I'm curious about the host's comment "certainly wouldn't have been hired at Brigham Young University". BYU historically hires nonLDS scholars to maintain diverse viewpoints. No one is more open to the corruption of original Bible texts than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka Mormons. Where daily women and men both officiate in priesthood ordinances in the temple. Where each Sunday both women and men testify of of the divinity of Jesus Christ from the pulpit... Where Christ having been married, not only on earth but for eternity, likely with Mary the Tower, is accepted as common sense if not doctrine... Where belief in the Divine Feminine, the wife of God the Father even our Heavenly Mother, has been a foundational doctrine since the church was restored... I am most impressed with Dr.. Polczer's tenacity and research. A great next topic for study for Dr. Polczer might be the systematic deletion of the Divine Feminine from the Old Testament and Hebrew culture during the Josiahian and Hezekiahian reforms...
@davidweler6499 According to my research, 95% of the faculty at BYU are LDS. I can appreciate your viewpoint as a man to an extent, but my lived experience as a woman born and raised in the LDS faith has experienced female authority as a visibility issue. Women may be officiating in the temple every day but only to other women and only to a small percentage of actual members...it's hidden. Female authority is not only veiled to the larger membership, but largely unclear. I disagree wholeheartedly that there is a common sense &/or doctrinal LDS consensus that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. There may be some obscure quotes and teachings by early apostles but nothing definitive in our day and certainly Mary M is not revered as the wife of Christ in mainstream worship or Sunday School lessons. Can you imagine how it would make the Young Women and Relief Society of the church come alive if that were the case? As to the LDS doctrine of a Heavenly Mother, that's a whole other visibility issue. You're right; it was a foundational doctrine of the church --but then went quickly into obscurity. We are not to pray to Her, worship Her or really even discuss Her because, according to modern day apostles, "We just don't know" (refer to, among other recent admonishments to women about Heavenly Mother, Elder Renlund's talk at the women's session of General Conference in 2022). Heavenly Father? no mystery. Heavenly Mother? very much so. Talking about Heavenly Mother too much apparently creates "doctrinal drift" - and it's extremely painful to many LDS women. If you're interested in learning more about the systemic deletion, as you put it, of the Divine Feminine in the First Temple and in Hebrew culture, I would look into Margaret Barker's work. :) And one more thing, regarding your comment "No one is more open to the corruption of the original Bible texts than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"--- Why have the church leadership not embraced the Gnostic texts (including the Gospel of Mary) which were written the same time as the New Testament but not discovered until the 1940's in Egypt? They have had no interest in looking at how these sacred texts could expand our understanding of Mary Magdalene, Christ, and the Gospel.
@@SoulRose22 Thank you, Cherie, for your thoughtful reply. I am familiar with Margaret Barker's fantastic work, and a big fan, as it were. Another great read is Val Larsen's "Hidden in Plain View: Mother in Heaven in Scripture" , and Dan Peterson's "Nephi and his Ashera". I believe you would enjoy both. To those have eyes to see...indeed you are correct that we spend little to zero time at church studying apocyphal works, and many are content with the superficial feel good gospel in all faiths, - and maybe that's enough....But nonetheless we are instructed to study the apocrypha in D&C 91, and I do recall President Nelson quoting apocryphal works over the pulpit at Genral Conference several years ago...but most of us are still working on living the gospel in the standard works. Certainly the discovery of more and more records is a fulfillment of prophecy and we need to do better. I feel Mother in Heaven is increasingly reaching out to us. While we do not speculate beyond what has been revealed - precious little - we certainly love and revere her. Currently we do not pray to Her, because Chirst taught us to pray to the Father through Him, but we can certainly communicate with her and develop an ear for Her Wisdom, should we have an ear to hear. I am confidant She will fully emerge from the wilderness of obscurity as the restoration continues to unfold. One of my favorite lines is from a Glenn L Pace 2010 devotional address at BYU entitiled: The Divine Nature and Destiny of Women. "Eliza R. Snow... said: When I leave this frail existence, When I lay this mortal by, Father, Mother, may I meet you In your royal courts on high? Then, at length, when I’ve completed All you sent me forth to do, With your mutual approbation Let me come and dwell with you. Sisters, I testify that when you stand in front of your heavenly parents in those royal courts on high and look into Her eyes and behold Her countenance, any question you ever had about the role of women in the kingdom will evaporate into the rich celestial air, because at that moment you will see standing directly in front of you, your divine nature and destiny." Such a great quote! It reminds me of the finale of the penultimate chapter of The Gospel of the Beloved Companion.... Thanks again for your podcast!
Wow!!! What a riveting interview, I was captivated the whole way through. ❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fascinating.
Mary Magdalene of Magdala is the real manifestation of the Divine Feminine in the 1st century !!! Queen, Goddess and Christ !!! Forever 🔥♀🏛👸🕊
I'm curious about the host's comment "certainly wouldn't have been hired at Brigham Young University".
BYU historically hires nonLDS scholars to maintain diverse viewpoints.
No one is more open to the corruption of original Bible texts than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka Mormons.
Where daily women and men both officiate in priesthood ordinances in the temple.
Where each Sunday both women and men testify of of the divinity of Jesus Christ from the pulpit...
Where Christ having been married, not only on earth but for eternity, likely with Mary the Tower, is accepted as common sense if not doctrine...
Where belief in the Divine Feminine, the wife of God the Father even our Heavenly Mother, has been a foundational doctrine since the church was restored...
I am most impressed with Dr.. Polczer's tenacity and research. A great next topic for study for Dr. Polczer might be the systematic deletion of the Divine Feminine from the Old Testament and Hebrew culture during the Josiahian and Hezekiahian reforms...
@davidweler6499 According to my research, 95% of the faculty at BYU are LDS. I can appreciate your viewpoint as a man to an extent, but my lived experience as a woman born and raised in the LDS faith has experienced female authority as a visibility issue. Women may be officiating in the temple every day but only to other women and only to a small percentage of actual members...it's hidden. Female authority is not only veiled to the larger membership, but largely unclear. I disagree wholeheartedly that there is a common sense &/or doctrinal LDS consensus that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. There may be some obscure quotes and teachings by early apostles but nothing definitive in our day and certainly Mary M is not revered as the wife of Christ in mainstream worship or Sunday School lessons. Can you imagine how it would make the Young Women and Relief Society of the church come alive if that were the case? As to the LDS doctrine of a Heavenly Mother, that's a whole other visibility issue. You're right; it was a foundational doctrine of the church --but then went quickly into obscurity. We are not to pray to Her, worship Her or really even discuss Her because, according to modern day apostles, "We just don't know" (refer to, among other recent admonishments to women about Heavenly Mother, Elder Renlund's talk at the women's session of General Conference in 2022). Heavenly Father? no mystery. Heavenly Mother? very much so. Talking about Heavenly Mother too much apparently creates "doctrinal drift" - and it's extremely painful to many LDS women. If you're interested in learning more about the systemic deletion, as you put it, of the Divine Feminine in the First Temple and in Hebrew culture, I would look into Margaret Barker's work. :)
And one more thing, regarding your comment "No one is more open to the corruption of the original Bible texts than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"--- Why have the church leadership not embraced the Gnostic texts (including the Gospel of Mary) which were written the same time as the New Testament but not discovered until the 1940's in Egypt? They have had no interest in looking at how these sacred texts could expand our understanding of Mary Magdalene, Christ, and the Gospel.
@@SoulRose22 Thank you, Cherie, for your thoughtful reply. I am familiar with Margaret Barker's fantastic work, and a big fan, as it were. Another great read is Val Larsen's "Hidden in Plain View: Mother in Heaven in Scripture" , and Dan Peterson's "Nephi and his Ashera". I believe you would enjoy both.
To those have eyes to see...indeed you are correct that we spend little to zero time at church studying apocyphal works, and many are content with the superficial feel good gospel in all faiths, - and maybe that's enough....But nonetheless we are instructed to study the apocrypha in D&C 91, and I do recall President Nelson quoting apocryphal works over the pulpit at Genral Conference several years ago...but most of us are still working on living the gospel in the standard works. Certainly the discovery of more and more records is a fulfillment of prophecy and we need to do better.
I feel Mother in Heaven is increasingly reaching out to us. While we do not speculate beyond what has been revealed - precious little - we certainly love and revere her. Currently we do not pray to Her, because Chirst taught us to pray to the Father through Him, but we can certainly communicate with her and develop an ear for Her Wisdom, should we have an ear to hear. I am confidant She will fully emerge from the wilderness of obscurity as the restoration continues to unfold.
One of my favorite lines is from a Glenn L Pace 2010 devotional address at BYU entitiled: The Divine Nature and Destiny of Women.
"Eliza R. Snow... said:
When I leave this frail existence,
When I lay this mortal by,
Father, Mother, may I meet you
In your royal courts on high?
Then, at length, when I’ve completed
All you sent me forth to do,
With your mutual approbation
Let me come and dwell with you.
Sisters, I testify that when you stand in front of your heavenly parents in those royal courts on high and look into Her eyes and behold Her countenance, any question you ever had about the role of women in the kingdom will evaporate into the rich celestial air, because at that moment you will see standing directly in front of you, your divine nature and destiny."
Such a great quote! It reminds me of the finale of the penultimate chapter of The Gospel of the Beloved Companion....
Thanks again for your podcast!
@@davidwelker6499 love Eliza!
Where can I read your thesis
www.elizabethschrader.com/about-7