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A-Level Christianity > Feminist Theology > Flashcards

Feminist Theology Flashcards

1
Q

andocentric

A

centered on men/maleness

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2
Q

androgynous

A

combining/transcending male and female

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3
Q

misogynistic

A

anti women

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4
Q

patriarchy

A

a society where men have power

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5
Q

RR

what are the traditional views of men and women?

A

Eve was created as a companion for Adam and was the temptress who led to the fall of mankind - burden of original sin falls on women.

  • Aristotle’s view of women as ‘misbegotten males’
  • Mankind was created by the father and saved by the son - this implies men are superior to women
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6
Q

RR

what is the result of the traditionally negative views of women in the Church?

A

idolatry of maleness

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7
Q

RR

Why are the female exemplars of Christianity uninspiring to modern women?

A

they are;

Eve - (subservient and fallen)
Mary (virginal and pure)

Neither are empowering,

it should be considered there were women prophets (Miriam, Anna) but they are often ignored in Christian traditions.

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8
Q

RR

Why should Jesus be seen as gender-neutral, the Sophia of God (wisdom of God) rather than the High Priest of God (Male)??????

A
  • gender seems irrelevant in issues of salvation (though some would argue the world was created by the father)
  • Male and female roles are products of socialisation and in reality both men and women are androgynous.
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9
Q

RR

what are the three movements which have attempted to liberate women from sexism?

A

-Romanticism
- Liberalism
Marxism

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10
Q

RR

Why did Romanticism fail?

A

tried to encourage more feminine virtues and thought but traps women in romantic, sexist stereotypes

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11
Q

RR

Why did Liberalism fail?

A

tried to move women into traditionally male spaces but this turned out to be classist with working class women losing out.

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12
Q

RR-

Why did Marxism fail?

A
  • suitable in theory, but in practice men and women were treated very differently.
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13
Q

RR_

How can/ must Christianity be reformed?

A
  • Christianity should be on the side of the marginalised (link to preferential option for the poor)
  • Embrace the prophetic tradition of those who called out traditional power structures rather than reaffirming them
  • Female ordination, women leaders in the Church
  • promotes the establishment of base communities focused on equality and no hierarchy.
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14
Q

what is the key difference between RR and MD?

A

RR believes that Christianity can be reformed whilst MD advocates women’s abandonment of Christianity.

RR believes in using more feminine and gender neutral terms to describe God, whilst MD advocates describing God as a verb to end objectification.

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15
Q

MD
What is the sexual caste system?
How are feminine values used as a tool by the patriarchy?

A
  • women are treated as second class citizens with more limited value and potential than a man.
  • feminine values are espoused by the patriarchy to help sustain a patriarchal system.
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16
Q

MD

In what ways is the church irredeemably patriarchal?

A

male leadership, male saviour, male biblical figures….’IF God if Male then male is God”

Women cannot flourish in the Church as they will always be seen as subservient.

17
Q

MD

What is the difference between describing God as a noun or a verb?

A 
noun = object/thing
verb = dynamic and changing
18
Q

MD

what is the problem with seeing God as a noun?

A

if God is an object then so are women

this objectification leads to the unholy trinity of rape, murder and genocide.

leads to Christolatry and Bibliolatry where both objects are worshiped in a non-thinking manner.

19
Q

MD

Why does MD assert that women are blamed unfairly for original sin?

A

she believes the real original sin is the unholy trinity of rape, murder and genocide….

….all of these are caused by the patriarchy of the Church/

20
Q

MD

Why does MD disagree with RR and Sallie Mcfague on changing the language we use to describe God?

A

changing the language we use to describe God will have a very limited impact - we don’t need new nouns for God. We need a new way of conceptualising God as a dynamic being in a process of becoming.

21
Q

Why does MD advocate women abandoning the church and becoming ‘post christian’/ anti church

A

the bible is too gender biased to be useful and the church too patriarchal for redemption

women need to form their own societies of sisterhood, rooted in sisterly support with no hierarchy or dogma.

22
Q

arguments in support of women’s ordination?

A

it is permitted by Protestant Churches

Bible teachings;
“in Christ there is no male or female” (Galatians)

  • the priest only represents Jesus - they needn’t be identical to him.

MD - By nature we are all androgynous - it is only society that has ascribed a maleness to Jesus

Jesus had female disciples - as many as 50%.

  • Jesus’s female disciples were less prominent at the time due to social context
23
Q

arguments in support of women’s ordination

A

it is permitted by Protestant Churches

Bible teachings;
“in Christ there is no male or female” (Galatians)

  • the priest only represents Jesus - they needn’t be identical to him.

MD - By nature we are all androgynous - it is only society that has ascribed a maleness to Jesus

Jesus had female disciples - as many as 50%.

  • Jesus’s female disciples were less prominent at the time due to social context
24
Q

arguments in opposition to women’s ordination

A

Not allowed in Catholic and Orthodox churches;

  • biblical teachings
    Corinthians says that women should remain silent in Church.
  • Only a man can represent the maleness and paternalism of Jesus
  • Man was created before woman, hence he is suited to leadership.
  • Priests are only men because they descend from the twelve apostles - direct lineage claimed by the Catholic Church.
  • Pope Francis recently asserted that women will not ascend to the Priesthood, but would be open to female deacons.
  • women are mothers, different roles
25
Q

arguments in opposition to the ordination of women

A

Not allowed in Catholic and Orthodox churches;

  • biblical teachings
    Corinthians says that women should remain silent in Church.
  • Only a man can represent the maleness and paternalism of Jesus
  • Man was created before woman, hence he is suited to leadership.
  • Priests are only men because they descend from the twelve apostles - direct lineage claimed by the Catholic Church.
  • women are mothers, different roles
26
Q

arguments to support the idea men and women are equal in Christianity

A

bible teachings; In Galatians; “in Christ there is no male or female”

  • there were female leaders in the early Church and now in many Protestant churches.
  • Jesus comes from the prophetic tradition of liberating the oppressed, that includes women.
  • Jesus was on the side of women, e.g the story of the woman caught in Adultery.
  • Jesus taught not to discriminate, e.g parable of the Good Samaritan, this includes women
27
Q

arguments to support the idea men and women are equal in Christianity

A

bible teachings; In Galatians; “in Christ there is no male or female”

  • there were female leaders in the early Church and now in many Protestant churches.
  • Jesus comes from the prophetic tradition of liberating the oppressed, that includes women.
  • Jesus was on the side of women, e.g the story of the woman caught in Adultery.
  • Jesus taught not to discriminate, e.g parable of the Good Samaritan, this includes women
28
Q

arguments to support the notion men and women are NOT equal in Christianity

A

Most Christians are under the leadership of churches which don’t accept female ordination.

Women are to be quiet in Church according to Corinthians.

  • according to Ephesians, in marriage the husband is ‘the head’ of the wife
  • Eve created as a helpmate to Adam.
  • Aristotle’s view as misbegotten males
29
Q

arguments to support the idea that feminist theologians HAVE made a difference

A
  • since the 1970s many protestant churches have ordained women
  • In 2014 Pope Francis said he would consider female deacons
  • Church of Sweden has went gender neutral in reference to God.
  • There are womens organisations in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. e.g the Catholic Womens League in England, Wales and other commonwealth countries.
  • Base communities are more popular than ever (and will be more so with fewer priests) and are centered around equality.
30
Q

arguments to support the idea that feminist theologians HAVE made a difference

A
  • since the 1970s many protestant churches have ordained women
  • In 2014 Pope Francis said he would consider female deacons
  • Church of Sweden has went gender neutral in reference to God.
  • There are womens organisations in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. e.g the Catholic Womens League in England, Wales and other commonwealth countries.
  • Base communities are more popular than ever (and will be more so with fewer priests) and are centered around equality.
31
Q

arguments asserting feminist theologians HAVE NOT made a difference

A
  • Most denominations still do not ordain women
  • Scripture can’t, and won’t, change.
  • Vatican II promised equality in the Church but this has not filtered down to women
  • Little impact on conservative and evangelical churches with a very literalist approach to scripture
  • Male language and imagery is still dominant in most churches
  • little interest in female ordination in line with secularisation.
32
Q

arguments asserting feminist theologians HAVE NOT made a difference

A

Most denominations still do not ordain women

  • Scripture can’t, and won’t, change.
  • Vatican II promised equality in the Church but this has not filtered down to women
  • Little impact on conservative and evangelical churches with a very literalist approach to scripture
  • Male language and imagery is still dominant in most churches
  • little interest in female ordination in line with secularisation.
33
Q

what does Sallie McFague think about metaphors?

A

language we use to describe God (e.g king, Father) is metaphorical

these metaphors can lead to idolatry where we worship the metaphor rather than God

34
Q

Why does Sallie McFague view God as ‘mother’?

A

this doesn’t mean that God is necessarily female - it conveys maternal characteristics of God, e.g love for the world

35
Q

Sallie McFague is an ecofeminist - how do masculine descriptions of God lead to our destruction of the environment?

A

masculine language conveying God’s sovereignty has led to abuse of the natural world and domination of women.

36
Q

how can maternal language and imagery illustrate our reliance on God?

A

images of God ‘giving birth, nursing, comforting and caring’ highlight humanities reliance on God.

A-Level Christianity (3 decks)

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