Jesus is Female

Michelle Soucier
Prof. Galarza Johnson
HSPC 106
10/20/10
Jesus is Female: By Aaron Spencer Fogleman
The book Jesus is Female was written by Aaron Spencer Fogleman, who is a Professor of History at Northern Illinois University. This book talks about immigrants migrating from European countries to America. In the 18th century, was the beginning of the Great Awakening, in which was the spread of religion and religion styles in America. The book Jesus is Female was a difficult and a dry book to read. While I was reading the book, I found it was hard to keep a tab on the people and their lives; it was very jumping and whimsical. Aside from how I interpreted the book, it was full of facts and information about immigrations migrating to America. Coming to America was not as perfect as they would like, immigrants had to deal with issues of religion, gender, and confrontation.
Religion is the idea of having a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny. Religion is just one of those topics that you stray away from in a conversation due to conflicting ideas. When European groups came to America, they wanted to spread their religion, although every group in America believed in something different. The main group that the book, Jesus is Female, talks about is Radicals and the Moravians. Although there were several other religions that were during the Great Awakening, for example: Lutherans, Protestants, Presbyterian, Catholics, Calvinists, ect. As for the radicals, they were not one specific religion, rather it was a group of religions that were considered outliers to the community. They believed heavily in their religion, and the idea to help serve others. So they would go and spread the word of God to many others. Many of the Radicals were fairly large, well-established groups descending from the 16th century “radical Reformation”. They believed that the true church of God would gather in the end of times from the fallen churches and live together in brotherly love and close spiritual communion with Christ. Aside from the radicals, there were the Moravians. The Moravians believe in the idea of Jesus, is the Lord and Savior and Salvation comes by his grace, through our repentance of sins, and through our faith in him. Although both of these religion groups are separate, they join together on the idea of Jesus being female and along with the Trinity also being referred to as both female/male.
During the Great Awakening, when religion was spreading throughout America, the idea of Women being on a higher social standard created tension between the religious groups. Gender was a huge issue, and for those who did not abide by the rules were to be more radical. During the radical movement, a women named Mother Eva (Eva Margaretha) developed beliefs and practices concerning gender, marriage, sexuality, and the body shocked outside of the world. Their initiation, purification, and rebirth ritual was the most extreme. This Mother Eva movement was looked down upon, and later was completely stopped. The Great Awakening removed restrictions on women’s religious speech and suspended the reflection of women preaching as Satanic. Both radicals and Moravians believed in women’s rights, and their ability to preach. As well as women’s preaching in the early modern era, belief, practice, norms, and their enforcement concerning marriage and sexual behavior were to change significantly. Any religion that was not radical, believed in the idea of sex only being for procreation, and is not encouraged for even married couples. As for the radicals, they preached that it was a good thing. For married couples to engage in sex, for it is like eating and drinking. During the Great Awakening was also a time from when women had arranged marriages, to falling in love with whom they desire. In the 1740’s, the Moravians had become one of the best known radical groups challenging the religious and social sensibilities of the Protestant world. Both radicals and Moravians were viewed as outliers and dangerous to other religious groups.
As for the radicals and Moravians, they were spreading throughout America to preach their faith. Many religions thought they were becoming to strong and wanted them to be stopped. This affirmative action will soon be set by other religious groups that do not agree with the radicals or the Moravians. A man named Nicolaus Lugwig von Zinzendorf (1700-1760), who was a bishop of a Moravian church during the time and who had also made changes for people during that era. Zinzendorf had an active mind and was an enthusiast; he wanted to spread the word of God to as many people as he could. For it was because of him in which Jesus and the Trinity were both viewed as male/female. The radicals and Moravians came to America so that their religion could flourish, unlike it could have in Europe. Although for the radicals and Moravians, their reign had lasted too long, and finally people began to acknowledge and take matters in their own hand. The epidemic began against the radicals and the Moravians; they were being condemned for their religion and their behavior. The active Zinzendorf, thought it would be a good idea to bring the head of every church and gather them into one church. Whether they choose to listen or not, they were all being brought into unity. This was called the “Seven Ecumenical Synods” of Pennsylvania in 1742, in which was a gathering of diverse Protestant Christians. This gathering included: Moravians, Lutherans, German Reformed, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Quakers, Mennonites, Dunkers, Sabbatarians, and in addition other separatist groups appeared as well. For these meetings were short lived, only after the 2nd synods, the groups went their seperate ways. Zinzendorf did not get his ideas across the meetings, in which he was intending to dominate, so he then moved across the sea and back to Europe. The struggle against Moravians began in the 1730’s, and one of the 1st attacks on the Moravians was the printing press. It was the idea of trying to spread the word that the Moravians were dangerous. In conclusion, the radicals and Moravians would not have been physically attacked if they had not violated the confessional order.
In conclusion, the book Jesus is Female deals with religious groups migrating to America, so that they may spread their religion and religion styles. As for the radicals and the Moravians, their religion is still going on until today, although their styles and religion has been altered. During the 18th century, the Great Awakening was when immigrants migrated into America from Europe. The conflicts that each religion had to deal with was religion, gender, and the contraversies