Fathermothergod

“A courageous and finely crafted portrait of a young woman struggling with her family, her faith, and that awkward space between being a child and growing into adulthood.”—Star Tribune (Minneapolis) “Unimaginable . . . As much an indictment of Christian Science as it is a memoir of her family’s experience of loss.”—O: the Oprah Magazine Lucia Ewing had what looked like an all-American childhood, but when it came to accidents and illnesses, her parents didn’t take their kids to the doctor’s office—they prayed and called a Christian Science practitioner. As a teenager, her visit to an ophthalmologist created a family crisis, and she was a sophomore in college before she had her first annual physical. In December 1985, when Lucia and her siblings, by then young adults, discovered that their mother was sick, they came face-to-face with the reality that they had few—if any—options to save her. Powerless as their mother suffered, they were grief-stricken, angry, and confused. In this haunting, beautifully written book, Lucia pulls back the curtain on the Christian Science faith and chronicles its complicated legacy for her family. At once an essentially American coming-of-age story and a glimpse into the practices of a religion few really understand, fathermothergod is an unflinching exploration of personal loss and the boundaries of family and faith.

Chronicles the author's coming-of-age in a family whose Christian Science faith forbade consultations with doctors or the use of mainstream medicine, a belief system that caused doubt and bitter divides when the author's mother became seriously ill. A first book. 30,000 first printing.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 In Christian Science, we know that there is no illness. No disease. No contagion. We are not sick. We are God’s perfect children. We are all going to work very hard to keep our thoughts elevated. #2 I had learned in Sunday school that Christian Science was a real science that worked. It was a comfort to know that everything the church taught was real, and that error, disease, and death were not real. #3 I love going to Grandma’s house. It is the best place in the world for me. I love the smell of coffee, and Grandma keeps a candy dish of lemon drops next to her ashtray on the small round kitchen table. #4 My brother and I had chicken pox, and we were sick for a week. We came to Grandma’s house, where we were fed applesauce and cinnamon toast. We sang Mother’s Evening Prayer together.

Sylvia Browne, in her own inimitable style, again defies convention in this uniquely informative compilation of diligently researched facts and personal accounts about the premise of a female divinity - namely, the Mother God (also known as the feminine principle). Spanning time, from the earliest beginnings of humankind when ''Goddess worship'' was at its peak, to the current era with its myriad beliefs and religions, Sylvia takes us on a journey of discovery, where she discusses the suppression of the ''Mother Goddess'' by the male-dominated politics of modern-day religious dogma. Using a combination of historical data and poignant and heartwarming stories that reveal the power and miracles attributed to the Mother God, Sylvia leads us from the question of ''Does She exist?'' to the logical, fact-based conclusion that She does ... and then shows us how to call on Her to help us in our everyday lives.

The daughter of a white mother and black father describes the factors that caused her mother to place her in the custody of an African-American family and the impact of her mother's later choice to hide the truth about their relationship.

'Certainly one of the most promising theological statements of our time.' --The Christian Century 'Not for the timid, this brilliant book calls for nothing short of the overthrow of patriarchy itself.' --The Village Voice

Religion is often denounced as one of the tools used by patriarchal societies to maintain the status quo, and especially to persuade women to accept subordinate roles. This does not explain, however, the existence of many religious groups in which women are both leaders and the majority of participants. How are these women's religions different from those dominated by men? What can we learn from them about the special ways in which women experience their unique reality? In this fascinating and pathbreaking work--the first comparative study of women's religions--Susan Starr Sered seeks answers to these compelling questions. Looking for common threads linking groups as diverse as the ancestral cults of the Black Caribs of Belize, Korean shamanism, Christian Science, and the Feminist Spirituality movement, Sered finds that motherhood and motherly concerns play a vital role in these female-dominated groups. Nurturing and concern for others are at the center, as are healing arts and ways of dealing with illness and the death of children. Religion not only enables women to find sacred meaning in their daily lives, from the preparation of food to caring for their families, but an offer intense and personal relationships with deities and spirits--often through ecstatic possession trance--as well as opportunities to celebrate and mourn with other women. By examining the shared experiences of women across great cultural divides, Priestess, Mother, Sacred Sister offers a new understanding of the role gender plays in determining how individuals grapple with the ultimate questions of existence. In the process, it not only highlights the profound differences between men and women, but the equally important ways in which we are all alike.

Divine Father was an opportunity for me to explore masculinity, the male spirit, and the relationship between feminine and masculine energy. It was an opportunity for me to reflect, to examine what I think and believe about what it means to be a man in todays world, how and when I stifle that spirit, and what I can do to touch and release the Divine Father that exists within me. It was an opportunity for me to reflect on the important concepts of balance, my changing role of son, spouse, father, grandfather and all the masculine possibilities that still exist for each of us. Chick Moorman, Author of Parent Talk, Talk Sense to yourself and many more The Divine Father will inspire both men and women to let go of fear and embrace the reality that we are one. The daily sutras, prayers, contemplations and invocations are wonderful tools to sustain the true masculine energy in all of us. Cloe Madanes, author of Relationship Breakthrough Divine Father is filled with wisdom, heart, and a world of uplifting ideas. Men will surely benefit from these noble ideas and exercises, and women will gain much too. Thank you, Ivonne, for offering vision, inspiration, practical tools, and hope. Surely the world will be better for readers absorbing and living these noble truths. Alan Cohen, author of A Deep Breath of Life. I trust that this wonderful book by Ivonne Delaflor will inspire many to create balance as the basis of true holistic experience and its resultant fulfillment. Master Charles Cannon, Spiritual Director of Synchronicity Foundation for Modern Spirituality

The author discusses the power of prayer to heal oneself, communities, nations, and the planet through the heart of Mary and her revelations.