For example, Cynthia Eller (Living in the Lap of the Goddess, Crossroad, 1993) has discovered that despite claims to the contrary, the Women's Spirituality Movement is made up almost entirely of white, middle and upper-class, well-educated, boomer-age women. In addition, many Women's Spirituality "circles" consistently exclude men from attendance and participation. Members of The United Methodist Church are committed to inclusiveness and continue to strive to embody this goal in all aspects of their lives.
Eller also describes the Women's Spirituality Movement as an "admixture of Jungianism, ecology, Native American religions, political feminism, paganism, Buddhism, Theosophy, and just about anything else you would care to list" (Eller, pages 38 ff). This raises two important questions for the Church. First, what are the ethical concerns raised by the co-optation of indigenous spiritualities? At issue here is true religious diversity and integrity.
Of equal or greater importance is the question about the introduction of certain of the movement's beliefs and practices into the life of the denomination. Our fourth guideline for interreligious relationships states that it is "unwise to juxtapose symbols of different religions" and that United Methodists should not expect "to participate fully in another faith's rituals and worship" ("Guidelines for Interreligious Relationships," page 272). Yet a recent newsletter cover from the permanent Re-Imagining Community (which is still supported by several prominent United Methodist clergywomen) portrayed the Great Triple Goddess of neo-paganism--Virgin, Mother, and Crone. The Fall 1994 issue of our national clergywomen's magazine, Wellsprings, printed a Croning Ritual (a celebration of menarche) which one of the co-authors acknowledged is rooted in feminist witchcraft (also known as Wicca). And a recent chapel service at Garrett Evangelical Seminary included a "Psalm in Search of the Goddess" which sang the praises of Nut, Isis, Asherah, Cybele, and other goddesses. United Methodists must decide in what ways this incorporation of neo-pagan witchcraft and goddess spirituality into our common life blurs the boundaries of our faith and compromises the integrity of our Christian witness.
One of the primary ritualistic emphases in the Women's Spirituality Movement is on women's bodily cycles--menstruation, child-birth, lactation, and menarche. Secular feminists have soundly criticized and even denounced these ritual practices for defining women's worth primarily in relation to their reproductive systems. For the last several decades, The United Methodist Church has stood in solidarity with these feminist critics. We recognize, for example, that "practices, traditions, and attitudes in almost all societies viewed women as inferior to men, as having few talents and contributions to make to the general well-being of society aside from their biological roles" ("The Status of Women," The Book of Resolutions, page 371). We claim that Jesus, by his life and ministry with and for women, witnessed against such rigid cultural patterns and practices. This suggests that focusing ritualistic attention on the female body and its cycles may deprive women of their fullest humanity and limit their contribution to the life of the church and the world. The United Methodist Church, therefore, needs to clearly articulate the ways in which these practices, as well as many others, regressively stereotype women and deny them their full personhood.
We, therefore, call upon the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women and the Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries--whose primary responsibility is the advocacy of and care for women--to study and address these problematic aspects of the Women's Spirituality Movement and to develop appropriate program materials for use at the local church and annual conference levels.
We further call upon the Council of Bishops, through their teaching office, to study and address the Women's Spirituality Movement, in particular the ways in which its influences in the permanent Re-Imagining Community and in our seminaries impact the theological life of the denomination.
And finally, we call upon the Division of Ordained Ministry of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry to fully investigate the Croning Ritual published in the Fall 1994 issue of Wellsprings, in particular its feminist witchcraft (Wiccan) roots, and to direct the Wellsprings editorial circle to identify, explain, and renounce those Wiccan roots in a forthcoming issue of the magazine.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 22859-IC-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference