When God Was a Woman
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When God Was a Woman is the U.S. title of a book (©1976 ISBN 0-15-696158-X) by sculptor and history professor Merlin Stone. It was published earlier in the UK as The Paradise Papers.
When God Was a Woman discusses the history of Judaism and sister ancient religions, and advances the theory that it was the Goddess - not the God - who was the principal deity. Stone discusses the rise of misogyny and hatred of goddess worship within Israelite society and makes connections there from to the later development of Christianity. She makes assertions on the spiritual evolution of Western society which may be fairly considered more assertive than they are expository.[citation needed].
Archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, Biblical academics, and other scholars of ancient cultures have not been enthusiastic about the book[citation needed]. They take issue with the premises and conclusions Stone has drawn about the societies that produced them[citation needed]. . Her lack of academic background in the social sciences works against acceptance of the book, particularly among those academics in history and the social sciences[citation needed].
