal to the UK if the crime is punishable by more than a year in prison. The sentence for parental abduction in the UK is up to seven years. But Sarah is not a convicted criminal. There is simply a warrant out for her arrest on abduction charges yet to be prosecuted.

It is highly unusual for TRNC to arrest and extradite mothers. They have previously had a policy of not cooperating with international law enforcement agencies in favor of women and children. And they rarely even extradite real criminals. So what’s happened?

Someone who’s lived there for decades commented that there seemed to be something “underhanded” at play in Sarah’s case.

Many criminals have managed to avoid extradition, so it really seems something more underhanded is at work here.

It may have been simple bribery or connections or powers-that-be cooperating.

Whatever the reason in Sarah’s case, it seems extradition is trumping the Hague process. It is much easier for men to get an arrest warrant and enter it into international databases than going through a long court process. And the frosting on the cake is the mother will surely be locked up for an extended period of time.

So, unfortunately, the TRNC stop on the underground railroad for mothers may now be defunct. The fact that men know this is a common destination means they can hire P.I.’s to scour the island looking for their property.

That leaves countries without extradition treaties as a better bet unless the mother is sure she can remain invisible in another country. Unfortunately, most of the non-extraditing countries are weak on human and women’s rights, but they may be preferable to children being abused.

How sad is it that women have to flee and have so few options when all they want to do is protect their children.

The modern underground for mothers escaping Family Court has its roots in an American network begun by Faye Yager in the mid-80’s. She heard about Karen’s case, in which the molesting father was given sole custody, despite medical proof of the abuse.

Needless to say, this ticked off the Old Boys. Faye was tenaciously stalked and prosecuted for child abduction. Fortunately, the jury saw through the prosecution’s duplicity and acquitted her.

However, the Old Boys were not done with Faye. They recently produced a high-dollar pseudo-documentary series, which they called “Children of the Underground”. They insinuated Faye was crazy for believing the children and had influenced them to report the abuse. They peddled their narrative—that it was all just a “satanic panic”.

This film has also served to coopt the term “Children of the Underground”. Google searches now bring up the pseudo-doc instead of Faye’s brilliant work and her being portrayed as hero. (There’s a word for this kind of sabotage but can’t think of it.) So they not only discredited her, they disappeared her.

Keep Faye’s memory alive!

Source: Captured in Cyprus! Is this Underground Railroad Stop Now Defunct?