Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) - mystic, writer, poet, astrologer, sexual revolutionary, painter, mountain climber and social critic - has a terrifying reputation. The contemporary press labelled him the wickedest man in the world , while he called himself the great beast . Crowley dabbled in the occult, supported Germany in the First World War, was addicted to opiates, and many who associated with him died tragically in mysterious circumstances. Working from the starting point that behind the demonic reputation there stood a human being, and that beyond the self-proclaimed black magician there was a man hungry for publicity and fame, Roger Hutchinson lifts the smokescreen of mythology to reveal a truly astonishing figure.
I read it voraciously, passionately. I all but memorized it. To this day, I can recite key arguments that leapt off the page and into my adolescent life. “Jesus boldly pictured God as a woman.” Genesis 1 is not a prescription for female and male identity; it is a description of the world men and women inhabited.
Mollenkott was an evangelical, and so was I. This label allowed her into my life. In a world that divided people into safe and unsafe, us and them, she was one of us. But in truth, there was nothing safe about Virginia Mollenkott.
She was born into a Plymouth Brethren family, and when she fell in love with an older woman, her mother sent her to a Christian boarding school to end the relationship. Later, at Bob Jones University, she continued to struggle with her sexual identity and self-understanding. She confessed to a professor that she loved women; the professor urged her to get married right away. She obeyed. The marriage did not last, and during the 1970s, now Dr.
Ex-Exclusive Brethren accuse church of tearing families apart Fri, 30 Apr 2021, 10:32AM
Wellington woman Lindy Jacomb, with her newborn daughter Aria, was excommunicated by the Exclusive Brethren 13 years ago, barely out of her teens. (Photo / RNZ)
Ex-Exclusive Brethren accuse church of tearing families apart
By Ruth Hill for RNZ
Former members of the Exclusive Brethren allege the secretive sect is breaking up families, putting members in isolation and attacking their livelihoods in order to maintain control.
Last week RNZ revealed the church, which gets millions of dollars in taxbreaks each year, is using private investigators and lawyers to fend off its critics.
Ex-Exclusive Brethren accuse church of tearing families apart — There are some pretty nasty stories tvnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tvnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.