Northbay Uprising - Information for the liberated zones of the San Pablo Bay

2011-09-07 "Vallejo man takes new look at the Bible" by Sarah Rohrs from "Vallejo Times-Herald" newspaper
[http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_18841417]
Was Eve really responsible for the fall of mankind, or is the story of her and Adam and their banishment from the Garden of Eden in the Bible's opening chapters a symbolic story about something else entirely?
After studying the Bible for years, Vallejo writer Sean Maddox says he can answer that question. He claims the story of Adam and Eve plus many other core stories in the Bible have been wrongly interpreted and translated.
And one of the biggest distortions is the Bible's references to "the Goddess," said Maddox, a retired Bay Area corporate executive who moved to Vallejo in 1997 to write, and is now offering courses on his religious studies.
His thoughts and interpretations of the goddess and the Bible form the subject of a three-part lecture series he will lead at the Vallejo Center, Solano Community College's satellite campus.
Author of a 3,000-page book about the Old Testament, Maddox lived in San Rafael before moving to Vallejo to reduce expenses and write. Over the years, he's done some community work, and also considered running for mayor.
"The Goddess in the Bible" will run 7 to 9 p.m. over three Wednesdays starting Sept. 28. The $45 course takes place at 545 Columbus Parkway.
Using artwork, plus the Scriptures themselves, Maddox will offer answers on what he says is "really going on in the Bible's cryptic tales." The course is only the tip of the iceberg of his 20-year quest to understand the Bible, he said.
Maddox said the Bible, considered patriarchal or masculine, does contain references to the goddess, but they are concealed in stories, plus veiled in metaphor, mystery and mythology.
This course will use world mythologies, sacred traditions and literature to explore the Bible in search of the feminine face of God, Maddox said.
Upon closer readings, he said, students will find the goddess in virtually every story and poem and, in doing so, that the Bible is, above all else, a great love story.
The Bible has always been a central book in Maddox's life though he took a break from the tome during his early adulthood. Following a series of personal crises in his early 40s, he delved back into the book, which he pored over while a boy in Oklahoma's rural "Bible belt."
However, this time around the stories puzzled him, he said. Further he was bothered he could find no reference to a goddess or sacred feminine figure. Hence, he set out to find her and try to answer why she was feared, vilified and banished.
Some Christians, particularly those in conservative fundamental sects, may find Maddox's interpretations and observations about the Bible offensive, he said.
However, he said he hopes people will bring an open mind for what he calls a non-denominational, non-sectarian program.
"I want people to get beyond their judgments and to look at the Bible as a way of teaching us about our higher spiritual nature," Maddox said.
Anyone interested in taking the course can register online at http://solano.augustoft.net or by calling (707) 864-7115.