Feminism And Religion

Question 1

Feminist Criticism of religion is that it doesn’t address how patriarchy…

Answer 1

Patriarchy is still maintained in secular societies

Question 2

Credence is given to feminists that see religious institutions as oppressors rather than something able to be redefined when you consider…

Answer 2

Coercion and how women still have to go through the practices put on then by the church even when trying to reclaim empowerment through it, eg: hyjabs

Question 3

Karen Armstong notes

Answer 3

That early religions, before the Abrahamic one that put strong male prophets at the forefront, put strong female characters at the centre.
Eg Morrigan Irish Celtic Goddess representing battle, death and fertility.

Question 4

Linda Woodhead accuses other feminists of

Answer 4

Wrongly placing the blame on religion for Sexism and misinterpreting other’s practices through a westernised lens.

Question 5

Elisabeth Brusco notes that

Answer 5

Women use religion to gain status, and this may be indicative of Religion not being the cause but the reflection.
Eg: Pentecostal churches, women use traditional gender roles to earn a status.

Question 6

Simone de Beavour says

Answer 6

Religion creates false consciousness

Question 7

Criticism of anti religion feminism.

Answer 7

• Arguably some religions although controlling do put women at the centre of religions, eg: the Virgin Mary
• Secular societies still have patriarchy, so the theory is incomplete.

Question 8

Criticisms of pro religion feminists.

Answer 8

• Even if you believe patriarchy is the only problem and justify religion by pointing to positive interpretations of the texts, this ignores that it is the notion that a divine blessing that is inherent to religion is what makes it party to people’s interpretations. Religion is the cause, because it pardons patriarchy with how people think religiously because of it.
• Even if hjabs and convents are being reclaimed with more modern progressive attitudes, these are still a productive of cohesion, there is still the threat of damnation from not wearing a hjab, so it is still a product of religious oppression so long as it is offensive to ask someone to remove it. Convents are still places people believe those purest and more virtuous of women go, implying there’s women not close to Godliness as well.

Question 9

What are limitations of feminist arguments

Answer 9

They usually signal that gender is the most important facet although that is debatable, critical race feminists and Marxist feminists think otherwise.

• feminists like Karen Armstrong talk of the Madona-whore complex women are subject to under religion. This may only be true under the most strictly religious places like Iran.
  In a more culturally Liberal world, this subjugation has been held back by new societal expectations
• Today 1/3 of priests in the Church of England are women, so could religion just be shifted as much as other parts of society.
• Linda Woodhead criticises feminists perspectives for demonising other cultures through an unconscious and intellectually incurious lens.

Question 10

Simon DeBeavoir

Answer 10

Believes that women are seen as the ‘second sex’ and propagates false consciousness through framing them as the ‘fairer sex’ instead and valuing their purity.
Because of the rewards of heaven, it makes women brainwashed to believe they’re equals to men because they’re all subject to divine judgement.
They are the closer ones to God so it is easier to accept male domination (eg: divine right of Kings)

Question 11

What are the 3 kinds of modern woman according to __________

Answer 11

to Woodhead.

• Traditional
• Juggler
• Work centred.