May 10, 2000
Page B4
Jije ^lortlanb (fíbeertfer
as Metro/Relieion
New Respect, Due the Black Woman Mothers keep unconditional love alive
The spelling o f the word unique is as
unusual as its meaning. To be unique
is to be without a like or equal; very
rare or uncommon; to be the “one,” or
“only.” The Black woman is, without
controversy, unequal or parallel to
any other race o f women that God the
C reator has made Her intrinsically
a c q u ire d s tre n g th , e n d u ra n c e ,
to le r a n c e , fa ith and love are
unmatched.
The perils o f slavery and prejudice,
which she has endured over the past
few hundred years has only magni fied
her strength, endurance, faith, and
uncanny ability to give love. For
several centuries, she has spent
countless hours shielding husbands
and sons from emotional catastrophe
and annihilation.
W ho is this Black Woman? How was
she able to prevail in such adversity?
O ver the past decades, a silent cry
has echoed from her soul. Tears of
sadness has filled her heart, as she
w itnesses oppressing sights, such
as: a) Hundreds o f young Black men
imprisoned, b) Black men rejecting
the Black w om an and m arrying
Caucasians or Asians, and c) Black
men practicing homosexuality.
The Black woman is the glory o f the
Black man, even as the Caucasian
woman is the glory ofthe white man,
and the Asian woman o f the Asian
man, etc. Yet there is a sense o f
sadness and abandonment among
som e Black women. At a time when
she should be shielded, protected,
and cherished, she is many times
rejected for others. The offspring of
th e v ery m en w ho h e r g reat
g ra n d m o th e r
sh ie ld e d
from
precarious death is now prospering
financially and marrying Caucasian
and Asian women. Leaving the Black
woman feeling rejected and alone.
Yet she continues to stand with
strength and dignity.
T h e s tre n g th and d ig n ity she
possesses is an inherent strength
g iv en to h er by G od H im self.
A c c o rd in g
to
th e
H ebrew
comforter, blessing, impregnable, and
all powerful. El Shaddai speaks o f
G od’s feminine expression and these
are attributes ofthe female. God built
the female part o f man(kind) in the
image and likeness o f His El Shaddai
measure, which is His fem inine
expression. God has given her inner
strength, which is described in the
Hebrew as “powerful or warrior.” She
intrinsically knows how to fight a
battle, endure hardship, and yet
remain standing.
How do we know that the Black
woman is the first-born (daughter) of
God and the Mother o f all living?
According to Genesis 2:7, the Bible
states, “The LORD God formed
man(kind) ofthe dust o f the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils...” The
word 'dust' is translated from the
Hebrew word aphar. The word aphar
is a Hebrew word that means more
than “dust.” It means “dust, clay,
mould.”
The w ord dust inform s us that
man(kind) was formed from the
topsoil or surface soil. Whereas, clav
indicates the soil was not a sandy
soil, but a soil that could be formed
and shaped. Finally, 'mould' is a soil
that is rich in humus. Soil that is rich
in humus is always black or very dark
brown in color. Therefore, a better
translation would be, “God made
man(kind) from the black clay dust o f
the ground.” The Bible also states
that, “God made man(kind) from the
black clay dust o f the ground." The
Bible also states that, “God made
man(kind) in His own image and
likeness, and out o f one (Black
mankind) came every race upon the
face o f the earth” (Genesis 1:26, Acts
17:26). It was God who inspired the
prophets to write these truth as He
breathed uponthem(IITimothy3:16).
The ethnicity o f the first male and
female is clearly stated in Genesis 2:7.
Man(kind) was made from black soil,
which means they were a Black
couple made in the image and likeness
o f God (Adonai and El Shaddai).
G od b le sse d th is c o u p le and
commanded them to multiply and have
dominion.
manuscripts from which our English
Bibles are translated, she is the first­
born (daughter) and Mother o f all
Living. The English translations of
our Bibles proclaim, "ThenGodsaid,
Let us make man in Our image,
according to O ur likeness, let them
have dominion... " (Genesis 1:26).
The plural pronoun “Us” refers back
to God. Why is God referring to
H im self in the plural? And how will
He make man(kind) in the image and
likeness o f His plurality? These
q u e stio n s can be an sw ered by
examining four words in the Hebrew
manuscripts o f the Old Testament,
which refer to God. These words are:
Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai, and El
Shaddai.
First, the word Yahweh is the very
Name o f God. In most English bibles,
th is w ord is usually tra n sla te d
“LO RD ” with all capital letters.
Secondly, the word 'Elohim' means
God, indicating his title. In most
English Bibles this word is translated
as “God.” The word “Elohim” has no
singular form, only plural, depicting
God as a plural, depicting God as a
plural entity, and denotes the fullness
o f His plurality.
Thirdly, the word Adonai means Lord.
In most English Bibles the first letter
is capitalized and the remaining letters
are lower case. The word Adonai
e n c o m p a sse s
th e
fo llo w in g
attributes: sir, judge, the one in
charge. God formed the male part o f
man(kind) in the image and likeness
o f his Adonai measure, which is His
masculine expression. The male was
made as a sir, judge, and the one in
charge.
Finally, the word El Shaddai, means
Almighty Breasted One. This word is
translated as “Almighty God” in most
Bibles. The word El Shaddai is a
com pound w ord, but only “E l”
(Almighty God) has been translated.
The adjacent word “Shaddai” has
been left untranslated. Shaddai means
“the One with Breast.’ Therefore a
better translation o f El Shaddai is
“Almighty Breasted One.” The word
e n c o m p a sse s
th e
fo llo w in g
a ttrib u te s : m u ltip lie r o f seed ,
■■■■■
Love is such a precious gift. I am speaking of a love that
does not ask for performance, achievement, fame,
glory or even good behavior, to exist. This is mother
love - unconditional love. When you watch a mother
bird beset by three, four or more young hatchlings to
regurgitate her food to feed them, this is the sacrifice
o f mother love. Love without conditions is a sacrifice.
What is sacrificed is self-interest... the attitude, all too
prevalent in America, o f “w hat’s in it for me.”
Mothers today are breadwinners as well as home
keepers. They work harder today than women did 100
years ago. It is time our society recognized their great
sacrifice and contribution to the whole. When I was
divorced twenty years ago, 1 worked two jobs, went to
school at night, raised two children and kept up a
house and yard. I do not call it a “home” because 1 was
never there. The price, in personal sacrifice was
enormous. There were no day care centers then and
only my network o f women friends (also raising children
alone) saved my sanity. There were four o f us in a two-
block radius. It was our shared experience o f being
divorced, parenting and also trying to earn a living that
brought us together.
At the 1996 Conference on Women in Beijing, China,
there were several roles identi fied that our world needs
the most today.
These roles consisted o f teaching, mentoring, feeding,
c a re -g iv in g , c o u n se lin g and re s to rin g the
environm ent.. .all qualities o f unconditional love and
caring - beyond self-interest.
Our society has been over-focused on the external
(getting things, looking good, and having money)
while giving little value to internal qualities (being
kind, compassionate, truthful, and trustworthy).
These qualities come about because of the constancy
o f unconditional love, patience, caring and believing
—
e rd an
nothine. Now.
- it
it saw
saw, h herd
and d felt nothing.
Now,
M ay 9,h marked the 50,h anniversary
o f the book Dianetics by L. Ron
Hubbard, and the 51 -yearanniversary
o f the first published article on
D ianetics, “Terra Incognita: The
M in d ,” W hich appeared in the
Explorers Club Journal. But what
the date really heralds is a quiet, half-
century revolution in thought. The
subject? Prenatal Influence.
L est it be forgotten, b efore the
lan d m ark se lf-h e lp c la ssic was
published, the “everybody knows”
used to be - not, as the recent USA
Today headline proclaimed, “The
W omb is No Haven,” but rather, the
womb was a wonderful place to curl
up and wait. The viewpoint that
prevailed until the early 1950s was
that the unborn child was a vegetable
the virtually universal end-of-the
century idea is that mothers should
take care to avoid harmful stimuli and
p ractices such as sm oking and
alco h o l, because the fetus is a
sentient being - not only aware o f
everything but subject to all manner
o f dangerous prenatal influences.
But what brought about the cultural
reversal? As Dianetics rose to the top
o f the New York Times bestseller list
in the summer o f 1950, it provided
conclusive proof that any individual
could go back into the past, to
conception itself, and recount who
was there, what was said and what
went on.
A nd th o u sa n d s o f in d iv id u a ls
reading and using the book found
themselvescurled up in fetal positions
w h ile they practiced D ianetics
techniques.
CONTRIBUTEDSTORY
eor T he
P ortland O bservek
DOR SHENI, a singing group made
up o f children o f fam ilies who
immigrated to Israel in the fifties from
M o ro cco , T u n isia and o th e r
Mediterranean countries, will perform
onSunday,May 14,2000,4 pm., at the
Mittleman Jewish Community Center,
6651 SW Capitol Highway, Portland.
DOR SHENI in Hebrew means second
generation.
This group o f teens, who are the
second generation o f Israelis, whose
parents immigrated to Israel, have
become a symbol o f integration and
assimilation among Israeli youth.
They sing their personal stories in
Hebrew, English and even Yiddish.
alone, for example, five scientific
studies are quoted that purport to
show the relationship between stress
in the womb and later adult illness
and behavior.
T he la te st g o v e rn m e n t stu d y
published by the National Center for
Health Statistics, “Health, United
States, 1998,” reported that death from
our leading killer - heart disease -
continued its decline, down 12% from
1990 to 1996.
Given the clinical corelations between
stressed mothers, higher fetal heart
rates and concomitantly higher risks
o f heart disease, and the growing
e m p h a sis on p re g n a n c ie s and
childbirth free o f toxicants and
disruptive anxieties and noise, it may
be no coincidence that US adults are
living longer. Or that nearly 18 million
people have read L. Ron Hubbard’s
classic - Dianetics.
“His Banner Over Us Is Love”
eor T he P ortland O bserver
M e m b e rs o f the O re g o n and
southwest Washington Chapters of
the non-denom¡national Full Gospel
B u s in e s s
M e n ’s F e llo w sh ip
International have combined efforts
to sponsor the 37,h Annual Pacific
Northwest Regional Convention to
be held May 11 through May 13,
2000. The three day event, which is
open to the public, will be held at the
A irport Holiday Inn located at 8439
NE Columbia Blvd in Portland near I-
205.
This year’s theme is “Putting on the
W hole Armor o f God” taken from the
Bible Scripture F.phesians6:10-17. The
convention will include testimonies,
teachings, ministry, music, praise and
prayer.
The
fe a tu re d
sp e a k e r
is
internationally known evangelist and
book publisher, Charles Capps. He
has authored twenty one books with
DOR SHENI is known in Israel
through their participation on Israeli
TV and many tours. It is their first time
performing in Portland.
This special M other’s Day concert
costs $7/adults, $3/children. There is
no charge for mothers if accompanied
by their children. It is co-sponsored
by the M JC C and th e Jew ish
Federation o f Portland.
.________ ____
HBHHI
The book spawned all manner o f
scientific studies. In 1969, Dr. L. W.
S ontag inform ed the A m erican
Association for the Advancement of
Science that experiments with sound
had proved that “the fetus is not in a
world by itself.”
In the 1980s, Dr. Thomas Vem y
published The Secret Life o f the
Unborn Child, wherein he declared a
c h ild ’s perso n ality to be quite
significantly shaped by prenatal and
birthing experiences - all o f which
became the standard o f the natural
childbirth movement through the late
1970s and early 1980s.
Come forward now to the late 1990’s
- w here after five decades the
scientific and medical communities
have finally begun to seriously catch
up w ith the discoveries o f Mr.
Hubbard.
Just in recent pages o f USA Today
over six million copies in print along
with the production o f numerous
teaching tapes. Charles will share first
hand experiences o f how Christians
can apply a working knowledge o f
the world ofG od to the circumstances
in their lives.
Another speaker, Bill Swad, Sr. From
Columbus, Ohio is a very successful
car dealer and author o f four books
including “How I Got Millionaire
Mentality”. He has many exciting
stories to tell.
A special luncheon speaker, Mickey
Brown, one ofKirby (Vacuum Cleaner)
C om pany’s top distributors will
explain how it has always been “easy
come, easy go” .
The C onvention starts Thursday
night at 7 pm. and concludes with a
Victory Banquet Saturday evening.
The
c o n v e n tio n
in
non-
denom inational and open to the
public. There are no costs excepting
the meal charges. For additional
information or a brochure, contact
world.
To remove the veils o f sel f-deception we must recognize
the value and power o f loving. Help to make the
unconditional love o f mothers visible, not just on
M other’s Day, but for all time. It calls each one o f us to
a higher standard.
Mother’s Day concert with “Dor Shen i”
Ob itUHIV
Dianetics discovery: 50-year anniversary of prenatal stress
CONTRIBUTEDSTORY
in the intrinsic worth o f human beings. But, how do we
convince a world based on domination and control that
unconditional love will be its salvation?
Jesus taught and practiced unconditional love
for all people. In doing so, he called his followers to a
higher standard than that o f “sinners” who loved only
those who did good to them. Paul wrotein 1 Corinthians
13 that this love is patient and kin d .. .is not arrogant or
rude...does not insist on its own w ay...endures all
things. This is the love that leads to a life o f non­
violence. Unconditional love is the one who has “love
for enemies.” Not that we become victims to tyranny.
But the only way to put an end to tyranny is to reach for
a higher standard and demonstrate love. It challenges
the norms o f a “macho” society that is in love with
exaggerated memories o f its “Wild West.” But, what
would the world be like without the love o f mothers?
Understanding and practicing unconditional love would
go a long way toward reducing violence, crime and
unlove seen everywhere. Mother love is the example.
Christ had many female disciples, yet most o f them go
unmentioned in the gospels because in a highly sexist
society women are invisible. Their good works are taken
for granted as the natural biological imperative. Perhaps
women are socialized to sacrifice for men and children,
but in this process, women have learned the greatest
lesson human beings have to learn - how to love.
Unconditional love is not some weak and ineffective
power. Jean Houston o f Renaissance women says, “It
is the power that will save us from ourselves.” To be able
to transcend self-centered consciousness, we must
look to our mothers for examples. Notice all the times that
they willingly and carefully serve their children and the
Co-chair, Peter Reding at 503/292-
2161.
V
In loving memory
Melody Terrell McLemore
S u nriseJune28,1967
Sunset May 2,2000
Melody McLemore was bom in San Francisco, California in 1967 and lived in
the Portland area since
1972. At the age o f 32,
Melody died from Sickle
Cell Anemia. Melody
w as a m e m b e r o f
Fellowship MBC. She
leaves to cherish her
m em ory: D au ghters,
Qialeah Strickland and
M arnesha Strickland,
M other C arol Battle,
F a th e r
Jam es
M c L e m o re ,
S iste r
Cynthia Smith, Brother
Jo h n S ta ffo rd , and
Fiance Kevin Henry.
M elody’s viewing was
held at KLCC-M. Neal
on May 6 at 1 pm.
a »?
a U
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