Nonfiction

When God Was a Woman

When God Was a Woman

  • Downloads：2398
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-31 09:55:50
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Merlin Stone
  • ISBN：015696158X
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Summary

Here， archaeologically documented， is the story of the religion of the Goddess。 Known by many names--Astarte， Isis， Ishtar， among others--she reigned supreme in the Near and Middle East。 Beyond being worshiped for fertility， she was revered as the wise creator and the one source of universal order。 Under her， women's roles differed markedly from those in patriarchal Judeo-Christian cultures。 Women bought and sold property， traded in the marketplace， and the inheritance of title and property was passed from mother to daughter。

How did the change come about？ By documenting the wholesale rewriting of myth and religious dogmas， Merlin Stone details a most ancient conspiracy: the patriarchal re-imaging of the Goddess as a wanton， deprave figure。 This is the portrait the laid the foundation for one of culture's greatest shams--the legend of Adam and fallen Eve。

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Reviews

Vicki McKenna ，

I really enjoyed this book and the perspective it presented。 Very informative and interesting as well。

Barbara Ruth ，

Giving it 1 star because there is no way to give it negative stars。 This is a terrible book， pure fantasy based on no archeology， no ancient history， no anthropology， just the author's deep belief that this is the way things were before， when women ruled a peaceful and beneficent society conducting life-giving fertility rituals to goddesses。 When the author first wrote this fantasy there was little excuse for it。 Now， 50 years later， there is a sufficient body of work on the religions of the anc Giving it 1 star because there is no way to give it negative stars。 This is a terrible book， pure fantasy based on no archeology， no ancient history， no anthropology， just the author's deep belief that this is the way things were before， when women ruled a peaceful and beneficent society conducting life-giving fertility rituals to goddesses。 When the author first wrote this fantasy there was little excuse for it。 Now， 50 years later， there is a sufficient body of work on the religions of the ancient Near East， and the goddesses that were included within them， including the association of the tree goddess Asherah as the consort of Yahweh in Ancient Israel， and other pagan goddesses that if someone is genuinely interested in the subject they can find actual scholarly work to read。 。。。more

Mona ，

I learned a lot。 It was a good book。

Smove ，

Well researched and thought out。 I appreciate the fresh perspective， better than the mysogynistic ideals of todays religions。

Lindsey ，

Quite an interesting read。 The language and format of this book was quite academic， which can be painful to sift through。 I would like to see a similar book with more casual and common language， a book for the everyday person。

Jordan Warrenfells ，

LOVED this book！ Completely changed my perception and understanding of the history of Judeo-Christian societal heritage， plus it made me proud to be a woman！ The symbolism associated with the original Mother goddesses described in this book will definitely influence my next tattoo。

محمد البرقي ，

زي ماقلت على الفيسبوك الكتاب بيكمل اجزاء مفقودة من احجية الاديان، و بيرصد الغزوات الهندواروبية و تطور اليهودية المبكرة و المسيحية و الاسلام، و تصرفاتهم ناحية الاديان الانثوية القديمة 。كتاب مهم و سرد جميل

Sandrine ，

Still 50 years after this book was written mainstream archaeology describes most findings of the goddess worship as cult never allowing to state that it was the most ancient and well organized worship of all times （earliest finds date back to 25 000 years）。A few chapters are lengthy and breathy but the gist of the book is revealing， very much so。

Cheyanne Welch ，

While this book has been met with criticism for stretching facts to fit unprovable theories， I still think it is worth reading for everyone。 It was instrumental in pointing out my subconscious assumptions about religion， history， women， sexuality and patriarchy， to name a few， and gave me a sense of nobility and pride in my being a woman that I had never， ever felt in the 24 years I was a practicing Christian。 I do question some of her theories， but in general I find her conclusions logical and While this book has been met with criticism for stretching facts to fit unprovable theories， I still think it is worth reading for everyone。 It was instrumental in pointing out my subconscious assumptions about religion， history， women， sexuality and patriarchy， to name a few， and gave me a sense of nobility and pride in my being a woman that I had never， ever felt in the 24 years I was a practicing Christian。 I do question some of her theories， but in general I find her conclusions logical and essential for reading Judaic， Christian and Islamic texts， which are centered in unquestionable masculinity and which have shaped the world as we know it。 。。。more

Taya ，

history extra credit， but it did indeed slap。 mr。 ovitt is such a feminist and i love it。

Louay Als ，

كتاب مفيد جدا يشرح تاريخ تطور الأديان بداية من الأديان الانثوية وصولا إلى الأديان الذكورية هذا التغير حصل بشكل تدريجي إلى أن أصبحت الديانات ذكورية بالكامل كالديانات الابراهبمية ففي البداية تم تقديس الأنثى لان لها القدرة على الإنجاب فلم يدرك الانسان البدائي ان للرجل دورا في ذلكنلاحظ في هذا الكتاب كيف كانت المراة تتمتع بحقوق كثيرة ربما اكثر من الرجل إلى أن فقدتها مع مرور الزمن في الديانات الابراهيمية ففي مصر ممثلا كانت المراة في كثير من الأحيان تعمل خارج المنزل بعكس الرجل اكثر ما يلفت النظر هو الث كتاب مفيد جدا يشرح تاريخ تطور الأديان بداية من الأديان الانثوية وصولا إلى الأديان الذكورية هذا التغير حصل بشكل تدريجي إلى أن أصبحت الديانات ذكورية بالكامل كالديانات الابراهبمية ففي البداية تم تقديس الأنثى لان لها القدرة على الإنجاب فلم يدرك الانسان البدائي ان للرجل دورا في ذلكنلاحظ في هذا الكتاب كيف كانت المراة تتمتع بحقوق كثيرة ربما اكثر من الرجل إلى أن فقدتها مع مرور الزمن في الديانات الابراهيمية ففي مصر ممثلا كانت المراة في كثير من الأحيان تعمل خارج المنزل بعكس الرجل اكثر ما يلفت النظر هو الثقافة الجنسية و ممارسة الجنس في المعابد في عصر الديانات الانثوية و بعض العادات الأخرى كقتل الملكة （التي تمثل اله انانا） لزوجها الملك ثم توقف القتل و تحول لاذلاله او اخصاء بعض الكهنةبدأت الديانات الانثوية باالاختفاء بعد غزو قبائل الهندو الاوروبية للشرق الأوسط و فرض ثقافتهم الذكوريةفنجد مثلا ان الاولاد صارو ينتسبون لابائهم و لكي يتم التأكد من نسل الأبناء فقد تم اعطاء أهمية كبيرة لفكرة ان تكون المراة عذراء قبل الزواج（هذا المصطلح لم يكن موجودا من قبل）و وضعت عقوبات كثيرة للمرأة التي لا تكون عذراء قبل الزواج بعكس ما كان يحصل في الثقافة الانثوية حيث نجد ادلة ان النساء كانو يتزوجون بعدة رجال （بعض الباحثين نفو ذلك）ايضا نجد ان المراة كانت مفضلة في قضية الميراث على الرجلكتاب جميل يستحق القراءة 。。。more

Daniel M。 ，

This story absolutely fantastic。

RoJeVa ，

The book is very fantastic。

Vacrda ，

This book is actually great。 I really liked it。

ViSaEd ，

This book is actually great。

Péreit ，

This book is definitely fantastic。

Nubi Yarah ，

An interesting perspective on ancient goddess worship。 Unpicking our learnt masculine concepts of God and the curse of eve and how this was used to hinder women in society。In-depth research provided but I really didn't enjoy the style of writing。 Reading this felt like a chore and wasn't engaging。 An interesting perspective on ancient goddess worship。 Unpicking our learnt masculine concepts of God and the curse of eve and how this was used to hinder women in society。In-depth research provided but I really didn't enjoy the style of writing。 Reading this felt like a chore and wasn't engaging。 。。。more

Chantal Kloth ，

a must read for any woman， christian， atheist， and human in general

Christy ，

DNF。 I’m halfway through and we’ve talked more about Indo-European patriarchal clans than anything else。 Not what I signed up for。 Oh， well。

Lynsie ，

A few well made points and interesting things to ponder on， but the book makes a lot of leaps in connecting historical events with no real citations。 I appreciated the last few chapters as they seemed better researched and her thesis became more clear。 The first 150 pages were poorly structured and meandering details about early civilizations （again， with little citation）。 It’s my understanding that much of the early goddess theory has been debunked since this was published。 There are still some A few well made points and interesting things to ponder on， but the book makes a lot of leaps in connecting historical events with no real citations。 I appreciated the last few chapters as they seemed better researched and her thesis became more clear。 The first 150 pages were poorly structured and meandering details about early civilizations （again， with little citation）。 It’s my understanding that much of the early goddess theory has been debunked since this was published。 There are still some good points about how modern western religion’s patriarchal structure originated and how that structure is still used to subjugate women in the modern era。 。。。more

Daniela Alvarez ，

Loved it！！！ So interesting， so easy to read， well documented LOVED IT I feel like the goddess myself 💃🏻✨

Anna Hutchins ，

Hells yeah， Divine Feminine

Jane ，

This book was so eye opening。 I've always detested the bible's blatant misogyny， placing women in a subordinate role to men， making them property of men， basically。 And our culture today looks at it as， "that's just the way it was back then， and look at how much progress we've made， isn't that great？" But that's not true， there were many cultures that were thriving thousands of years before the Hebrews in which women and men were at least somewhat equal， and women held important roles in society This book was so eye opening。 I've always detested the bible's blatant misogyny， placing women in a subordinate role to men， making them property of men， basically。 And our culture today looks at it as， "that's just the way it was back then， and look at how much progress we've made， isn't that great？" But that's not true， there were many cultures that were thriving thousands of years before the Hebrews in which women and men were at least somewhat equal， and women held important roles in society。 All women should read this book and understand how the cultures that worshipped female goddesses were completely destroyed and massacred by the followers of the male deity religions we have today。 It's not about believing in a goddess， it's about understanding the misogynistic culture that wrote the bible that still limits women today 。。。more

Kim Sasso ，

One of many books I read in my late twenties and early thirties as part of an exploration of feminist theologies and histories。

Rachel Waterhouse ，

Has a wealth of info。 Lofty and admirable undertaking。 But I found it poorly written-- repetive and convoluted。

Maria ，

One of the first religions developed by humans was Goddess worship。 Much archeological evidence including statues， amulets， pottery， cave paintings and other images revering the Goddess， as well as burial sites， temples and alters have been unearthed which prove the existence of Goddess worship。 The late author Merlin Stone， in When God Was a Woman， notes， "Archeologists have traced the worship of the Goddess back to the Neolithic communities of about 7，000 BCE， some to the Upper Paleolithic cul One of the first religions developed by humans was Goddess worship。 Much archeological evidence including statues， amulets， pottery， cave paintings and other images revering the Goddess， as well as burial sites， temples and alters have been unearthed which prove the existence of Goddess worship。 The late author Merlin Stone， in When God Was a Woman， notes， "Archeologists have traced the worship of the Goddess back to the Neolithic communities of about 7，000 BCE， some to the Upper Paleolithic cultures of about 25，000 BCE。” These primitive cultures had little or no knowledge of the man's role in reproduction。 For all they knew， the woman created the baby herself。 “Sex wasn't associated with childbirth， and women were regarded as the sole givers of life。” “The concept of paternity was not yet understood， children belonged only to their mothers and the community。 Illegitimate" children did not exist。 Children took their mother's name and family descent traveled through the female line。”Per Ms。 Stone， Goddess worship experienced great popularity and prominence until patriarchal religions like Judaism， Christianity， Islam， and their precursors silenced her。 The switch to patriarchy was gradual and preceded by a change in kinship systems， going from matrilineal to patrilineal descent。 Scholars of the 18th， 19th and early 20th century when faced with this evidence of early Goddess worship， “regarded these systems as a specific stage in evolutionary development， suggesting that all ancient societies had to pass through a matriarchal stage before becoming patriarchal and monogamous which they regarded as a superior stage of civilization。” 。。。more

مرتضى العطيه ，

المؤلفة مارلين ستون نحاتة تخصصت -أكاديميا- في الفن وتاريخه。 وقد كتبت هذا الكتاب لتكشف لنا "قصة قمع الطقوس النسائية، لشرح الأحداث التاريخية والأوضاع السياسية التي أدت إلى كتابة الأسطورة اليهودية المسيحية عن السقوط والفردوس المفقود والأهم من ذلك إلقاء اللوم في ذلك على حواء والمرأة"。تنطلق المؤلفة من الأبحاث الأركيولوجية والأنثروبولوجية والدراسات الميثولوجية والألسنية، لتقدم لنا نظريتها الغريبة والمثيرة:في الشرق القديم، كانت الأنظمة الاجتماعية أمومية، وكانت الديانات أنثوية。 وحينها كانت السلطة السياس المؤلفة مارلين ستون نحاتة تخصصت -أكاديميا- في الفن وتاريخه。 وقد كتبت هذا الكتاب لتكشف لنا "قصة قمع الطقوس النسائية، لشرح الأحداث التاريخية والأوضاع السياسية التي أدت إلى كتابة الأسطورة اليهودية المسيحية عن السقوط والفردوس المفقود والأهم من ذلك إلقاء اللوم في ذلك على حواء والمرأة"。تنطلق المؤلفة من الأبحاث الأركيولوجية والأنثروبولوجية والدراسات الميثولوجية والألسنية، لتقدم لنا نظريتها الغريبة والمثيرة:في الشرق القديم، كانت الأنظمة الاجتماعية أمومية، وكانت الديانات أنثوية。 وحينها كانت السلطة السياسية والاجتماعية والعائلية في يد المرأة، بل كانت تملك حتى حريتها الجنسية، والتي –بالمناسبة– لم تكن آنذاك دنس أو وضاعة أخلاقية。ولكن ما حدث هو أن الغزاة الشماليين （الهندوأوربيين）، تغلبوا على المجتمعات الشرقية، ففرضوا نظامهم الأبوي وديانتهم الذكورية، التي حاربت –لأسباب سياسية– الديانات الأنثوية وبمنظومتها الأخلاقية الطهرانية، قمعت المرأة، وحرمتها من كافة حقوقها （وعلى رأسها حقها في الحرية الجنسية）، جاعلة منها ملكية للرجل。هنا تكمن مفارقة ساخرة، حسب هذه النظرية: الديانة اليهودية （السامية） أصلها هندوأوروبي （آري）。من يقرأ كتاب غيردا ليرنر （نشأة النظام الأبوي）، سيلاحظ أنه يختلف مع هذا الكتاب في نقطتين رئيسيتين: أولا، ليرنر تنفي وجود أي دلائل أركيولوجية على قيام مجتمعات أمومية؛ وهذا ما تؤكده ستون هنا。 ثانيا، ليرنر تجعل من أسباب انقلاب وضع المرأة الاجتماعي، داخلية （اكتشاف البرونز واستخدامه في صناعة أدوات الزراعة والحرب）؛ أما ستون فإنها -كما أسلفت- تعزو ذلك لأسباب خارجية （غزو الشماليين）。 ومع ذلك، فكلتاهما تتفقان، وهذا هو الأهم، أن وضع المرأة الحالي، ليس طبيعيا، بل تاريخي。。 وبزوال أسبابه التاريخية، يجب أن يزول。الكتاب ممتع ويستحق القراءة。。 。。。more

Megan Parker ，

Warning: this book is HIGHLY academic。 This won’t be a fun afternoon read， but it will educate you beyond belief。 This was truly life changing for me， as someone who grew up in the Christian church。 It uncovered the evils of the beginnings of Abrahamic religions as their creators squashed the Goddess religions of the older times。

Cristina Barberis ，

Con chiarezza e metodo l'Autrice approfondisce il tema trattato con rigore e ricerca。Il libro racconta di quando， appena seimila anni fà， le cose erano totalmente diverse。 Le evidenze archeologiche e le fonti documentali sostengono l'intera tesi。 Con chiarezza e metodo l'Autrice approfondisce il tema trattato con rigore e ricerca。Il libro racconta di quando， appena seimila anni fà， le cose erano totalmente diverse。 Le evidenze archeologiche e le fonti documentali sostengono l'intera tesi。 。。。more

Kylah ，

Wow！！ Excellent read！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=When God Was a Woman

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=When God Was a Woman&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,When God Was a Woman&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0