Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Aidan Kelly: Including Paganism

Home
Pagan
Goddess Murder, 16: The Preaching of Mary

Goddess Murder, 16: The Preaching of Mary

Last updated on: September 6, 2013 at 2:52 pm by Aidan Kelly

Goddess Murder, 16: The Preaching of Mary 2013-09-06T14:52:19-07:00 Aidan Kelly

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

XVIII. From the Acts of Mary

[An excerpt from The Acts of Mary as translated byC.T. Edwards, A. Healey, L. Moresco, and S. Weiss]

Chapter V.

On one day a man in the crowd called out to me, “What about divorce? Did your Mashiach allow divorce?”

I replied, “Why do you ask about divorce? Why do you not ask about marriage? Great is the mystery of marriage. Without marriage, the world would not exist. Do you not know that the first commandment our God gave to us was to be fertile and multiply and fill the Earth? Or that he gave that commandment again to the family of Noah? We must marry and join with our husbands and wives to fulfill that commandment. What fulfills a commandment cannot break a commandment; therefore our union with the ones we love is not a sin, but a gift and a blessing.”

The man called again, “But what about divorce? Is it allowed?”

I replied, “Did not Moses also write that a man shall unite with his wife, and the two shall become one being? If the two have become one, they will never desire to be parted. No power in Heaven or on Earth could ever part them; hence divorce for them is impossible. But if the two have not become one and therefore desire to be parted, they were never truly married at all; hence divorce is unnecessary. For the one case or the other, the word of divorce has no meaning.

“One who has never been truly married in the eyes of God is free to marry, to be truly married. Whoever does not marry sins by not fulfilling God’s commandment.

“Therefore divorce is allowed, but only if the man and the woman have not become one, if the spirit has not joined them into one flesh. It is the true marriage according to the love of the Father and the Mother that will replenish the Earth, whereas the marriages of this world produce children but do not nourish them with the love and grace that the Spirit confers on those who do the will of the Father and who obey all the commandments with joy and with gratitude.

“That is how Joshua, my husband, and I fulfilled the Lord’s commandments, rejoicing that our God and your God, our Father and Mother, have given us their commandments to raise us up to be like them. If two people join in the love proper and possible for the truly married and become one, then they are married in truth and in the eyes of God; wherefore human law is opposed to the will of God if it does not recognize that their marriage already truly exists.

“What did Moses write? That adultery occurs only when a married man joins with another man’s wife. But those who are truly married will never desire anyone but their spouses. Whoever does desire someone other than that spouse is not truly married. Wherefore I say to you in the name of Joshua that adultery is also impossible and its name is meaningless.

“For our God has created us as male and female, men and women. Our desire for one another obeys God’s commandment. Our joy in one another reflects the passion of our Father and Mother in Heaven. Wherefore you shall celebrate God’s gifts with joy and generosity, for love cannot be divided; it can only be multiplied.

“I say to you in the name of Joshua, when you no longer believe that you own the one you love, when you rid yourself of jealousy, then you will clothe yourself in light and enter the bridal chamber, which is the Temple of the Mysteries of our Father and Mother in Heaven.

“When you take off your clothes, lay them on the ground, and trample on them like a little child, and feel no more shame than a little child would feel, then you will be in the Kingdom, in the presence of the Queen.

“I say to you in the name of Joshua that it is our adversary who misleads men and women with false teachings that denigrate God’s most precious gift to us and call it sinful. Joshua taught us that our love, our joy, and our desire are all needed for our salvation,

“Evil would make that a shameful thing on which the soul expands its wings. If evil can destroy our ability to love in truth, with our bodies, our minds, and our spirits, then evil has destroyed our path to salvation and has locked the gates ofParadiseagainst us.”

Chapter VI.

When Joshua said, “Who looks at a woman with desire has already decided to make love with her,” did he mean that desire is a sin? Not at all. Our joining in love with one another fulfills a commandment and does not break one. Because we have no other way to fulfill that commandment, our joining is not a sin but a gift and a blessing.

It is the same with desire. If a man never felt desire for a woman, he would never fulfill the commandment. Since we must feel desire in order to fulfill the commandment, it too is a blessing and a gift, not a sin. Even Saul says that if a man is with a virgin and cannot control his desire, he has not commuted a sin, if she is willing, and they are free to marry.

But did Joshua teach that any man and any woman may cleave to one another, being free from any law? Not at all. Even an unmarried man may have obligations that would keep him from their going together. Therefore let each judge for himself whether he is free from obligation. Even if he errs in decision, he has made the decision thoughtfully. God wills that we should join in love as much as possible. That joining brings God’s grace and healing to us. A law that restricts our love as much as possible is not from the will of God, but from the malice of the enemy. It is better that we err on the side of love, for fear of love has corrupted all societies.

God has planted in us an ardent desire that neither law nor custom nor any other restraint can destroy, for without desire none would fulfill the commandment to be fertile and multiply. It is God’s will that men and women shall love in both body and spirit, for our love as men and women is a sacred mystery that brings us into the presence of the Queen of Heaven. Hence marriage, love, and the bearing of children are all cooperation with the work of creation.

The Kingdom will come when a man and a woman become completely equal, so that they no longer believe they own the one they love. When they rid themselves of jealousy, they will clothe themselves in light and enter the bridal chamber, where all true marriages take place.

The bridal chamber is not a place. It is a condition of the heart. A man and a woman enter it when in their loving union they become one. That is when they enter the Kingdom. That is why you must strive to rid yourselves of anger and jealousy and pride, to strip yourself naked, for you cannot see the Queen unless you are naked in both body and spirit.

Previous Post

September 3, 2013

Goddess Murder, 15: The Next Chapter and Editorial Remarks

Next Post

September 8, 2013 The Ocean Level and World Temperature Have Been Rising for 20,000 Years.

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Gnostics Pagan Paganism Poetry Social Justice Theology Uncategorized Witches

Select a Month August 2018 April 2018 February 2018 January 2018 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 November 2015 September 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz