Theology Flashcards
(40 cards)
Mary Daly’s main quote about sexism in Christianity
“If God is male, then male is God. The divine patriarch castrates women as long as he is allowed to live on in the human imagination.”
Mary Daly criticised which ‘Fathers of Christian tradition’?
Tertullian - saw women as the ‘devil’s gateway’ and said women were the reason for the Fall and why Jesus had to die for everyone.
Augustine suggested women were not made in the image of God.
Aquinas saw women as ill-conceived males.
Martin Luther suggested Adam was Lord of all and Eve spoiled this.
What is ‘rapism’
A culture of rape.
This is a symbol of all violent oppression within a society that encompasses: nuclear arms race, racism, man made poverty and ecological disaster.
In Daly’s unholy trinity, she brings up rape as a whole lot of violence towards women. What are the problems that arise from this?
She includes hysterectomy, which is actually sometimes done as a medical procedure to deal with heavy periods. It shouldn’t really count as ‘rape’.
What is the problem with Daly’s ‘arm chair rapists’ argument?
Not only men watch pornography. Women do as well. Usually pornography isn’t something that is forced to create, it is often by consent of a man and women.
Bring up OnlyFans
What is one example of Rape in the Bible that Daly mentions, and how can you criticise this?
Daly references Judges 19, where scoundrels arrive at a house demanding to abyuse a guest staying and the host offers his virgin daughter and concubine. They rape the concubine to death.
However, she misses out the rest of the story, and is just cherry-picking. She actually leaves out the fact that the host is outraged, and gathers his whole village to find the scoundrels and go to kill them.
What did Daly say about Genocide?
There is a deep link between rape and genocide (deliberate killing of a large group of people).
Male sexual violence forms the basis of military interests. (The men try to protect their country, not have sex, ridiculous)
It is not just an act on the individual but is instead part of a group of ‘raped people’.
Daly presents the argument of ‘war’ with two examples:
Bengali women being raped by West Pakistani soldiers, and Moses enraged after a campaign against Midian because the commanders had spared the lives of all women.
What is the problem with the first example?
The first example has no link with religion - how can you blame sex/rape blindly with war? It’s historically present in non-religious interests.
What is phallic morality and phallic mentality?
Penis driven morals and reasoning
USE RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
What did Daly say women should do as a result of patriarchal society?
Reject all moral standards, as they’re designed by men to subjugate women
What was Mary Daly’s conclusion, and what are the problems with this?
Jesus Christ is the ‘symbolic legitimation of the rape of all women and all matter”. This is because the underlying culture of rape, genocide and war is impregnated within Christianity itself and these elements are so fundamental to Christianity that leaving this culture means leaving Christianity.
Firstly, Christianity is built on the New Testament, and many ideas about war and rape are from the Old Testament. Christianity was built in a patriarchy, it didn’t create it.
Secondly, calling Jesus a symbiolic legitimation of rape is crazy. He is one who worked with women to free them from oppression. Mention the stoning incident.
Thirdly, Lisa Sowle Cahill believed that the Church actually protected women by banning adultery, polygamy, etc.
Furthermore, does this mean leaving behind all history as well? There’s so much wrong with the past, not even including Christianity.
What is quintessence?
The highest essence of being which lives, loves and creates. The spirit that permeates all nature, giving life and vitality to the whole universe.
Daly said there should be a turning away from the fixed nature of sacred places and the maleness of God, and turn to quintessence.
Simon Chan’s criticisms of Daly
It’s not as simple as saying ‘God is male’. The Christian idea of fatherhood, as embodied in the Trinity, is unique.
Daly seems to gloss over, according to Chan, the focus that God is the heavenly father and creator of all = universal fatherhood.
Chan reminds us that the male language for God does not create masculine qualities for God. For example, in Isaiah 54, God as husband who acts with ‘deep compassion’.
Elisabeth Fiorenza’s criticisms of Daly
The Bible supports women’s struggles against partriarchal sexism such as when Jesus breaks sexist customs.
Matthew 26:6, when Jesus goes against the disciples, who had been shaming a woman who had poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ head.
What did Bonhoeffer accuse German Christians of?
Not confessing their faith.
Not being true to their discipleship
Not following the commands of God
What was Bonhoeffer’s discipleship composed of?
Exclusive obedience to the leadership of Jesus and the will of God, placing it above the law and any human leadership. This entails cutting yourself off from previous existence.
This act of obedience is the only real faith.
God’s call demands action. No time to think things through. Bonhoeffer called for ‘single-minded obedience’, just as Jesus called Peter to risk his life and walk on the sea.
Reason, conscience responsibility and piety all stand in the way of obedience.
Suffering and sacrifice are inherent to discipleship for anyone who follows Jesus because they must pick up his cross and follow the path of suffering that Jesus walks.
In what ways did Bonhoeffer commit civil disobedience?
He spoke out at a university he worked in (lost his job), in public lectures (was banned), in illegal seminars.
He argued that Hitler was the anti-Christ and is believed to have joined the plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944.
What is the difference between Cheap Grace and Costly Grace?
“Cheap Grace is the deadly enemy of the Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjack’s wares.” (The cost of Discipleship)
It criticisises that Christian living should be easy and comfortable, full of reward with little struggle. Bonhoeffer is concerned that people think because Jesus died for everyone that God’s grace is just given out for free to everyone.
Costly Grace is the “treasure hidden in a field”, the idea that you would gladly sacrifice everything for. It’s costly because it calls us to follow Jesus and that means making changes to our lives and our decisions.
Example of solidarity in Bonhoeffer’s life
After 21 days of living in America in safety, he returned to Berlin to share in the time of suffering with the German people.
That sharing of suffering included his decision to get involved with the Resistance including passing on information to the Allies and smuggling Jews to safety into Switzerland under the guise of being a member of the German military intelligence, thanks to his brother.
Some objections to Bonhoeffer
Bonhoeffer over emphasises suffering as a concept of discipleship. Bonhoeffer lived at a time of extreme ideologies (communism and facism) and great suffering (Great Depression). He is stuck on the cross.
Bonhoeffer’s interpretation of God’s will could be wrong. He became involved in an assasination attempt which contradicts Jesus’ teachings on violence. This could be the result of uncertainty about God’s will.
Christianity should be inclusive and adopt values of modern age. Bonhoeffer encouraging us to follow God’s commands not trends of the day but state loyalty is important today.
Strengths of Bonhoeffer’s theory
His message is about solidarity not just suffering. Many people suffer injustice, illness, betrayal or bereavement. They can find consolation through friendship.
Common life together reduces risk of distorted meaning. Bonhoeffer advocated a life in a community based on shared reflection and reading of scripture. i.e. seminary he led. Only through common life with the Bible that we can understand all of the Bible not just the parts we want to read.
Bonhoeffer’s challenge to abandon comfortable Christianity gives people prospect of meaningful life. In western societies there is an obsession with material benefits and self-interest alongside deep sense of unhappiness.
Why did Aquinas believe that Christianity worked well with science and observation?
He was influenced by Aristotle - by looking at the world and the cause and effect cycle is one possible point. Uncaused causer.
What did Cicero believe about Natural Theology?
Many people and many different cultures have adopted the idea of there being an infinite being. So we have this innate sense of God?
How do we, as humans, have an innate sense of the Divine?
We are born with a sense, due to many cultures/religions adopting this idea of an infinite being. (Cicero)
We are made in the Image of God, the spark of Divinity could imply that there is something in humans which is designed to seek and respond to God.
Seed of divinity (sensus divinitas) - Calvin proposed that we have an innate sense of God.
Epistemic distance - thinkers like Hick believed that God deliberately made himself obscure to preserve free will. HOWEVER Calvin believes that we make the epistemic distance by ignoring God.
Aesthetic argument - we appreciate beauty and goodness in the world.
Innate sense of morality - knowing what is r/w. Butler, Newman, C.S. Lewis.
