3C: Feminist Theology Flashcards
(123 cards)
1
Q
Androcentrism
A
Centred on men’s needs
2
Q
Androgynous
A
Having a combination of male and female characteristics
3
Q
Bibliolatry
A
Worship of the Bible
4
Q
Christolatry
A
Worship of Jesus
5
Q
Feminism
A
The advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes
6
Q
Golden Thread
A
Ruether’s term for the underlying theme of the Bible focused on the freedom from oppression, critiquing systems of power and establishing equality
7
Q
Hermeneutic
A
A way of reading/interpreting the Bible
8
Q
Hermeneutic of Suspicion
A
Ricoeur’s term for the way we should interpret the Bible - we should be suspicious of places where it seems to go against freedom and equality
9
Q
Idolatry
A
Focusing worship on something other than God
10
Q
Misogyny
A
Hatred of women
11
Q
Oppression
A
Unfair treatment of a group, where their rights are not fully reflected
12
Q
Ordination
A
Official process of joining the clergy (eg becoming a priest or bishop)
13
Q
Patriarchy
A
A system set up by and for the benefit of men
14
Q
Prophetic Critique
A
The idea that the prophets of the OT, and Christian leaders since then, offer criticism of unfair social systems
15
Q
Reconstructionism
A
Reconstructionists believe society and the church need to be reconstructed to enable women to have freedom of choice and to flourish within religion
16
Q
Sexism
A
Prejudice, discrimination or stereotyping based on gender
17
Q
Quote from Ruether about feminism
A
“Feminism is a critical stance that challenges the patriarchal gender paradigm that associates males with human characteristics defined as superior and dominant and females with those defined as inferior and auxiliary”
18
Q
Is Christianity anti-women?
A
Not necessarily anti-women, but pro-men
- no females were involved in writing/developing the Bible
19
Q
What did Harriet Taylor believe in regards to feminism?
A
- Wrote the book ‘Enfranchisement of Women’ (1851)
- Believed women should have equal voting rights, equality in marriage law for financial independence and divorce and equal pay
- Married to JS Mill and co wrote his ‘On Liberty’
20
Q
What did Mary Wollstonecraft do in regards to feminism?
A
- wrote a Vindication to the Rights of Women (a response to Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ‘Emile’ which proposed a girl’s education should aim at making herself useful to and supportive of a rational man’
- died shortly after giving birth to Mary Shelley (the author of Frankenstein)
21
Q
Who was Betty Friedan?
A
- Analysed women’s roles in the 60s in ‘The Feminine Mystique’ (1963)
- Discovered that women were dissatisfied with their homemaker role
22
Q
Who was Simone de Beauvoir?
A
- wrote ‘The Second Sex’ (1949)
- Argued that women suffered from false consciousness: accepting a passive role as wife, lover, homemaker, child-reared and their own mindset needed to change
- Women need to abandon the idealised eternal woman imposed on them by men and so be freed to be the women they choose
23
Q
Quote from De Beauvoir
A
“One is not born, one becomes a woman […] it is civilisation as a whole that produces this creature, intermediate between male and eunuch, which is described as feminine”
24
Q
Quote from Friedan
A
“The feminine mystique has succeeded in burying millions of American women alive”
25
What is third wave feminism usually associated with?
sexual assertiveness and ‘ladette’ culture
26
How have Christian theologians generally viewed gender roles?
- women as equal in principle but possessing different roles from men
- has often meant that women have been treated as second in status to men
- many Christians see women as created to be wives and mothers: their roles are to facilitate procreation and take care of the household
27
What are some examples of the view the Jesus had female followers?
Luke 10:38-42;
- Jesus visits the home of Mary and Martha
- Martha is concerned Mary has been spending too much time in prayer and worship, neglecting her household duties
- Jesus tells Martha that Mary’s spiritual life is of equal importance and to let Mary follow her desire to connect with God
- Supports the belief that Jesus viewed women as possessions equal roles to
men in spiritual matter and that women should not be relegated to mere household duties
28
Why are the teachings in Paul’s letters problematic?
- put forward a Christian doctrine that there are specific gender roles and even gender hierarchies
- Ephesians 5:22-23: “Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are the the Lord”
- 1 Corinthians 11:7: “Woman is the reflection of man”
29
What passages from Paul’s writings suggest a broader equality between men and women?
- Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Jesus Christ”
30
What is Mulieris Dignitatem?
- an apostolic letter written by Pope John Paul II in 1988
- concerned with outlining the Church’s position on gender roles in light of changing secular values
- takes a broad look on women in the Bible, analysis their place in Catholic tradition and drawing on the example of Jesus as a support of women’s dignity and importance
31
What does Mulieris dignitatem say about Mary?
- She embodies the virtues and roles that women are encouraged to emulate because she is one of the people who is most intimately connected with God
- She possesses a role only a woman could have and symbolises the relationship with God that humanity should hope to achieve
32
What does Mulieris dignitatem say about Eve?
- glorifies her role as a ‘helper’ for Adam and stresses the virtues of motherhood and virginity
- warns against the ‘masculinisation’ of women and the ‘emasculinisation’ of men
33
What is Ruether’s key idea?
Male/female roles are a product of socialisation - in reality, both men and women are androgynous. Christianity is traditionally androcentric
34
According to Ruether, what are some of the traditional views of men/women influenced by?
1. Genesis story of Adam and Eve: Eve was created as a ‘helpmate’ and was the temptress who led to the fall of mankind.
2. Aristotle’s view of women as ‘begotten males’
3. Mankind was created by the Father and saved by the Son. Implies men are higher
(all of these lead to idolatry of maleness)
35
Who are the traditional role models of Christianity and why does Ruether have a problem with them?
Eve (subservient and fallen), and Mary (virginal and pure)
- Ruether sees them both as disempowering
36
Why does Ruether think the maleness of Christ is irrelevant to issues of salvation?
Because we are saved by his incarnation as a human, not as a man
37
Ruether thinks that we should adopt Ricoeur’s ‘hermeneutic of suspicion’, what does this mean?
We should be suspicious if the Bible promotes inequality
38
What does Ruether mean when she argues that we need a ‘feminist hermeneutic’?
If the Bible doesnt affirm the full
humanity of both men and women, then it is invalid
39
What is Ruether’s new vision for Christianity?
1. Marginalised forms of Christianity which centre more on the power of the female (Gnosticism and Montanism)
2. The prophetic tradition: the prophets called out traditional power structures and spoke out for the vulnerable and oppressed
40
What does Ruether want to do with the clergy?
If there must be a clergy then there should be female ordination - women must be seen as leaders in Christianity. BUT she would prefer the Church to abandon the clergy - she promotes setting up base communities focused on equality with equal roles and no hierarchy
41
Quote from Ruether about sexism as sin
“Sexism is gender privilege of males over females. It is makes primarily who have originated this form of oppression, benefitted from it and perpetuated it, legally and ideologically.”
42
Why does Ruether see sexism as sin?
- Sin is anything that separates humankind from God.
- For Ruether, the androcentrism of the church artificially separates women from God and is therefore a sin
- Sexism is sinful because it denies the full humanity of women, who are made in God’s image
- Sexism also involves the sin of idolatry, Ruether believes the church has artificially elevated maleness and created an idol of it.
43
What does Ruether mean by androcentrism in the church?
The Bible tends to focus on men and their needs
44
What does Ruether believe notions of feminine and masculine to be?
cultural constructs - ideas of femininity have been continued by the patriarchy in order to disempower women
45
What does Ruether say the only real difference between men and women are?
their reproductive roles
46
What is exegesis?
Attempting to discover objective meanings in a text
47
What is a diachronic exegesis?
Reading a text while keeping in mind how the language of the text would have been understood then vs now
48
What does Ruether aim to uncover and why?
How particular parts of scripture were stood at the time it was written vs how they’re understood now in order to reconstruct a gender-equal theology within Christian thought
49
What is Ruether focused on in her methodology?
How the ‘God male-female’ hierarchy emerged over time and how a gender neutral/female oriented version of Christianity might exist beneath embedded cultural attitudes
50
What is feminist hermeneutics?
A set of principles that aim to uncover the male formed assumptions/biases/influences behind the Bible
51
What is the hermeneutic of suspicion?
Considering how people may have previously interpreted texts and what they might have personally gained from interpreting them a certain way
52
How does the hermeneutic of suspicion apply to the Bible?
Its interpretation through history has been primarily from a male perspective and so Christianity has evolved in line with what benefits men the most in a patriarchal environment
53
How is the Bible a product of patriarchy?
It emerged from a world of hierarchy with males in charge
54
How does the Biblical construct of feminine and masculine perpetuate patriarchy?
They are reflected in a male clergy and continued tolerance of injustice and inequality
55
What did Ruether argue Jesus to be?
A radical and progressive figure which contrasts the warrior type Messiah who would’ve been expected by the Jewish population
56
What does it mean to say that Jesus’ maleness is accidental rather than essential?
His maleness is not an important part of understanding his teaching. The fact that Jesus was born a man cannot be used to reinforce traditional patriarchal hierarchies as endorsing the superiority of men, because this would contradict his earthly teaching
57
Why does Ruether think it is damaging to use male terms when referring to God?
It marginalises feminine perspectives in theology since power, wisdom and goodness are symbolically presented as being masculine ideals
58
What does ‘Sophia’ mean?
‘wisdom’ - a gender neutral term but often describe with female pronouns
59
What does Ruether argue about the term ‘sophia’?
It was used as a metaphor for the Logos (word) before the maleness of Jesus led to preference for male terms when describing the trinity.
60
Quote from Proverbs 9:1 about ‘Sophia’
“Wisdom has built her house”
61
What does Ruether mean by ‘golden thread’?
- a consistent set of running themes throughout Christian scripture that emphasise the importance of liberation (eg emphasis upon wisdom or the egalitarian nature of Jesus’ teaching)
- raises up both men and women
- any interpretation of God with emphasises maleness fails to do the role of liberation justice in scriptural teaching because women are naturally implied to be less perfect than men
62
How does Ruether think we need to reconstruct concepts of God?
- gender neutral terms should be preferred when referring to God
- if gendered terms are used, it should be an equal mixture of genders rather than just make
- to turn God into the male is a form of idolatry that serves men’s interests
- Ruether believes God is genderless in principle
63
What is the name of God in the Old Testament and what does it mean/suggest?
Yahweh - means ‘no name’ or ‘I am who I am’
- suggests God is without gender - above and beyond it
64
How does Ruether think we need to reconstruct concepts of Jesus?
- overt references to his maleness should be downplayed if it is accidental rather than essential
- it is more theologically accurate to exclude male focused narratives of Jesus’ life that don’t focus on his egalitarian and liberation focused principles
65
What does Ruether say about the Eschatological Community?
- believes in patriarchal Christianity there is too much focus on achieving an afterlife than on living a redeemed life in the here and now
- she argues the eschaton (last days) is brought into being now in the redeemed community
- new communities are seen in hints of how the first Christians pursued a radical departure & a new lifestyle: they lived in communes and held all things in common
66
How does Ruether believe the church can be redeemed?
forming new base communities with justice at their heart
67
What does Ruether say about clericalism?
It is a product of patriarchy and should be rejected
68
Quote from Ruether about clericalism
“Constructing a church of liberation from patriarchy requires dismantling clericalism”
69
What kind of Christian communities was Ruether arguing for?
Ones that embrace justice and liberation from patriarchal structures
70
How was Ruether inspired by the Early Church and by marginalised communities such as the Montanists?
She was inspired by Priscilla and Avila: female prophets who indicated leadership roles for women
- Priscilla claimed a night vision in which Christ slept by her side, she adopted a priestly ministry with direct voices and visions from God
- Montanists were persecuted and ultimately suppressed with violence in the sixth century
71
Why does Daphne Hampson criticise Ruether?
She accuses Ruether of misrepresenting the profoundly historical nature of Christian patriarchy
72
Who is Daphne Hampton?
A Post-Christian who argues the church is irredeemably sexist and cannot be reformed
73
What are Hampson’s 3 criticisms of Ruether?
1. Sexist historical roots of Christianity: Ruether overlooks the deep-rooted sexist elements in Christian history.
2. Incarnations Doctrine is sexist: God “sent his son”. Metaphors for God are male. God calls Jesus “My Beloved Son, whom I have chosen”, Christian creeds ask us to affirm belief in “Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord”
3. Symbolic world is sexist: Christ’s revelation is full of patriarchal symbols and messages. Good Samaritan is male, Prodigal Son has property divided between two men, when Jesus visits Martha & Mary - Mary is cooking and Martha is commended for sitting at Jesus’ feet.
- Hampson: “we do not have stories of a man sitting at the feet of a female teacher”
74
What is Mary Daly’s key idea?
Christianity is too androcentric and misogynistic to be reformed
75
What is Daly’s view on gender in society?
- Society has fixed ideas of nature and potential of men and women: a “sexual caste system”. Women are second class citizens.
- ‘Feminine’ characteristics are assigned by patriarchy, and help sustain the patriarchy
- Women should strive for an androgynous form of life, not ‘feminine’ values
76
Who was Mary Daly?
an American feminist philosopher and theologian who described herself as a “radical lesbian feminist”
77
What are Daly’s problems with the Church/Christianity?
- the Church is ‘irredeemably patriarchal’
- Male leadership, male images of god, male saviour: all of this excludes women
- “If God is male, then the male is God”: patriarchy makes God out of man, and places him above woman
- Women are damaged by membership of the Church, seen as subservient and not fully human
- This means that women cannot flourish while they stay in the Church
78
Why does Daly see God as a verb, not a noun?
- Daly believes God is treated as a noun (object/thing), not a verb (a dynamic force)
- If we see God as an object, then woman is also an object, and is always below Him
- This objectification leads to the ‘unholy trinity’
- Seeing God as a noun leads to Christolary and Bibliolatry
- We need a new way of conceptualising God as a dynamic force and process of doing and becoming
79
Why does Daly believe that Christianity must be abandoned?
- She believes the Bible is too gender biased to be useful and the Church is too patriarchal for redemption
80
What does Daly believe women should do after abandoning Christianity?
Form their own communities of sisterhood, rooted in sisterly support and with no hierarchies. The sisterhood cannot be found in the church and so women need to become ‘Post-Christian’ and anti-church
81
What is the unholy trinity?
rape, murder. genocide
82
What does Daly believe the Original Sin really is?
the way the Church sets up a hierarchy leading to objectification
83
Quote from Cunningham about Daly
“the gold standard of absolute feminism”
84
What are the names of Daly’s books?
‘Beyond God the Father’ (1973)
‘The Church and the Second Sex’ (1968)
‘Gyn/Ecology’ (1978)
85
Why does Daly see God and Jesus’ maleness as problematic?
because in any patriarchal work these aspects will always be interpreted as representing the superiority of man over woman
86
What does Daly mean by the ‘metaphorical castration’ of God?
the very language of God needs to be cut away at its root for the God-concept to be liberated
87
What did Christianity represent for Daly and why?
A step backwards.
- it’s endorsement of Jesus as a unique male saviour only supports its justification of male superiority in theology
88
What does Daly mean when she says Christian thought has encouraged a ‘scapegoat psychology’ among men?
that women are a source of temptation and meekness for them is an ideal virtue
89
What does Daly believe about Christian ethics?
it is a male construct; a consequence of patriarchal influences shaping the prevailing moral system to suit their own ends
- this mean women’s morals and virtues are focused around ‘victimisation’
90
What are some examples of rape in the Bible?
- David‘s rape of Bathsheba and his son Amnon’s rape of his half sister
- Judges 21: Benjaminites are “saved from extinction” through the mass rape of women from Shiloh
91
What is the image of women in Biblical texts?
- they are responsible for maintaining their “sexual purity” to ensure that they remain “undamaged” for men
- women who do fulfil feminine ideals (eg Bathsheba who is described as “very beautiful) tend to attract negative, often violent, male sexual attention
- women are constantly blamed both in the Bible and contemporary culture, for their rape
92
What is the story of Susanna?
A “very beautiful” Biblical woman who is spied on by two elders while she’s bathing. They conspire to coerce her into sex: “We are burning with desire for you […] If you refuse we will testify against you”. Her beauty is to blame for attracting the attentions of the elders. Her testimony isn’t believed and it takes a man, Daniel, to advocate for her and rescues her from execution after she refuses the elders’ offer. He says “Beauty has beguiled you and lust has perverted your heart”. Her rape is implicitly blamed for being targeted.
93
What does Daly argue in ‘Gyn/Ecology’?
Christianity is a construct of male power and also consists of pre-existing myths that have been subverted and stolen from pre-Christian beliefs in other ancient religions
- She tried to show that Christianity as a whole is based up older goddess myths and stories
- She identifies the Trinity as having been formulated prior to Christianity in the triple goddess figures in Hellenistic, Celtic and African cultures
94
What does Daly describe Mary as?
‘The Total Rape Victim’
- through the virgin birth,Mary is made to be subordinate; she’s stripped of her agency in deciding whether to carry Jesus and spiritually invaded by God while giving little resistance
- She is devoid of personhood in Daly’s eyes: a hollow vessel exploited by Christian tradition
95
Why does Daly cast herself as a pirate?
Because she is taking back the personhood and divinity that Christianity stole from women
96
What does Daly argue about activities of the priest?
they are designed to reify aspects of ‘women’s work’, meaning that women are further excluded from the church
97
What female attribute/role does the priest’s activity of baptism mirror?
laundry and housework
98
What female attribute/role does the priest’s activity of Holy Communion mirror?
cooking and feeding
99
What female attribute/role does the priest’s activity of penance (confession) mirror?
offloading problems; similar to nurturing, emotional labour
100
What female attribute/role does the priest’s activity of extreme unction mirror?
mothering and nursing
101
What female attribute/role does the priest’s vestments/robes mirror?
fine fashion
102
What does Daly mean by ‘misterectomy’?
refers to it as a ‘fool proof’ solution for women to rediscover our ‘women-loving love’
103
How does Audre Lorde criticise Daly?
- she claims Daly refuses to acknowledge the ‘HERSTORY and myth’ of WOC
- the severe oppression WOC have suffered outweighed the discrimination of white women
- there’s a racial bias to Daly’s work and a racist indifference to the minorities who suffer great oppression
- Applies the hermeneutic of suspicion that feminist theology is white and middle class
104
What are some similarities between Ruether and Daly?
- Both agree Christianity is patriarchal and androcentric
- They agree that Christianity has elevated men above women and provide poor role models for women, excluding them from religious and spiritual fulfillment
105
What are some differences between Ruether and Daly?
- Daly sees Christianity as irredeemable and that women can only become reconciled with God if they abandon Christianity and begin a new religious enterprise that develops a new God language
- Ruether ultimately believes the God language of Christian thought does not have to be abandoned, just reconstructed alongside more egalitarian principles
106
What does ordination mean?
the process and ritual by which someone is welcome into the priesthood
107
Which denomination allows female ordination?
Protestant: Church of England and Anglican communion
108
Which denominations forbid female ordination?
Roman Catholic and Orthodox
109
What is the Liberal view on female ordination?
it is in line with the liberating tradition of the gospels to allow women priests
110
Why does the Catholic church not allow female ordination?
because it values tradition as immutable truths from God. If they change their position then it relinquishes the notion that it provides immutable truth
111
Why did Pope Paul VI believe that ordaining women to priesthood is impossible?
- Jesus’ selection of male Apostles
- the Church’s historical practice in only choosing men
112
How does Ordination Sacerdotalis defend Jesus’ decision to choose people according to his will?
He chose people according to
his will; in union with the father and “through the Holy Spirit”
- the 12 men were not given a function that could be exercised by any church member: they were intimately associated with the mission of the Incarnate Word
113
When and who was the first woman ordained in the Anglican Communion?
25 January 1944 - Florence Li Tim-Oi
114
Who is Libby Lane?
the first female Bishop in the Church of a england - ordained in 1994 and made bishop in 2015
115
In what decade did ordination of women begin in Hong Kong, the US, Canada and New Zealand?
1970s
116
In what decade did ordination of women begin in Kenya and Uganda?
1980s
117
In what decade did ordination of women begin in Ireland, Australia and England?
1990s
118
Points to suggest that women SHOULD be ordained
- taking on the role of a priest/bishop is a job so it could be considered unethical to discriminate against women in the recruiting process
- women played an important role in Jesus’ ministry (eg the first to witness his resurrection) and took leadership roles in the early church
- Biblical arguments against women teaching men were written for a specific group in a specific time: not meant to be taken as universal rules
- refusal to ordain women is at odds with mainstream views on gender equality: the church may appear old fashioned and could risk losing members
- NT: “all are one in Christ” regardless of sex/social status/heritage: link to Crossan who saw Jesus as a social revolutionary, implying that to not allow female ordination is contradicting to the values of Jesus and the NT
- women don’t have to portray Jesus (exactly as a man), they only need to portray his values and life lessons, meaning that they are more than qualified to be ordained in the Church
- it is allowed by many Protestant Church’s
- Galatians 3:28: “In Christ there is no male or female”
- Romans 15; “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church”
- Ruether: Jesus’ maleness was accidental rather than essential
- Jesus was restricted by the age he lived in- if he chose women as disciples then he would have been unlikely to have been listened to
119
Points to suggest that women SHOULD NOT be ordained
- NT suggests women are not permitted to teach or have authority over men
- the Bible teaches that God became incarnate in the male sex, and one of the roles of the priest is to represent Christ to the congregation: could be considered inappropriate for women to be ordained
- Movements towards ordaining women has led to lack of unity; eg it has resulted in the formation of breakaway groups and the loss of ordained Anglican ministers to the RCC
- Denominations around the word have radically different views towards female ordination, creating a rift in the unification of the Christian Churches, therefore disconnecting them
- not allowed by Catholic and Orthodox churches
- 1 Corinthians 14 says women should remain silent in Church
- Man was created first
- Jesus only had male disciples: implies he didn’t think women would be suited
120
Points to suggest men and women ARE equal in Christianity
- Galatians 3:28: “In Christ there is no male or female”
- Genesis 1: male and female made at the same time
- Female leaders in the early Church and now in many Protestant churches. C of E now has woman bishops
- Ruether: Jesus is in the prophetic tradition and came to save the oppressed, including women
- Jesus was radically pro-women, particularly the picture in the gospel of Luke
- Christianity teaches love, respect and justice for all people regardless of gender
121
Points to suggest men and women ARE NOT equal in Christianity
- Many churches are against female ordination
- Women had to obey men within marriage; husband as the ‘head’ of the wife (Ephesians)
- Traditionalists argue men and women are ‘equal but different’; women are expected to take on the role of mother and wife
- Negative influence of Genesis story of Adam and Eve: Eve was created as a ‘helpmate’ and was the temptress who led to the fall of mankind
- Aristotle’s view of women as ‘misbegotten males’ influences Aquinas and through him the Church
- Some Christian groups have been at the forefront of movements to deny women access to contraception, abortion and similar health services
- Daly argued the Catholic Church has oppressed women for centuries; used as a token woman. Also argued the Catholic Church limited women’s development by focusing on the ‘Eternal Feminine’ (belief that the true nature of women is to be passive and their fulfillment stems from womanhood)
122
Points to suggest that feminist theologians HAVE made an impact on belief and practice in Christianity
- Many Protestant churches have ordained women since the 1970s
- 2014: Pope Francis said he would consider women as deacons
- Church of Sweden recently announced it was moving to gender neutral language for God
- Women’s movements exist within the Catholic and Orthodox churches
- Some churches have feminist discussion groups/support women’s refuges as part of commitment to bringing social justice
123
Points to suggest that feminist theologians HAVE NOT made an impact on belief and practice in Christianity
- Most Christians still belong to denominations that don’t ordain women
- Vatican I promised equality in the Catholic church but this hasn’t worked for women
- Feminist Theology has had little or no impact on conservative and evangelical churches: no female leadership and a literalist approach to scripture (especially around leadership and marriage roles)
- Male language and imagery are still dominant in most churches
- majority of Christians continue to worship in churches were women cannot be ordained
- Pope Francis states ‘that door is locked’ in response to questions about the ordination of women as priests
- Even churches that will ordain women allow churches to opt out from ever having a female priest
