This course cuts through the fear and shame based tenants of religious myths that keep us from the transformation that we all long for. I am grateful as a psychologist to finally find a theology that elevates God and mankind and does away with sacrifice! Read further…
Dr Michael Regier
my awareness of ordinary, daily, human humbug has undergone a slow, surprising, “awakening”. Read further…
– John Kirstein
Riveting open discussions on all the “forbidden” subject matter, that you would not dare mention in church circles, are exactly what we touch on in the Mimesis Academy! Read further…
– Ben and Larize
Jesus died and rose for us, but why? How do these things make a difference? Andre and Mary Rabé’s Mimesis Academy provides us with a language and meaning around these topics which seem astonishingly new, yet which have been there all along, and they are as transforming to hear as they are healing to the whole destructive path humanity is set upon.
Based in the revolutionary bible-sourced anthropology of René Girard, the Academy moves us away from traditional pay-offs by Christ for the price of sin, and reveals instead the overwhelming truth of God’s plan to transform his creation falsely mired in original violence. …read further
– Anthony Bartlett
Learning and unlearning with the Mimesis Academy has been the best and worst thing that has happened to me. It wrecked me in the best possible way! I felt a strong sense of an ending as I read, stumbled, fumbled for words, wrote, reflected, healed and shared my thoughts, my world, my foundation, in a safe space weekly. It’s been a beautiful and refreshing way to learn – my voice counted in this family and nobody ‘marked me’ or ever felt offended/intimidated by my lens as we all shared deeply. It’s been paradise and brought incredible inner healing to my heart! Read further…
– Kirstin Shaw
When I first began Mimesis Academy, I was surprised to discover that questions, uncertainty, and being wrong were a welcome and even necessary part of the experience. There was complete freedom to explore with no judgment present in the process. Questions were not dangerous. They were a gateway to freedom and growth and the discovery of a God who was more loving than I had ever dreamed. …read further
– Patricia
On the surface, Mimesis Academy looks very academic, and it is, but it is more than that. Don’t let the name fool you. It sneaks up on you and takes your heart and soul for a ride. I started out studying it and found it studying me. Like a unified field theory uniting multiple disciplines in a common understanding of what it is to be fundamentally human, mimetic theory’s scope is so far-reaching it is hard to exaggerate. This course is not for those who wish to shore up their beliefs or to become more certain of what they already know. There were many times when I had “Why didn’t I take the blue pill?” moments, alternated with moments of epiphanic “ah ha’s.” Once you see certain things, you can’t unsee them. If you are certain in your faith, it will shake you. If you are shaking in your faith it will certainly bring you joy. But most profoundly, it brings an understanding of the Gospel that is more ancient than our interpretations, clearing the cobwebs of the traditions of men and our doctrinal speculations. While the material presented in Mimesis Academy is essential, it is the space of love and acceptance that is carved out here by Andre and Mary-Anne Rabe in the online portion of the course, that becomes this womb of such great conversation, that it brings us to the edge of our seats in a space that makes ready a cradle for the birth of the metanoia moment in anyone who has ears to hear and who is willing to discover what “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no heart has imagined.”
– Britt
Spoiler alert! – This course has changed my view of God beyond what I expected and it means a profound change for moving forward with my faith. The comments of my new found friends on the course echo a similar transformation. You will need time to process your new thoughts and read the references that far exceeds the relatively short time to read the weekly lessons. But it is worth it for the excitement it brings in seeing who God is and what is written about him in a very different light.
– Mark
One of the best decisions I’ve made was to take the leap and take the Mimesis Academy Course! My world has been revolutionized in the best of ways. Read further…
– Adrienne
I was keen to embark on this course having come to a huge crisis of faith. …eternally grateful. Read the full story…
– Fiona
I thank my classmates for your participation in this ongoing discovery and your honest and vulnerable dialogues.
– Tom
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that the Bible could be so exciting!
– Patricia
To say this has been revolutionary for both of us – individually and as a couple – would be an understatement …
– Rudy & Michelle
Deciding to do Mimesis Academy somehow felt as if it would be a ‘point of no return’ for me … and this foresight proved right.
The conversational format of the course is one of the most effective ways to really internalize complex concepts. Good questions from others led to further explorations, and “not knowing” or “being wrong” were no longer hindrances to play and seek.
I can’t express the freedom and energy gained as fear is just gone …read further
– Vera
This year has been so beautifully transformative for me.
… the notion of my autonomous “self”, as I’d previously conceived, turns out to be of no substance without the collective influence and inspiration of its far more vast counterpart, otherness. Learning about our movements of desire… that flow within the space between our intricate webs of relationships, pushing and pulling us beyond our control and largely beyond our awareness has been such an immense realization …read further
– Bobby
… it articulated something that God had been building inside of me all along… that I only now felt permission to gaze upon… look for…and explore… I’m so THANKFUL.
– Aly
There have been so many untruths exposed in such a short time in these forums. Ultimately what it is doing will help me to love like I never loved before.
– Lori
If you want to experience a radical shift in your understanding of humanity, God and life then do this course. Overall, a far clearer picture of the biblical subversion of rivalry, scapegoating, mythic projection, personified evil and atonement. Further understanding of Girard, mimesis, sacred violence and literary methods …read further
– Steve
Oh my gosh I love this class so much. I live for Sunday’s assignment. Some of the conversations have been catalysts for extraordinary healing, and others threw me into ecstasy with God …
– Melissa
As never before, I see the profound intertwining of anthropology, history, psychology, religion, art, politics, theology, literature, sociology, astrology, and magic/mythology that gives meaning to our world.
– Reuben
Wow, how my seeing and hearing has expanded through everyone’s stories, perspectives and discipling in this class thus far! I thank all of you for being so open, honest …and studious! I have learned so much!
These are some of the benefits I enjoyed from the program so far:
A new confidence in uncertainty is forming that is creating space for more intimacy and trust in relationships. I am no longer as afraid of being wrong and this invites people into my circle.
The awareness of both positive and negative mimesis has guided me through (even recently) relationship conflicts because I can see where they have come from as well as where and how to direct them. No more need to return to the Tree of blame and shame…
– Kathy
