Art by Norman E. Masters

To begin answering the Question: there is more than one reason -- the politics of patriarchal religious power, control of the minds of believers, & simple ignorance are among them -- but not the *primary* reason.

The fact of the matter is: some early Christian theology (that begot and became the orthodox Church) taught not the religion *of* Jesus, but, rather, their own religion *about* Jesus.

They moved "Jesus Christ" into the role of Sophia. They took everything that Sophia *is* & grafted it upon Jesus. The opening verses of The Gospel According To John are an adaptation of the *content* of Proverbs 8:22-31 transferred from Our Divine Mother *to* Jesus (with credit deserving unto the thought of Philo of Alexandria, of course). Instead of all "Creation" being begotten thru "Sophia" as the "master work*wo*man" -- to orthodox Christianity it was begotten thru Jesus as "the Word". Instead of *Sophia* being the Wisdom & Voice of Our Father -- *Jesus* became the Logos!

This is *not* a role that Jesus ever claimed for *himself*. (But we have to beware the words put into Jesus's mouth. Jesus *obviously* never spoke John 3:16-18 -- so often put in red letters as if he *did*. If Jesus *had* spoken those words he would've used the first person "I" rather than any third person pronouns.)

So the mythologization & deification of Jesus is the Major Reason! The salvivic role of Sophia (revealed in The Wisdom of Solomon IX:18) was *also* transferred to Jesus -- of course!

The Christ Consciousness points *only* to Our Heavenly Father and Our Heavenly Mother. It does not point to *itself* as the "Savior". Thus the Christ Consciousness does *not* praise & idolize Christ, for such would be a "fall" into egoic narcissism & self-glorification.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me." Jn. 14:6

Who is the "I" there? It can*not* be the "I" of Jesus, for, "If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true." (Jn. 5:31).

If it were the "I" of Our Father ("for I and my Father are One") it would read: "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to *Me* but by Me."

So it is *not* Our Father speaking thru Jesus, then. In point of fact -- it was the Holy Spirit, Sophia Shekhina who spoke thru Jesus, saying, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me."

*Sophia* is "the way, the truth and the life" & no one comes unto the Father except by *Her* -- including a "Jesus"! This is substantiated by the Wisdom of Solomon texts -- "...and were saved through Wisdom" -- Septuagint, Wisdom IX:18 & "...by means of Her I shall obtain immortality" -- Wisdom VIII:13.

So the "I" in that most-quoted verse is *not* that of Jesus; it is that of *Sophia*! & once one (thru the grace of Her Spirit) *realizes* this it begets a profound paradigmal-shift in awareness!

Likewise it is *Sophia* who says -- *thru* Sophia's Son, Jesus -- "I am the bread which came down from heaven." (Jn. 6.41) & "I judge no one." (Jn. 8:15) (Sophia does not "judge" -- but God the Father & Jesus most certainly *did*!) & "I am the resurrection and the life." (Jn. 11:25) (It was Sophia who resurrected Her Son "in whom I am well pleased" and *made* of Jesus a Living Christ -- not Jesus, himself!)

This is further verified by Jesus saying, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (Jn. 3:3) Jesus points to his spiritual Mother, Sophia, as being the Way to eternal life -- *not* himself! It was thru Sophia that Jesus, himself, attained eternal life. Being "born" of the Spirit indicates the *femininity* of Her Spirit.

In The Apocryphon of James Jesus said, "Become better than I; make yourselves like the son of the Holy Spirit!"

How *can* one *possibly* do a "greater work" (Jn. 14:12) than Jesus if Jesus is *actually* "The Word" thru whom the entire universe & all life in it was created, if Jesus is "the resurrection and the life" & the *only* way to God?! There is no "greater work" *possible* than those works! Thus Jesus's *own* testimony to the "greater works" than he ever did *proves* the patriarchal falsification of his role -- & points us back to Sophia.

Jesus pointed to the Holy Spirit, Sophia, as the Comforter/Counselor who will "teach you all things" (Jn. 14:6) (as She had taught *him* -- in reality. But in the temporality of the patriarchally-biased world of that time, he *had* to call Her "Our Father").

WHO took over the role of "teaching you all things"? The heirarchy of the patriarchal Church, of course. So the priests of orthodoxy (like the soldiers dividing up Jesus's garments) stole *part* of the role of Sophia (salvivic & thru whom all existence came into being) & transferred it to their *deification* of Jesus (thereby begetting a form of idolatry of Jesus, subverting *everything* he taught by doing so). Another part they took to *themselves* (Counselor/Comforter) -- to the extent that -- according to a relatively recent poll -- tho most American Christians believe in God the Father & Jesus Christ -- nigh unto 50% of them don't believe the Holy Spirit even *exists*!

The *third* part of Sophia's role the orthodox patriarchy gave to the Church! In point of fact it is *Sophia* who is the "Bride of Christ" -- & *not* the Church! (One, of course, has to differentiate between "Pistis Sophia/Shekhina/Protennoia" -- the Spouse of Alaha, Mother of the Christs -- and "Sophia Zoe", Epinoia, the Bride of Christ -- or whatever alternate Naming one uses...)

"The Church" (& far more individuals *outside* the "Church" than members of it) form/s the *Body* of Christ. But the *true* "Body of Christ" (compared to those *aspiring* to *be* of that Body) *has* the Living Christ Consciousness (Sophia *speaks* thru these) -- & has been *born* of Sophia in the mystical "Wedding Chamber of Wisdom" (cf. The Gospel of Philip).

So the orthodox Church has *stolen* from Sophia everything She *is* -- in their attributions -- & attributed it *elsewhere*! It is "The Great Deception"! It was done for the purposes of *their* temporal religious power & Authority to mold the beliefs & minds of humanity.

"...and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me." (Jn. 14:24) In point of fact: "...the word" is *Sophia's* -- for the Father speaks *thru* His Wisdom -- who is Sophia.

Then the orthodox "Fathers" took on the role of "the Father, Himself" unto *themselves* to their congregations! -- to the degree that one elderly Roman Catholic i know told me, "I always thought when we were praying the 'Our Father' that we were praying to the Catholic priests in Heaven!"

The *existence* of Sophia, as the Holy Spirit, utterly *subverts* the Church heirarchy's role of standing in the *stead* of Our Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit as intermediaries unto the Divine! They *had* to eliminate mention of Sophia to *do* this -- for the true Holy Spirit *eliminates* any *need* for them!

The Church (as an institution) wants to continue its role as teacher, guide, mentor -- drawing unto themselves the heirarchical respect for their *position* & knowledge; the *last* thing this temporal institution wants is genuine *equality* in Her Spirit of the *entire* Body of Christ -- wherein She speaks thru *any* and *every*. (A few denominations -- like Quakers -- have been the exception to this.)

Jesus pointed us *only* to the Holy Spirit -- & not to *any* institutional heirarchical intermediaries!

For orthodoxy to acknowledge the existence of Our Divine Mother *undermines* all their worldly Authority -- "Authority" they have stolen unto *themselves* from the Spirit, Herself.

They were *entrusted* with the Keys to the Kindom of Heaven -- & neither entered, themselves, nor allowed *others* to enter.

Karen Olsen has said it this way, which *can* be illuminating:

"The Divine Child identified with Christ is born in each of us, being the True Soul, Buddha Nature, Higher Self, Christ Consciousness, Nous Christos or 'Mind of Christ', or Holy Wisdom incarnate. If God is Spirit and Ground of Being, then the reference to the Divine Child or Son of God is not talking about a specific physical person or entity. Rather, it is the truest part of each of us; the artist, writer, actor, astronaut, singer, musician, composer, farmer, fisher etc. -- whatever life we most long for, that for which we forget everything else, the pearl of great price. The birth of a baby is done by the parents, but the birth of the True Self or Soul is the Virgin Birth, accomplished by Spirit through each of us. This, I think, is the true meaning of both the Virgin Birth and this 'born again' business; they are, in fact, the same thing. The Divine Child or True Self is that which is too often crucified/sacrificed by the 'real world', or by each of us caving in to the dictates of 'hard reality'. However, it can and will rise again. It is stubborn, the spirit that refuses to lie down and die. It is the True Soul that redeems our neglect and denial of it as it rises again through its reconnection to Earth -- and Spirit-Source, within the Virgin Womb-Cave of Holy Wisdom/Shekhina/Sophia." -- Karen Olsen

This one points to Mother Sophia as being "the pearl of great price", after Whom none of the other pearls are *needed*. For She is the "direct connection" to the Divine Immensitudes.

& those who love Her "with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind" receive the Divine Beneficience... unto Her Blessings' sweetest blissings.