Marianne Williamson

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Marianne Williamson
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Marianne Williamson

Marianne Williamson (born 8 July 1952 in Houston, Texas, U.S.) [1][2] is a spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of the The Peace Alliance, a grass roots campaign supporting legislation currently before Congress to establish a United States Department of Peace. She has been characterised as "an ex-cabaret-singing Jew from Texas", [3] and is sometimes associated with an urban myth concerning Nelson Mandela's 1994 inauguration speech as president of South Africa.[4]

The press has referred to her as a modern-day shaman[5] a Mother Teresa for the ‘90s[6] and Hollywood’s answer to God, [7] and failed to credit her for working with dying AIDS and cancer patients and the homeless on L.A.'s streets. [8] Williamson founded the Centers for Living, an organization dedicated to providing home-delivered care for people with life-threatening diseases, and has participated in fund raising activities for charitable causes. [9]

Her debut work A Return to Love begins ""The journey into darkness has been long and cruel, and you have gone deep into it. What happened to my generation is that we never grew up. The problem isn't that we're lost or apathetic, narcissistic or materialistic. The problem is we're terrified." [10] As of 2006 HarperCollins had published eighteen of her works. [11]

Williamson's monthly lectures are not strictly Christian, and that has been the central core of her appeal. She addresses both established Christianity and Judaism in statements such as "You've committed no sins, just mistakes." She teaches love and common sense as all religions do, but she does so in the irreverent language of the Seventies. Her earliest renown was for her talks on A Course in Miracles, a step-by-step method for choosing love over fear.

[edit] Controversy

Scholars and skeptics do not see anything new in Williamson’s message, which is rooted in the “Urtext” of the Course in Miracles, a series of writings supposedly dictated by Jesus to Helen Schucman, a non-religious psychologist who frequently debunked her own mystical experiences. Skeptics see the Course as a New Age fusion of Christianity and Eastern religions, and Williamson’s particular take is flavored by her personal experiences with 12-Step Programs.

[edit] Reference

  1. ^ Knapp, Gwenn (2006). StarBios Report for Marianne Williamson. MOTTASIA Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-07-12.
  2. ^ Parkyn, Chetan (2004). Human Design System Article. Winsett, Kip. Retrieved on 2006-07-12.
  3. ^ Montefiore,Simon Sebag (1992). Marianne Williamson: Who is she & why do we need her now?. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  4. ^ Ehlers,Matt (2006). newsobserver.com, Light from an unexpected source. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  5. ^ Bennetts, Leslie (1991). "“Marianne’s Faithful,”". Vanity Fair June: 179.
  6. ^ Smilgis, Martha (1991). "Mother Teresa for the 90s". Time June (29): 60.
  7. ^ Capuzzo, Mike (1993). "“The Divine Ms. W,”". The Sacramento Bee May (30): D3.
  8. ^ Hailson,Donna F. G. - CRI (1996). Marianne Williamson: From Inner Healing to the Healing of America. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  9. ^ HealthWorld Online (1995). "Restoring the American Dream" Interviewed By Daniel Redwood D.C.. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  10. ^ Williamson,Marianne (1996-2005). Return to Love RI by Marianne Williamson from HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  11. ^ "HarperCollins Publishers. Author/Title search results. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.

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