New historical comic may save your sex life

[drjdmcwilliams]

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/8193/escapegrownupfrontuploa.th.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/escapegrownupfrontuploa.png/)

She was raised in bloodshed and nurtured to accept abuse, but can God still save her – and you?

Find out in “Escape of the ‘Sinful Woman’: How Mary Magdalene Escaped Sexual Hangups and Habits from Abuse and How You Can Too!” It’s volume one of a new graphic novel series about an ex-prostitute who helped found the Christian church. The drama faithfully follows the Bible, adding details and insights from scores of other ancient and modern sources.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Mary Magdalene herself, a chubby, bookish teenager struggling against cultural restrictions on women and girls. Religious war, harsh traditions and sexual confusion nearly destroy her, but a daring young revolution tells her that God still loves her. Further, she learns that God is about to visit Earth in person to help fix people's problems! But will God appear in time to save the day?

This gripping, fact-based story is written and illustrated by Dr. J.D. McWilliams, a lawyer-journalist who has helped hundreds of battered women with court cases, who has written for several daily newspapers, and who has helped lead a Christian couples ministry. Dr. McWilliams carefully documents the facts of Mary’s story, and then builds on them to bring history to life. Dr. McWilliams also weaves in sexual history and sex education that readers will find useful and insightful.

Additionally, Dr. McWilliams illustrates the story with images that draw inspiration from a mix of classic “high art” like Michelangelo and Gustave Dore and classic cartoon art from the likes of Jack Kirby and Frank Frazetta. To preserve the old-world feel of the story, the narrative and dialogue are chronicled in sort of a “Prince Valiant”-style under the images. But the main character’s concerns are totally contemporary: How do I deal with tragedy? How do I live with my crazy family? What do I do with my sexuality?

Dr. McWilliams has authored two separate editions of volume one: one for teenagers (15+) and one for grownups. The difference between the two is evident in a battle scene on the opening pages. Mary’s family of Israeli revolutionaries is cornered by a platoon of Roman soldiers, and the two factions cross swords. The teen version of the scene is action-packed, but no more graphic than an old John Wayne movie. The grownup version, by contrast, is more like a scene from the epic “Saving Private Ryan.” Yet both versions show the traumatizing realities of the world in which Mary grew up.

The trauma continues as Mary copes with confusing messages about womanhood and sexuality. Ancient Israel was ruled by the Roman Empire, a culture of legendary perversions. Yet Mary struggles to follow Israel’s One True God, whose moral standards differ from the Roman Emperor’s. The teen and grownup editions of the story give different levels of detail about Mary’s experiences, but both versions promote the message that God will love and help you no matter how far you’ve fallen.

Join Mary Magdalene’s quest of faith in volume one of “Escape of the ‘Sinful Woman’”! The teen edition is available as a 288-page paperback on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Sinful-Woman-Magdalene-Escaped/dp/1461139821/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307644107&sr=8-2, and the grownup edition is available as a 298-page paperback on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Sinful-Woman-Magdalene-Escaped/dp/1460966821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307652648&sr=8-1.

Also, if you’re in the greater Nashville area, you can attend book signings at the Comix City Too! bookstore at 1442 Gallatin Pike North, Madison, Tennessee, on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
May God bless you in your quest for righteous spiritual and sexual fulfillment.
For more information, contact Dr. J.D. McWilliams at drjdmcwilliams@yahoo.com or on www.Facebook.com/drjdmcwilliams.

[dupont2005]

I thought the official position of the Catholic Church is now that Mary Magdalene was never a prostitute

[UltimateVenom]

It's merely the author taking creative liberty by using a fictional character loosely based on characteristics mentioned in the Bible.

I would assume, because surely no self-respecting "Dr." would say without a doubt that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute.

[dupont2005]

The synopsis had me confused thinking it was going strictly by scripture but I thought the Magdalene/whore thing was just tradition and not actually supported by scripture. I'm still kind of confused, is this supposed to be a lampoon or some sort of serious attempt at discussing domestic abuse and scripture in comic book form?:confused:

[UltimateVenom]

I don't know. If it is indeed a serious attempt, they author sure chose a hell of a medium to share his ideas. Sort of reminds me of those pamphlets you'd find back in the '80's about why rock music was evil and stuff.

[dupersuper]

This gripping, fact-based story

"Fact based"?

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

I thought the official position of the Catholic Church is now that Mary Magdalene was never a prostitute
Where does OP mention the Catholic Church?

edit: Or I should ask, what's the significance on what the Catholic Church rules? OP never said s/he is Catholic. And the Catholic Church doesn't speak for every Christian.


I thought the Magdalene/whore thing was just tradition and not actually supported by scripture.
scripture only says she was an adulterer, had "evil spirits", a woman of means (i.e. could make her own money), and implies she had long hair - an alleged indication of a prostitute for the times.

Add those 4 up and it's assumed she was a prostitute.

[drjdmcwilliams]

Where does OP mention the Catholic Church?

edit: Or I should ask, what's the significance on what the Catholic Church rules? OP never said s/he is Catholic. And the Catholic Church doesn't speak for every Christian.


scripture only says she was an adulterer, had "evil spirits", a woman of means (i.e. could make her own money), and implies she had long hair - an alleged indication of a prostitute for the times.

Add those 4 up and it's assumed she was a prostitute.

Dear Friends,

I apologize for letting so much time pass before noticing the conversation about my graphic novel. It is, in fact, based on highly documented facts, and you will find footnotes at the bottom of each page telling you where to find more information. You will also find an extensive bibliography at the back of the book. The above reasons are commonly cited as evidence that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute -- although the evidence regarding her hair had more to do with how freely she showed it in public. Ancient Jewish women tended to keep their hair hidden under veils. When a woman publicly displayed her hair, people tended to assume that she came from a background of low morals. Further, the Bible calls Mary Magdalene a "woman of the city" in the story about her wiping Jesus' feet with her hair. "Woman of the city" was sometimes a euphemism for "prostitute." However, Christians have additional reasons to believe that Mary Magdalene was prostituted, and you can explore these in my book and in the sources that it cites.

The Bible itself is the most authoritative source of information about Mary Magdalene, and thus I rely primarily on the Biblical account, rather than on pronouncements from the Catholic church or any other denomination. The Jewish Talmud, an ancient commentary on the Bible, also has many references to Mary Magdalene, and I draw on the Talmud's account to help fill some details of the story. Early post-biblical Christians (so-called "church fathers") also refered to Mary Magdalene and her contemporaries.

Further, Mary Magdalene was frequently discussed by a group of pseudo-Christian heretics called the "gnostics." Although the gnostic descriptions of Mary Magdalene (the inspiration for "The DaVinci Code") are unscriptural and riddled with theological and historical nonsense, the gnostic accounts may give us useful clues about the type of life that Magdalene lived BEFORE her conversion. Based on comparisons of the Bible, the Talmud, the church fathers, and the gnostic accounts, I believe that the seven demons that possessed Magdalene before her conversion were demons related to the Egyptian cult of Isis-Hathor. That cult tried to infiltrate early Christianity through gnosticism. Early Christians repeatedly state that the gnostics promoted prostitution and orgies, and the gnostics themselves often portray prostitution as a sort of spiritual initiation. Thus, I believe that Mary Magdalene was a sexual-abuse victim who was prostituted by a gnostic Isis cult, possessed by seven demons during her cult membership, and then saved from abuse by Jesus and his disciples. After Magdalene was saved, she would have given up all gnostic and Isis-related ideas and would have been a faithful Christian, among the women who were "in one accord" with the apostles at Pentecost in The Bible's Acts 2. Thus, Magdalene is an example of how God can take an abuse victim, and any person with a tainted sexual history, and can transform that person into a godly, self-respecting Christian. Magdalene is also an example of how God can use women to promote his gospel.

I can't go into all the details of my narrative, and all the ancient sources supporting it, in this posting, but I encourage you to read my book and all of the sources that I cite in the footnotes and bibliography. After you do that, you should feel assured that my account is based on a solid foundation of facts, regardless of what any specific denomination teaches.

By the way, an ancient pope gave a speech that largely endorses my interpretation of Magdalene's story, despite the fact that the Catholic Church started teaching a different version in the 1960s -- long after the events at issue. The Catholic Church changed its official interpretation of Mary Magdalene’s story at a time when the women’s movement was presenting new challenges to the church hierarchy, and when doctrinal arguments about birth control and related sexuality were growing controversial. Thus, some critics allege that Catholicism changed its view of Magdalene for political reasons. The prior view that Magdalene was saved from sexual sin and became an “apostle to the apostles” was changed to the politically comfortable view that Magdalene had always been celibate and that she never filled any leadership position in the church.

Ultimately, the Bible is the final authority. The Bible is the oldest and most reliable account of Magdalene's story. The second-oldest and second-most authoritative source is ancient historical documents that help us better understand the Bible. By contrast, modern pronouncements from church leaders are less authoritative regarding ancient history. I am sorry that I may offend some people by saying that, but the Bible and ancient historical documents will always trump the authority of modern prognosticators, including me. So, please examine my book and my sources and give me feedback on them. Read carefully and open-mindedly, and let me know if you find any contradictions in how I use ancient sources to back up my points. Thanks in advance, and God bless you.

Respectfully,

Dr. J.D. McWilliams