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Did you know that the oldest Western religions had "mother" goddesses and not a male god, and that Christianity was similar in its early days? "Late medieval and Renaissance art often features the Virgin Mary, one breast exposed, nursing the baby Jesus," reports Utne. "The mother's breast is a symbol of God's love; her milk represents salvation." Then, after about 1750, naked breasts were either medical or erotic. Author Margaret R. Miles suggest we bring back the breast as it was: "In societies in which violence is rampant on the street and in the media, the nursing Virgin can perhaps communicate God's love to people in a way that a violent image, the image of one more sacrificial victim, cannot." Oh, and a footnote! The Vatican recently clarified that all Catholics baptized in the name of the creator, redeemer, and sanctifier—a popular gender-neutral alternative to father, son, and holy spirit—should be re-baptized using the proper male names for God. [Utne] More »
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