More from Ebenezer - San Francisco (Remember herchurch.org?)

Fortunately, this is not the trend in most ELCA churches, but you do have to wonder why the ELCA cannot bring itself to at least challenge this!

Experiencing the Goddess Rosary by Dalyn Cook

The banner on the outside of Ebenezer Lutheran Church boldly proclaims “Goddess Rosary Every Wednesday 7 p.m.” Doubtless this precipitates questions in the minds of passers-by: a rosary at a Lutheran church? A feminist take on a ritual indigenous to a denomination with an especially strong patriarchal foundation? I was eager to experience this new phenomenon, and it was with open mind and heart that I entered Ebenezer on my first Wednesday evening in the City. Thought the church was empty, I felt that I had stepped into a Presence, like a mother’s warm embrace. The attendees were few in number, yet there was a sense of fullness in this welcoming space. I inhaled deeply the earthy scent of the incense, sending up delicate tendrils of smoke which curled around the altar in a nimbus visible against the warm rays of the evening sun filtering through the stained-glass windows.

From the basket of rosaries, I took into my hand a strand of vibrantly-colored beads with a silver goddess icon in place of the traditional cross. The goddesses came in a variety of shapes and sizes, celebrating the beauty of the feminine form; I found reflections of my own figure in the full hips and Rubenesque curves of my goddess. Once gathered, we began to recite together the “Our Mother” and “Hail Goddess” prayers. At first, it was awkward as we broke the silence together, yet as our lips became accustomed to the shape and rhythm of the words, a lyrical and rhythmic unison chant emerged. I felt my own voice fortified, made fuller by the others. As we made our way around the rosary, the words flowed easily, and the text itself receded into the background, becoming a gently murmuring accompaniment to our silent prayers and meditations.

Between rosaries, we were afforded a moment for personal reflection; some women went to the altar to light incense or candles, some rang bells or sounded the Tibetan bowls, which resounded vibrantly, others kneeled. I closed my eyes and leaned back my head, as a child leans back into a motherÂ’s lap, drinking in the calm and the peace, sending my prayers and thoughts skyward. The church became a true sanctuary: the rumble of the traffic outside, the sounds of the daily grind had receded, and we were gathered in a precious moment of stillness and repose, a rare moment where we were in the now, savoring the depth of the moment, our minds freed and our souls opened up as blossoms. Following a third and final recitation of the rosary, we remained still, and slowly everyone rose and headed home, perhaps an hour later than usual, but refreshed, nourished, and ready to embrace the world again.

Frankly, this is self-worship. The original fall came because man (and woman) wanted to be like God - to be God. Notice how these folks like the goddess because they can see themselves in her.

Wonder who the Presence she felt was? Could it be......? (Old Saturday Night Live reference)

Ick. Shudder.

---Katie