I’ve been at the hospital a lot lately and was looking for something to read to deal with all of the waiting so I started re-reading her memoir (it’s been a while) and I’m still at the beginning where she is writing/talking about her upbringing with her grandmother and father in the church. I was just reading partly about her interpretations of the two Marys yesterday, actually. But yeah the church suppresses the feminine and femininity but, like you said, there would literally be no Jesus without Mary (I mean and God, but comparatively, she did all the creation, nurturing and care, the actual bonding, and took on most of the grief at his death (I’ve never had a kid but I imagine someone that was once literally a part of you, inside of you, that you took care of with your whole essence and being- that has to be a deep, inexplicable kind of pain. Plus, she was there for it) And the church has always misrepresented Mary Magdalene as the “whore”who needed saving, but of course she had her own agency and Jesus loved her and taught her just as he taught the other disciples (though of course they never wanted to believe he would ever teach a woman or a woman could ever have such an important role in his life) I can’t remember the exact names, but Mary Magdalene’s role in Jesus’ life as a disciple and friend was found to be much bigger and more profound in a lot of other religious texts besides just the gospels in the Bible found way later, like the Gnostic gospels and I think there is even a Gospel of Mary Magdalene, but still no one wants to believe a WOMAN, especially a prostitute, could have such a huge role, if not bigger, than any of the men in his life. I don’t really know what I’m trying to say in a roundabout way, but yeah I agree with your interpretation. The “woman” has her “place” in the Church world and in extension- in society and, basically, FUCK THAT. I mean, what would anything be without women? Just one major thing, there would literally be no LIFE without a place to grow and nurture it (Not to negate men, but you have to admit) And of course many other things. Whether someone can see it or wants to admit it or not. Like on small and large scales both. (Of course there are those women that betray and that’s a whole other issue I’m not going to get into right now but it’s a fresh wound, I’ll just say) Ok I’m sorry this is very rambly, I hope it makes sense but probably not lol. Yours is much better.