Feminist theories of religion Flashcards
What do feminists view society as being? Religious institutions? Religious beliefs?
-Patriarchal.
-Religious institutions are patriarchal. They reflect and perpetuate gender inequality.
-Religous beliefs are patriarchal ideologies that legitimate women’s subordination.
What 4 elements of religion do feminists identify as evidence for patriarchy?
What area did Armstrong focus on? Describe these.
Is this subject to any singular religion?
-Religious organisations, Places of worship, Sacred texts, Religious laws and customs.
-Religious organisations are mainly male-dominated; e.g. Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism forbid women from becoming priests. Armstrong sees women’s exclusion from the preisthoods of most religions as evidence of their marginalisation.
-Places of worship often segregate the sexes and marginalise women in acts of worship, e.g. not being allowed to preach or to read from sacred texts. Taboos that see menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth as polluting may also prevent participation.
-Religious laws and customs often give women fewer rights than men e.g. in access to divorce, dress code etc. Many religions legitimate and regulate women’s traditional domestic & reproductive role.
-NO. This is across a wide range of religions and come from all aspects.
What type of social force do feminists argue religion acts as?
Who argued that it was the development of monotheistic religions that replaced female religious figures?
What does Nawal El Sadaawi argue about the relationship between religion and women’s oppression?
-A conservative force.
-Armstrong argues that it was the development of monotheistic religions with all powerful male Gods which imbued religion with a patriarchal and sexist core. She points out in that various goddesses and priestesses were replaced with male prophets.
-Nawal El Sadaawi argues that religions are not the direct cause of women’s oppression: the cause is a patriarchal society. She suggests that powerful men reinterpreted religious beliefs and ideas to benefit themselves.
Who coined the idea of Religious feminism?
What does she argue?
How might a Hijab be a sign of liberation according to Woodhead?
-Woodhead.
-Woodhead argues that although much traditional religion is patriarchal, this is not true of all religion. There are ‘religious forms of feminism’- ways women use religion to gain freedom and respect.
-While feminists often see the Hijab worn by Muslim women as a symbol of oppression, to the wearer it may symbolise resistance to oppression: a symbol of liberation that enables her to enter the public sphere without losing her culture and history.
Despite arguments advocating the Hijab and its use how has Nawal El Sadaawi described this?
How do Liberal protestant organisations for example contradict the arguments of feminists?
How many CofE priests are female?
-Nawal el Sadaawi described the veil as ‘a tool to oppress women’.
-Liberal protestant organisations, such as the Quakers and the Unitarians, are often committed to gender equality and women play leading roles. I.e. a third of Unitarian ministers are female.
-Over a 5th of CofE priests are female.
Who coined the idea of ‘piety movements?
What are they? How do women take advantage of this?
-Rinaldo.
-Conservative movements that support traditional teachings about women’s roles.
-Rinaldo also argues that in piety movements women may use religion to gain status and respect for their roles within the home and family; e.g. strongly held belief among Pentecostal and evangelical Christians is that men must respect women.
