Adult Spirituality Group notes, 6/24/2012

We're trying something we've never done before --> reading an intense and vivid novel, The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant.  On the back cover is synopsized:

     "Her name is Dinah.  In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the move familiar chapters of her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons in the Book of Genesis.
     "Told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoil of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent.  It begins with the story of her mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob.  They love Dinah and give her gifts that are to sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land.  Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate, immediate connection.
     "Deeply afffecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's society."

For June 31, please read to discuss:

1. Bible:  Genesis 34 1:31
2. Red Tent:  Chapters 5 & 6, pp 147-179