Marianne Williamson

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Marianne Williamson
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 newest book, THE AGE OF MIRACLES:Embracing the New Midlife was published in January 2008 and spent five weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Her latest professional venture is a weekly radio show on "Oprah and Friends", which airs on XM radio. [3]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Williamson was born in Houston, Texas, United States, North America. She was raised in a Jewish household.[citation needed]

As a rebellious child of the 1960s[citation needed], Williamson has openly admitted to have delved in drugs and alcohol, as well as having a string of broken relationships.[4]

Williamson 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] Although 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. She resigned as a result of a controversial attempt to dissolve the church's formal ties to the Association of Unity Churches.[citation needed]

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]

Williamson is a former jazz nightclub singer and is a single mother of a daughter.[8]

[edit] Philosophy

A minister in the Unity Church, the driving force behind Williamson's philosophy is to offer a New Thought approach to spirituality.

She addresses both established Christianity and Judaism in statements such as "You've committed no sins, just mistakes." Her earliest renown was for her talks on A Course in Miracles, a step-by-step method for choosing love over fear. She credits her breakthrough to Oprah Winfrey who invited her on to The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss Williamson's first book A Return to Love, a book of which Oprah bought one thousand copies.[9]

[edit] Trivia

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The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

- She has erroneously been linked to an urban myth concerning Nelson Mandela's 1994 inauguration speech as president of South Africa.[10]

- Her poem, "Our Deepest Fear," was referred to in Coach Carter, when a wayward youth finds the courage to live his life with greater responsibility and integrity. It was also used in the movie Akeelah and the Bee (2006) to motivate a young girl to be her best.

[edit] 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.
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.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Knapp, Gwenn (2006). StarBios Report for Marianne Williamson. MOTTASIA Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-07-12.
  2. ^ Marianne Williamson - The Miracle Matrix
  3. ^ Marianne Williamson - The Miracle Matrix
  4. ^ amapedia: Marianne Williamson: A Course in Miracles - or a Course in Double Speak?
  5. ^ Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly . PROFILE . Marianne Williamson, Part Two . November 28, 1997 | PBS
  6. ^ Faith: Marianne Williamson Is Full of It
  7. ^ Faith: Marianne Williamson Is Full of It
  8. ^ amapedia: Marianne Williamson: A Course in Miracles - or a Course in Double Speak?
  9. ^ Dr Wayne Dyer's Inspiration radio show, 2 April 2007, about 7 minutes 50 seconds and 8 minutes 30 seconds from start
  10. ^ Ehlers, Matt (2006). newsobserver.com, Light from an unexpected source. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.

[edit] External links

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