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Welcome! The Women and Religion Movement is alive and well in the 21st Century. A grassroots project started by lay leaders in the 1970s as an effort to promote examination of religious roots of sexism and patriarchy within the UUA and beyond, UU Women and Religion officially began as a task force following the unanimously-passed WOMEN AND RELIGION RESOLUTION at the 1977 UUA General Assembly. Although the Task Force was eventually sunsetted, the movement still exists in UU communities that hold Women & Religion programs and gatherings for those who identify as women. It exists at the UU General Assembly, where UUW&R brings our Store to the Exhibit Hall and occasionally hosts a gathering. And it lives in the hearts and lives of people who have been touched by the many changes inspired by this movement.

"We do not want a piece of the pie. It is still a patriarchal pie. We want to change the recipe!" -- Rosemary Matson

Merlin Stone 1931-2011

When God Was A WomanMerlin Stone"Merlin Stone is dead. She died on the 23rd of February, 4:52 a.m., in Daytona beach. She was ill for three years with much pain. . Thanks for the books Merlin,”When God was a Woman” and “Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood.” You changed my life for the better." - Z Budapest.

Stone was a sculptor and professor of art history at the State University of New York at Buffalo.  Her 1976 book When God Was a Woman is often credited with being responsible for one of the major contributors to the rise in Goddess spirituality and feminist thought during the 1980s.

Mama Donna Henes writes, "I met Merlin in 1975 when we worked together on the Great Goddess issue of Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics. Since then, she has been a friend, mentor, supporter and role model for me. She was especially helpful when The Queen of My Self was first released, generously sharing her experience, expertise and encouragement. She will be sorely missed... Merlin, dear, rest in in peace, embraced by the arms of the Goddess."

Zsuzsanna Budapest has asked UUW&R to pass along the details of her memorial service: It will be held on September 24, 2011 at the UU Church in Clearwater, FL. She adds, "We are still in the process of organizing for the event, but you can share the www.MerlinStone.net website with everyone so they can monitor the events and projects happening."

Rev. Shirley Ranck, author of Cakes for the Queen of Heaven comments, "For me, Merlin Stone's book When God Was a Woman was one of the first to alert me to the reality that there had been a massive shift in power in the myths and societies of the ancient world. The title alone was a shock to many people. I remember mentioning it to some sociologists of religion at a meeting and the whole idea was dismissed as nonsense.  It must have taken a lot of courage to write and publish that book at that time. We owe Merlin Stone a debt of gratitude for her work."

Helen Poenoe adds, "What a fountain of knowledge Merlin Stone’s work is!  Her Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood serves me well as a resource for moon circles, Wheel of the Year services and Cakes… circles besides simply my own inspiration. I like her phrase, 'the Oneness that lies beneath all dualities.'"

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