MARIANNE WILLIAMSON

'Marianne Williamson' (born July 8, 1952)^[1] is a spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of The Peace Alliance, a grass roots campaign supporting legislation currently before Congress to establish a United States Department of Peace. She is also the founder of Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that serves homebound people with AIDS in the Los Angeles area.^[2] She has published nine books, including four New York Times #1 bestsellers. Her latest professional venture is a weekly radio show on "Oprah and Friends", which airs on XM radio. ^[2]

Contents

Biography

Philosophy

Trivia

Marianne Williamson's Books

Reference

External links

Biography

Marianne hails from Houston, Texas, and was raised in a Jewish household.
As a rebellious child of the '60s, she has openly admitted to have delved in drugs and alcohol, as well as having a string of broken relationships.^[4] She sought spiritual awakening and discovered "A Course in Miracles," a self-study system written by a Columbia University professor who believed Jesus had dictated the words to her. ^[5] Though initially turned off by the heavy emphasis on Christianity, she was able to reconcile it with her Jewish faith and popularized the course in her 1992 best-seller, A Return to Love^[6]
Williamson served as head pastor of Renaissance Unity Interfaith Spiritual Fellowship before she resigned as a result of a controversial attempt to dissolve the church's formal ties to the Association of Unity Churches.
Williamson describes herself as "a mix" who does not fit a particular mold:

"I'm a provocateur. I come into a situation where I don't particularly relate to any of the institutionalized boxes. I'm not a minister, I'm not a rabbi, but I'm totally excited by God and Jesus. So you get this Jewish girl talking about Jesus -- it's going to get attention. It's a juxtaposition that is perhaps interesting. It's similar to what I say about politics in The Healing of America. It's the same with religion. One group says it's this way, another group says it's that way, and a lot of people are feeling that, you know, 'deep in my heart I don't feel it's either way.' Well, neither do I."^[7]

She is a former jazz nightclub singer and is a single mother of a daughter.^[4]

Philosophy

The driving force behind Williamson's philosophy is to offer a New Age approach to spirituality, rather than the ones dictated by organized religions.
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, 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.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
The press has referred to her as a modern-day shaman^[9] a Mother Teresa for the ‘90s^[10] and Hollywood’s answer to God, ^{[11] [12]}
(To be continued...)

Trivia

- She has erroneously been linked to an urban myth concerning Nelson Mandela's 1994 inauguration speech as president of South Africa.^[13]
- Her poem, "Our Deepest Fear," was referred to in Coach Carter, when a wayward youth finds the courage to live his life straight. It was also used in the movie Akeelah and the Bee (2006) to motivate a young African American girl to be her best.

Marianne Williamson's Books

Books	Description
A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course In Miracles	''This book is based on the author's experiences as a teacher and lecturer on the self-study guide A Course in Miracles (Foundation for Inner Peace, 1975), ''
Imagine What America Could Be In The 21st Century: Visions of a better future from leading American thinkers	''A compelling vision of a better America, and a prescriptive call to action for significant positive change.''
Emma & Mommy Talk to God	''We must commit to feeding our children's souls in the same way we commit to feeding their bodies.''
Healing the Soul of America: Reclaiming Our Voices as Spiritual Citizens	''This book is about the yin and yang of American history: the miraculous combination of vision and politics that gave rise to our beginnings...and the current yearning of the American heart.''
A Woman's Worth	''In her unique voice, Marianne Williamson offers uncanny insight into the world of the modern woman.''"our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. it is light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others"
Enchanted Love: The Mystical Power of Intimate Relationships	''A bold and masterful inquiry into what two people really are and how we might become, while still on earth, the angels who reside within us.''
Imagine: What American Could Be in the 21st Century	''A compelling vision of a better America, and a prescriptive call to action for significant positive change.''
Everyday Grace: Having hope, finding forgiveness, and making miracles	''Finding God in the ordinary passions of our days-Marianne Williamson returns to her spiritual roots, writing on the art of nurturing a thriving soul in a harsh world.''
Illuminata: A Return to Prayer	''Illuminata brings prayer into our daily lives.''

Reference

1. StarBios Report for Marianne Williamson Knapp, Gwenn

2. http://marianne.iamplify.com/about.jsp
3. http://marianne.iamplify.com/about.jsp
4. http://amapedia.amazon.com/view/Marianne+Williamson:+A+Course+in+Miracles+-+or+a+Course+in+Double+Speak%3F/id=182176
5. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week113/profile.html
6. http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1997/11/gorov.html
7. http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1997/11/gorov.html
8. http://amapedia.amazon.com/view/Marianne+Williamson:+A+Course+in+Miracles+-+or+a+Course+in+Double+Speak%3F/id=182176
9. “Marianne’s Faithful,”, Bennetts, Leslie, , , Vanity Fair, 1991

10. Mother Teresa for the 90s, Smilgis, Martha, , , Time, 1991

11. “The Divine Ms. W,”, Capuzzo, Mike, , , The Sacramento Bee, 1993

12. "Restoring the American Dream" Interviewed By Daniel Redwood D.C. HealthWorld Online

13.
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External links

★ Official Web Site

★ "That Famous Speech that Nelson Mandela NEVER Gave"

★ Marianne Williamson at Apologetics Index