In Search Of God The Mother

This is the first thorough account of the nature and the spread of the cult of Cybele, the Great Mother, and the first to present her worship soberly as a religion rather than sensationally as an orgiastic celebration of self-castrated priest-attendants.

This book examines one of the most intriguing figures in the religious life of the ancient Mediterranean world, the Phrygian Mother Goddess, known to the Greeks and Romans as Cybele or Magna Mater, the Great Mother. Her cult was particularly prominent in central Anatolia (modern Turkey), and spread from there through the Greek and Roman world. She was an enormously popular figure, attracting devotion from common people and potentates alike. This book is the first comprehensive assembly and discussion of the entire extant evidence concerning the worship of the Phrygian Mother Goddess, from her earliest appearance in the prehistoric record to the early centuries of the Roman Empire. Lynn E. Roller presents and analyzes literary, historiographic, and archaeological data with equal acuity and flair. While previous studies have tended to emphasize the more outrageous aspects of the Mother Goddess's cult, such as her orgiastic rituals and the eunuch priests who attended her, this book places a special focus on Cybele's position in Anatolia and the ways in which the identity of the goddess changed as her cult was transmitted to Greece and Rome. Roller gives a detailed account of the growth, spread, and evolution of her cult, her ceremonies, and her meaning for her adherents. This book will introduce students of Classical antiquity to many aspects of the Great Mother which have been previously unexamined, and will interest anyone who has ever been piqued by curiosity about the Mother Goddess of the ancient Western world.

“The World Mission Society Church of God believes in God the Mother,” their website proclaims. In fact, Mother God lives today in South Korea.According to the World Mission Society Church of God's website, by 2008 they had one million registered members worldwide. With churches established in New York and Los Angeles, their presence in the U.S. is growing.They teach “salvation will never be given to those who are stuck on the name of Jesus” and all must accept “Christ Ahnsahnghong,” their founder, and Mother God for salvation.All of these teachings, they claim, are supported by biblical evidence.So, how do we test all things, especially teachings claiming to be from God? We test them against God's own written words:“But test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16)Is the World Mission Society Church of God the one, true church? Is Mother God our only hope for salvation?In the tradition of Walter Martin's classic The Kingdom of the Cults, Searching the Bible forMother God scrutinizes the biblical claims of the World Mission Society Church of God and sees if they pass the test. This book will benefit those interested in biblical Christian theology, apologetics, and evangelism.Composed by God From the Machine, an online blog dedicated to promoting and defending biblical Christianity.

In this age of chaos, God gives courage and comfort. Trudy Beyak, an award-winning journalist, interviewed 50 global leaders of faith: Ruth Graham, Dr. Francis Collins, Danae Dobson, Dr. Raymond Damadian, the MRI inventor; the Vatican, Paul Young, Gary Chapman, and many others, about the nature of God. They reveal fascinating new insights! When no one cares, and you feel all alone, the maternal mercy of God comforts your soul, “as a mother comforts,” a precious loved one. Ruth Graham explains: “When God created men and women to be like him, women are half the picture.” What a gift, then, it is to be a mother! The “maternal instinct” to nurture others, corresponds to the nature of God, as our Comforter. Women no longer need ask: Dear Lord: Who am I? Discover 50 exclusive interviews that will transform a woman’s life – and men, as well. And there’s more. The Mother Heart of God is a journalist’s compelling spiritual journey, a personal invitation to every man and woman to experience the love of God that brings hope and healing to every soul.

Like street philosopher Eric Hoffer, whose years as a longshoreman informed his keen observations of life and society, Janice Allred interprets Mormon theology from her perspective as a housewife and mother of nine. But for writing about the traditional, though recently controversial, LDS belief in a Mother in Heaven, she was excommunicated just after Mother's Day 1995 and thereby catapulted into the public spotlight. "Jesus taught us to pray to the Father, " Allred writes, "not to set up barriers between us and God, but to remove them. (God is also) our Mother, a Mother who knows our needs before we can express them, a Mother who is here before we called out to her." LDS church leaders forbid speculation about or praying to the Goddess, but they have stopped short of repudiating her outright. Whether or not one agrees with the author's views, one has to acknowledge her skill in stimulating thought-provoking possibilities that empower women -- which is what she intended.

The Orthodox Church's reverence for Mary the Mother of God can be a stumbling block for converts, and a fulfilling relationship with her can prove elusive for converts and lifelong Orthodox Christians alike. In this deeply personal but beautifully universal memoir, Brandi Willis Schreiber relates her own quest to know and love the Virgin Mary and to incorporate her as a vital participant in her spiritual life. Brandi's sparkling, vulnerable account invites the reader to join her in this quest.

Mother God introduces readers to a dozen images of God inspired by feminine descriptions from Scripture.