53: On Patriarchy & the Feminine Face of God

In this episode Valerie is interviewed by Kate Gregory, host of the growing podcast "In Her Image".  The main subjects addressed is the strange but undeniable fear that many in the orthodoxy seem to experience in the very idea of a living real-time relationship with a feminine divine.  Questions addressed include the following: 

1. Why is fear associated with a feminine divine? 
2. Why is there a connection between people seeking a feminine divine and their sometimes distancing themselves from the church?  
3. Why MUST it be okay to "claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our conscience" and why MUST it be okay to "worship how, where, and what [we] may?"  (sound familiar anyone?  Yeah...this is our own article of faith, people!!) 
4. What is the possible correlation between a fear of the feminine divine and the formal patriarchal structures of much of conservative Christianity?  
5. How do I address others who try to impose structure on my personal patterns of worship?

Valerie placed this episode here specifically because issues of gender, power, and patriarchy are also highly correlated with LDS Faith Crisis.   Please jump over to "In Her Image" for a lot of wonderful insight and scholarship on Heavenly Mother.