Theology and Philosophy Book

I have always felt that rating a book I have not finished is unfair to the author, so I will not do so; but I am setting this one aside after 84 pages. I tried to read with an open mind, but I cannot identify with the author's experience or those of the workshop participants she quotes.

The book is designed for group study or individual self-therapy. Each chapter ends with daily(!) exercises and questions to ponder. Many involve writing or drawing, which the author suggests be done with one's nondominant hand, e.g. "With your nondominant hand write a story with illustrations to detail all the reasons why you wish you were a boy." Others invite reflection, e.g. "Reflect on the following statement: 'A woman's inability to imagine a God who looks, bleeds, feels, thinks, and experiences life as she does is an indication of how deeply injured she has been by her religious past." I did not attempt to do any of the exercises. Most seemed impossible.

I do not think of God as having gender, but the masculine pronouns and images traditionally applied to God have not left me scarred and in need of healing, as the author assumes of her readers. Nor is male dominance a problem in my denomination, where female leaders have always been welcome and female pastors increasingly prevalent. In fact, my previous church at one point had an all-female staff, from pastor to custodian.

I don't deny that woman-affirming spirituality is a good thing and that some women have experienced quite the opposite. But the author seems to be addressing abused women primarily and comes across as hostile toward men.