A WOMAN CALLED GOD by Peter
Wilkes
April 1, 2015
ISBN:
9781495919244
$9.75
Ÿ 45 pages Ÿ Trade Paperback Ÿ
Illustrated
So,
why couldn’t God be a woman? Really, why not? In this adorably playful, yet
poignant and timely book, A Woman Called
God asks all of us – women and men alike – to consider how the world would
and could look if our universal perception of The Creator were not male but
female: a mother-figure of unconditional love.
The result of a seventy-year personal journey by
the author, A Woman Called God
revolutionizes the traditional thinking of organized religion and makes
possible a new and inviting path for every woman and man on the planet.
In this five-minute read you may discover a new
way of thinking. In the 27 hand-drawn stick-figures you may find a new
dialogue. And in fewer than 500 words you might even uncover answers that will
take you and the world in a new and welcome direction.
Proceeds
from the sale of A Woman Called God will
go to organizations that help to end violence against women. Learn more at AWomanCalledGod.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
"Bravo to this tour de force, to Mr. Wilkes, and for daring to bring a hopeful
funny perspective on a delicate subject matter leading
too many times to conflict and war.
A Woman Called God is calling for Peace Now!"
—Emmanuel
Itier, director, FEMME: Women Healing the World
New Illustrated Book Offers Fresh Perception of God as
a Mother Figure, Encourages Spiritual Dialogue, Empathy, and Peace
As
thousands abandon Religion (capital “R”) and seek God in new ways, Peter Wilkes
says a fresh understanding of the Almighty may transform the world. Imagine a
world with a motherly God: open, loving, and compassionate, instead of severe
and judgmental. He illustrates this bold vision in a little book that asks big
questions, A Woman Called God ($9.75, Illustrated Paperback, April 1, 2015).
In
this adorably playful, yet poignant and timely book, A Woman Called God asks all of us – women and men alike – to
consider how the world would look if our universal perception of The Creator
were not male but female: a mother-figure of unconditional love.
An illustrated book for all ages, A Woman Called God revolutionizes the
traditional tenets of organized religion and
encourages open dialogue about the nature of God, fresh discussion about
“religion” vs. “faith,” and interfaith understanding.
Far from insisting that God is a woman, Mr. Wilkes asks us to ponder
if that one changed perception could lead us to a greater understanding and
empathy for everyone on this earth.
Amiable and subversive,
simple yet profound, this compact volume invites believers and seekers alike to
uncover answers that will take them in a new and welcome direction…both for themselves
and the world. Proceeds from the sale of A
Woman Called God will go to organizations that help to end violence against
women. Learn
more at AWomanCalledGod.com.
REVIEW
This little book certainly packs a punch, and I'm sure it will have many tongues wagging. The idea that God could be a woman, why not? Wilkes makes a lot of good points in this book on this subject but his main aim is to open our eyes to a life of unconditional love and understanding for our fellow man.
Even though this book has a serious undertone, it was witty and I loved the adorable pictures that graced the pages. This was a real gem and I'm glad I had the pleasure of giving it a read. It gave me a lot to think about.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PETER WILKES, the son of an Episcopal minister,
had a firsthand look at the inner workings of organized Religion (with a
capital “R”) throughout his upbringing. Now seventy years of age, he has
reached the conclusion that this institution, like many others, has continually
done more harm than good.
In A
Woman Called God, the first in his series of Little books for Big
people™, he goes back to the source and examines how it’s possible to leave
the institution of Religion behind and spiritually reclaim your soul. Peter
always welcomes intelligent discussion on the subjects he writes about. Learn
more at AWomanCalledGod.com.
An
Interview with
PETER WILKES
1. Did you write this book for adults or for children?
The book
is aimed at adults – it’s part of a series of a Little Books for Big people™
that I’m planning. That said, a number
of children and younger folks have read A
Woman Called God and I’ve gotten some very wonderful and gratifying
responses.
2. Why did you choose the short, illustrated format to convey your spiritual message?
The big
secret is that I really want men to read this.
But they’re not gonna pick up a book with that title. However, if a woman gives a copy to the men
in her life and they see it’s totally unintimidating and can be read in five
minutes, they may just do it… especially if they like her. And if we can make that happen, then men all
over the world may just start questioning something that they’ve taken for
granted for a very long time. And that’s
when I’m hoping – and praying – that a true equality between the genders can
begin to happen.
3. Why do you think people might have an easier time trusting God as a mother figure, instead of as a father figure?
While
there are exceptions to everything in this world, in a majority of cases the
mother of the family is considered the comforter, the source of solace, the one
you turned to when you skinned your knee or fell off your bike. It addition, there’s a certain logic to
having a female/mother creator rather than a male/father one.
Imagine
you were the first guy on earth. And you
find out that this first woman you’re with can bleed without dying. Every month it happens, in concert with the
moon and the tides! Whoa, that’s
impressive! And then something alive
starts growing inside her body. You can
see it and feel it move. And then the
child arrives and you realize that the survival of the entire human race
depends on this…incredible creature...called woman. So, if you were looking for
something to worship, that would be a really logical place to start. And the
fact is that’s exactly what happened. There
was an entire thriving, peaceful civilization that existed ten thousand years
before Adam and Eve were even invented which worshipped a female deity. Somehow
that never got mentioned in Sunday School…or any other place of learning that I
know of.
4. Doesn’t your illustration of “God the Father” assume all fathers (or men in general) are severe, scary, or judgmental?
I don’t
think so. Not any more than it
illustrates that all mothers are loving, kind, supportive, and generous. Neither one is realistic. But it’s interesting to observe that many
times the closer a man gets to believing he is a “God” the more he behaves that
way. It’s the wrathful, vengeful,
smiting Old Testament God every man was told – as a very small child – he was
made in the image of.
5. How did the female figures in your life inspire your personal spiritual journey?
Along
the way I’ve found it’s the ones you don’t listen to that are usually the ones
that have the most to offer. And it was
pretty much the females in my life that I didn’t listen to for fifty years. But when I finally did go back and listen I
found that, for the most part – in one way or the other – they were the ones
who were telling me the real truth about who I was at the time. So, I’d say they inspired me a lot…
6. Where are you currently at in your spiritual journey?
Well,
I’m in the 3rd act of life so, with luck, I’m on page one of my spiritual
journey.
7. Does your book refer to the God of the Bible, or of Christianity?
The
severe, judgmental God is the Old Testament God of The Abrahamic Religions
(Islam, Christianity, and Judaism). The
God I choose to think of as female is the one Creator of all and is not
affiliated with any religion.
8. Why do you think so many people are walking away from traditional religion and seeking faith elsewhere, or abandoning faith altogether?
Organized
religion is designed to tell people what to think. If too many people decided to think
spiritually for themselves, the holy fathers and other religious leaders will be
out of a job. So, to make sure that didn’t
happen, the three Abrahamic Religions, controlling 54% of the world’s faithful,
built their foundations on fear – fear of the unknown, fear of what comes next,
and fear of punishment. And only they
had the power to relieve that fear, that nagging uncertainty. Anything based on fear cannot last. It will eventually implode under its own
weight. So that’s what’s happening. A whole lot of people are either giving up on
the whole deal or searching for new answers.
I like
the new pope, except for, of course, his stand against women in the Catholic
clergy. He needs to read my book. :)
9. How do you hope this fresh perception of God as a mother figure might transform people’s lives—or the world as a whole?
I think
the important thing is to ask ourselves this key question: if our image of The
Creator had been – and were today – a mother figure, would so many women and
girls be covered in burkas? Raped on
campuses? Stolen from schools? Beaten in hotel elevators? And would men – made in the “image” of the
male God – have such a feeling of entitlement, superiority, and privilege that
they could do whatever they wanted or, conversely, find it impossible to live
to a fabricated concept of pure male power and perfection and thus lash out in frustration,
anger, and fear? I believe a fresh perception of God as a
mother figure would go a long way to alleviate much of this.
But it’s
important to note that that concept,
and thus my book, is not the final answer.
Both are, hopefully, only stepping-stones to a greater and more
universal acceptance – that the one true Creator may just happen to turn out to
be genderless. For, ironically, it’s only
then that men and women will be able to see each other as truly equal in every
respect. And it’s only then we’ll all be
able to do what we were sent here to do – to protect and preserve this planet,
her most glorious creation. And I’ll be
looking at that in my third book.
10. What is the number one thing you hope readers take away from A Woman Called God?
That the
concept of the exclusively male God is quite debatable… and very
much worth debating.
.jpg)
..jpg)
