[J-Martinez]

I'm very interested in the religion know as Goddess Worship. I'd like to know what the philosophy is surrounding the religion, and if God is believed to be the creator. If not, who or what is? I'd also like to know when this religion was originated and if attending church is part of your regimen.

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Name : J-Martinez, City : Folsom, State : CA Country : United States, 

[Lucy-H22653]

Goddess Worship is very old and very diverse. Long before the advent of Christianity, most people in Europe worshiped the Goddess. The Goddess is basically Mother Nature and the creator of all life. Most Goddess-based religions are also refered to as Earth-based religions because the cycles and seasons of the earth are central to the religious practices. Goddess worship wasn't restricted to Europe either. People all over the world worship either a single Goddess or several Goddesses in multiple diety religions. Going to 'church' is rarely part of Goddess worship because church is more of a Christian thing, although the worship of the Virgin Mary is something like Goddess worship. Some people who practice Goddess worship do so with others, and some people are solitary worshipers. But there are cerimonies involved, as well as religious celebrations. Since there are so many different Earth-based religions, it is impossible to completely explain here. If you have a stong interest in learning more about Goddess worship and earth-based religions, I suggest that you start reading about them. There are many books out there on the subject. There is also information on the web. I suggest reading as much information on the subject as you can because there are many different perspectives out there and you will want to get a well rounded picture of the religions.

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Name : Lucy-H22653, Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 25, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[M-Kemper22528]

There is not a single religion that is defined as 'Goddess Worship'. Many ancient religions are based on the belief that the supreme being (or beings) is a female or based on aspects of femininity. Most modern practioners (at least in the US) would define themselves as Pagans or Wiccans. Both of these belief systems are based on much older beliefs than Christianity or the other 'male'-based religions. The belief in God (as in the male God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam) as the sole Creator is based in those religions. Each of the different sects of Wicca or Paganism perscribe to a different story of creation. Some are based on Goddess creation and others on God/Goddess creation. The belief in the Goddess dates to prehistoric times. Female figures carved in ivory and other materials have been found which date from before 30,000 BC. The practice of worshiping male gods did not become prominent until after 10,000 BC. And in most religions until around 2000 BC, both male and female gods were worshiped equally. In fact, ancient records show that the original Jewish belief system showed 'God' as two figures, one male and one female. As far as the question about church attendance, that is up to each practioner. Some Pagans and Wiccans attend Christian services (usually Unitarian Universalist). Most don't. However, each religion has its own practices which include holy days and ceremonies which are practiced regularly.

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Name : M-Kemper22528, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Theist, Age : 31, City : Temple Terrace, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[suzy27512]

You are interested in what is called WICCA. Search for Pagan Tea House on the net. There is a complete description of this worship there.

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Name : suzy27512, City : detroit, State : MI Country : United States, 

[L March]

I don't know if there's a specific religion called Goddess Worship, but you may be thinking of Wicca, which is a nature oriented religion that worships both a male and female deity - the Lord and Lady, or God and Goddess, or other similar names. I'm not Wiccan but my boyfriend and several friends are. Some worship together in rituals, some worship alone, but the main focuses are the cycles of nature, and depending on the person they may focus on the Lady more or less than the Lord. There's not a physical church, but often some outdoors site (or sometimes an indoor one) is commonly used for rites, and is usually cleansed and consecrated at the beginning of a ritual. Lots of information can be found on the web, in bookstores, or in libraries. Hope this helps!

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Name : L March, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : unnamed, Age : 31, City : Keene, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : customer service, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Nicky]

The are many places to start learning about Paganism/Wicca. The internet is full of wonderful sites that you can access. Just type in Wicca or Paganism. But if you want books to read, I suggest the books by Scott Cunningham. He wrote books that were easy to understand, but didn't talk down to his readers. As for attending a 'church'...As with all religions, that's up to you. There are many Wiccans out there that are happy to be solitaries, which means you don't belong to a coven, and you worship on your own. And on the other hand there are people that prefer a coven. I can't remember what the letters stand for, but if you type in CUUPS on your computer, you should be able to pull up this Pagan/Wiccan group.(it's a recognized church) Good luck and Blessed Be

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Name : Nicky, Gender : F, Religion : Pagan, Age : 46, City : Ft Worth, State : TX Country : United States, 

[Melody]

According to those who believe in the Goddess, Europe was once inhabited by a matriarchal, egalitarian society. (Women gave birth and this was seen as something divine and powerful, in an otherworldly sense, before men figured out that women didn't do this alone.) Europeans, they claim, worshipped a matrifocal, sedentary, peaceful, art-loving goddess 5,000 to 25,000 years before the rise of the first male-oriented religion. They maintain that this egalitarian culture was overrun and destroyed by a semi-nomadic, horse-riding, Indo- European group of invaders who were patrifocal, mobile,warlike, and indifferent to art. The matriarchal religion of the early settlers was eventually assimilated into the patriarchal religion of the invaders. According to Merlin Stone, author of 'When God Was a Woman,' (a good book, by the way) the disenthronement of the Great Goddess, begun by the Indo-European invaders, was finally accomplished by the Hebrew, Christian, and Moslem religions that arose later. The male deity took the prominent place. The female Goddess faded into the background, and women in society followed suit. The Goddess is worshipped as the feminine life force deeply connected to nature and fertility, responsible both for creating life and for destroying life. The Goddess, Gaia, or Mother Earth is viewed as a biosystem. In other words, She is a living and evolving being that has a spiritual destiny. Christianity teaches that God is transcendent, is separate from nature, and is represented to humankind through masculine imagery. Goddess worship holds a pantheistic view of God. God is nature, therefore God is in all things and all things are a part of God. However, this God is a Goddess. The goddess may be seen as a metaphor that reminds us of the female side of spirituality. Metaphors are important. You can't know God directly. You can only know images of God, and each image or metaphor is a door. Some doors are open and others are closed.A door that is only male is only half open. There are many people who follow Goddess worship. Some attend churches that are specifically Goddess oriented, others do not. Others worship in solitary practice. I attend Channing Unitarian Universalist Church every Sunday. Here I am free to walk my own spiritual path since there are a diverse array of paths under one roof, and all are welcomed and cherished for their diversity.

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Name : Melody, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/White, Religion : Pagan, Age : 42, City : Edmond, State : OK Country : United States, Occupation : education, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Frank25179]

Goddess worship is a part of the Neo-Pagan movement. The Neo-Pagan movement believes in Earth-based spirituality, and we reconstruct ancient, pre-Christian religious traditions - not merely to be historically accurate, but to revive ancient beliefs and apply them to modern times. Central to our tenants is the belief the the Earth is a living, knowing being of whom we are all a part. We recognize this living, knowing being as The Great Goddess, The Great Mother, The Earth Goddess etc. The God is most often symbolized by the sun, or by the horns of male animals, such as deer. He is the energizing Lifeforce which animates Mother Earth. Neo-Paganism includes the governmentally recognized religion of Wicca as well as Druidry and Goddess-Worship, as well as folks who just call themselves Pagan. Neo-Paganism is pretty much 50% male and 50% female, while Goddess-Worship tends to be very heavily female. Many Goddess-Worshippers worship The God, with varying levels of importance, and many worship only The Goddess. The Pagan God is a totally different concept from Christianity, and has nothing to do with 'God', or 'Satan'.

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Name : Frank25179, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 48, City : Boston, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : Photographer, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

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