Gender And Theology

Question 1

Liberation theology

Answer 1

Movement in Christianity that focuses foremost on the the problems of injustice

Question 2

Davidic messiah

Answer 2

The expected warrior messiah by people

Question 3

Servant messiah

Answer 3

Ruethers idea of Jesus having female characteristics like self sacrifice and forgiveness, to show how Jesus could’ve been female

Question 4

Which book in the Old Testament speaks about the wisdom as a female principle

Answer 4

The wisdom of Solomon

Question 5

What did Paul describe Jesus as

Answer 5

The wisdom of God which suggests he is the incarnation of the female wisdom principle

Question 6

Strengths of feminist inspiring change

Answer 6

• Jesus maleness isn’t essential to his nature so god may not essentially be male, women can relate to faith more
• priests don’t need to be male as Jesus didn’t need to be male, greater female presence in church
• Jesus spent a lot of time with women which shows women have a role in the church as they had a role with Jesus

Question 7

Weakness of feminist thought inspiring change

Answer 7

• Theological exploration isn’t relevant for day to day believers
• CofE allowed women to be priests but it is declining
• Too many years of Christian patriarchy to overcome and change

Question 8

Why does daly want to abandon Christianity

Answer 8

She believes the church is so inherently sexist and founded in patriarchy that it should be abandoned

Question 9

How did daly change the word spinster

Answer 9

Used to be a derogatory word for women but she changed it to make women realise they must transform society to free it from Christian patriarchy, into an Amazonian age where women had to become superior to men

Question 10

What Is Dalys famous quote

Answer 10

If god is male then male is god, shows that the idea of god as male comes from men to favour men

Question 11

Transvaluation

Answer 11

Christianity should be radically changed with a new starting point

Question 12

How did Nietzsche influence Daly

Answer 12

In Declaring god is dead there is a new way of thinking that can emerge

Question 13

Dalys idea of a be-ing

Answer 13

Ongoing process of creativity in mother nature that only women can access which is her new starting point for society

Question 14

Strengths of Dalys argument

Answer 14

• 2000 years of patriarchy is too inherent to reform so spirituality should be explore in other ways
• focus on nature demonstrates essential aspect of the world better than a deity like god
• use of language engages people into a shift in consciousness or see the state of the world.

Question 15

Weaknesses of Dalys argument

Answer 15

• Doesn’t consider non educated, non lesbian or non western women. Alienates other women
• her thinking is based on a hatred of men and not Christianity itself so her call for abandonment is misinformed
• pronouns like He for god are simply linguistic devices and don’t define god as he is ineffable and genderless.

Question 16

Ruethers Goddess theology

Answer 16

In early Judaism god suffers for people like a mother so a goddess, this can be applied in Christianity with Jesus as the female aspect of the trinity

Question 17

Dalys examples of sexism in the bible

Answer 17

• Virgin Mary as a victim of rape as a passive figure and the total rape victim, the way the church reverences her supports the view of women as passive and abusable.
• Women are to blame for the fall of mankind as it is eve who first ate the fruit of the tree.

Question 18

Dalys unholy trinity - Genocide

Answer 18

Idea that one group can have complete power over another group and destroy them, example of rape and all men are rapists so man commits genocide, church ban abortion so women must have unwanted children that are products of rape

Question 19

Dalys unholy trinity - Rape

Answer 19

portraying women as passive they are raped literally and metaphorically as men commit armchair rape in enjoying pornography, rape is assumed as normal in the bible in genesis 19.

Question 20

Dalys unholy trinity - War

Answer 20

War comes from male dominated aggressive approaches to life and phallic mentality, wars in the bible normalise this.

Question 21

Why christianity is not sexist

Answer 21

• Biblical texts are products of their societies , so if 21st century society isn’t exist that christianity doesn’t have to be, warrior Jesus comes from warrior Roman times
• Jesus himself wasn’t sexist as he broke taboos of his day to interact with women so christianity isn’t sexist

Question 22

Strengths of a male saviour

Answer 22

• Jesus gender wasn’t essential as he was god incarnate, he sacrificed himself for all people
• women’s ministry shows material equality so there can be spiritual equality.

Question 23

Weakness of a male saviour

Answer 23

• Jesus dying on the cross is a symbol of male enjoyment of pain, sexual dominance over women as his death only saved men
• Jesus is perfect so men are perfect and women can’t be women
• salvation needs a pure relationship with god through prayer, this is too difficult to women to develop with a male

Question 24

Strengths of women in genuine spirituality

Answer 24

• Daly has only women as accessing genuine spirituality as only they can access the creative aspect of human nature to join with be-ing.
• women tend to make deeper relationships so it is more likely they will develop more genuine spirituality

Question 25

Strengths of men and women in spirituality

Answer 25

• spiritual female writers in Christianity like Theresa of Avila who had visions of Jesus.
• church says both genders have a perfections that reflect the infinite perfection of god, so can both access a spiritual relationship with god

Question 26

Strengths of God in Female terms

Answer 26

• Ruether argues God must be presented in female terms to put behind patriarchal ideas
• Jewish god had female wisdom aspects in goddess theology, which is considered normal for the Old Testament

Question 27

Weaknesses of God in female terms

Answer 27

• church states must be a physical resemblance between priest and Christ so women can’t be priests and maleness is essential in Jesus and god.
• everything about god is gendered to a male
• God is beyond gender and ineffable so cannot be presented in either male nor female terms.

Question 28

How does Nietzhze support Daly

Answer 28

Women must go beyond religion, atheism

Question 29

How does Hampson support Daly

Answer 29

• Female sacrifice in the bible
• salvation through christ enforces patriarchy
• Agape love is patriarchal as it focuses on one party sacrificing, Philia is more equal
• Some bible stories like genesis, Ephesians are inherently sexist

Question 30

How does Fiorenza criticise Daly

Answer 30

Jesus offers salvation for women enslaved by patriarchy, as they can take strength from images of Jesus helping women, Mary Magdalen

Question 31

How does Chan criticise Daly

Answer 31

Father language is necessary in Christian belief as it reinforces god as coming before creation, Mother Nature came with creation, enforces trinity beliefs

Question 32

What does Reuther argue Jesus was

Answer 32

A servant messiah who focused on helping people and criticising corrupt power, this is in line with female characteristics and female wisdom in Sophia

Question 33

What does Ruether refer to God as

Answer 33

Gaia, female quality of god which is present in Mother Nature that was present in ancient times but had been consumed by patriarchy

Question 34

How does Chan criticise Ruether

Answer 34

Many religions with female gods were still patriarchal, (romans), so this would have no difference, reinforce point of god needing to be father

Question 35

How does Hampson criticise Ruether

Answer 35

Christianity is too interwoven with patriarchal tradition to be reinterpreted in a a feminist sense, Ruethers methods are impossible and chrisitianty must be abandoned