The role of Mary Magdalene in the life of Jesus

Newsweek for December 8, 2005 includes "The Bible's Lost Stories: Fueling faith and igniting debate, a new generation of scholars is altering our beliefs about the role of women in the scriptures." The article looks at the role of Mary Magdalene and other women in Biblical scriptures.

The theory that Mary and Jesus were married has been circulating for centuries.

"Some historians think it is possible because Jewish men of that era were almost always married, but many others dismiss that reasoning. Some argue that Jesus wasn’t conventional in any other sense, so why would he feel the need to be married? Others say that relegating her to the role of wife is belittling. “Let’s not continue the relentless denigration of Mary Magdalene by reducing her only importance to a sexual connection with Jesus,” says John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago. “She’s not important because she was Mrs. Jesus. That’s like saying Hillary Rodham Clinton is only important because she’s married to Bill Clinton. Both women are important in their own right."

Thomas Moore's Kripalu weekend session in March 2006 will include exploring Mary's role in the Christ narratives.

Kim Cattrall's sexual intelligence revealed on TV

Andrew Ryan reviews Kim Cattrall's television program Sexual Intelligence for Globe and Mail readers today under the headline "Pillow Talk." Ryan mentions Cattrall's inclusion of experts on the subject, including Thomas Moore, and he describes the contributions of six sexually active single thirty-something Torontonians in the program.

Magazine founder praises Moore's contribution

The Modesto Bee published "New magazines try to attract both sexes" by Monica Haynes in which she profiles two recently launched magazines geared to couples. Haynes quotes Andrea Miller, founder and president of Tango magazine, who talks about Tango's focus and the popularity of Thomas Moore's current contribution describing spiritual sexuality:

"One of the most popular articles in the edition, Miller said, is a piece on spiritual sex by author, scholar and psychotherapist Thomas Moore. 'He talks about things like beauty, devotion and ritual,' she said. 'He says sex is there on a physical plane, but it's also there on a more spiritual and social plane.'"

Moore's ten Erotic Commandments suggest how sex with the spirit, as well as the body, gives more pleasure.