Gender and sexuality Flashcards
AO2 biblical criticism
- uses reason to reach an informed decision understanding and the human composition
- allows christians to understand why the bible teaches certian things and consider how these things should b considered today , by considering the context christaians can evolve within society
- liberating and overcomes oppression , may lead to authentic knowledge of teachings
against
literalist scripture is innerent and infallible world of God biblical criticism is unnecessary and undermining
karl barth the bible passes judgment on human reason not the other way round
Pope leo may undermine the churche and lead people to misinterpreting the bible or interpreting it in a way to suit their agenda
it secularises the bible a sacred text hinders people in understanding word of God
Liberal view of the inspiration of the bible
This began during the enlightenment period and accepted the scientific, historical and literary evidence of human influence on the Bible, which is concluded to be a product of the human mind, not the perfect word of God. This suggests that the scriptures were written by witnesses of God’s divine events in history like the incarnation, or times when God communicated or revealed himself. What came to be written down as a result however was merely what those people took away from such events, or from hearing about such events from the testimony of those who witnessed them. The words of the Bible are therefore just human interpretations of what the authors felt and understood of God’s revelation. The bible thus reflects the cultural and historical context of its human authors and requires continual re-interpretation to ensure its relevance. Liberal Christians will point out that Jesus himself seemed to be progressive in that in the sermon on the mount he modified some of the old testament laws. Christians should follow this example and continually update and improve Christian theology and ethics.
critic of the liberal view
Liberal inspiration leads to a crisis of authority. The problem with liberal views of inspiration is that it’s difficult to see how it could grant authority to the Bible if it derives from human minds. Furthermore, it opens up the Bible to interpretation and every person will have their own interpretation. This cannot provide the kind of stable consistent theology that a religion needs for it to persist. This is why traditional Christians criticise liberal Christianity for allowing people too much freedom to believe whatever feels right to them and their opinion, which results in the disunified chaos of everyone believing in their own God and the interpretation of the Bible which suits them
feminist biblical criticism
Feminist biblical criticism is a typically a variety of the liberal view of inspiration, especially focused on the issue of gender. Biblical Patriarchy is a key concept in feminist biblical criticism. It is the idea that the Bible is man-made for the purpose of subjugating women. The idea is that if a man tells a woman to submit to a certain gender role, that’s not persuasive, but if that man tells the woman that the creator of the universe wants her to, that is quite persuasive, especially if both the man and woman actually believe in that God.
Reformist feminist theologians would point to examples patriarchial passages as those which require either removing (Ruether’s golden thread argument) or re-interpreting to make them relevant to modern times (standard liberal Christian feminists).
Hampson on Christianity anchored in a patriarchal tradition
Daphne Hampson argues that because Christianity is a historical religion, its commitments are inevitably anchored to a past tradition which she claims is patriarchal. This makes Christianity irredeemably sexist and the only solution is to abandon it.
Christianity as a historical religion. Hampson claims that Christianity is “a patriarchal and evidently untrue myth” and thus we need to “move beyond” it. The historical claims about the uniqueness of Jesus and his resurrection that Christianity is founded on were shown to be unjustified during the enlightenment period due to the advent of scientific, historical and literary/textual criticism.
The nature of Christianity’s claims make is a historical religion, Hampson argues. This inevitably anchors Christianity in its traditional beliefs. In other moral areas, we are free to get rid of what was traditionally believed if good cause for doing so arises. However, for Christianity, such freedom does not exist because its founding principles and traditions are seen as divinely ordained.
hampson patriarchal themes within Christianity
Christianity as patriarchal. The problem is that the paradigms and themes of Christianity are patriarchal. Hampson highlights two kinds of arguments.
The first is the explicit sexism of the depiction of women in the biblical stories. Women are depicted as secondary persons who conform to the roles open to them in that society. If we are to progress towards equality, we cannot see the past as ethically relevant to us.
The second is that the underlying themes and principles of Christian theology derive from the mind-set of men living under patriarchy. Fundamental to Christianity is a “bi-polar” view of reality, where a transcendent God is good and humanity is lower and opposite to God. This division is then gendered; God is described with male language while humanity is conceptualised with feminine language (e.g. Israel and the Church being the bride of Christ). God is traditionally thought of as self-sufficient, all-powerful and a judge, which Hampson argues reflects a patriarchal outlook.
hampson and after Christianity
After Christianity is the name of one of Hampson’s books. She suggests that the Christian myth has “inadequately” been a vehicle for “human awareness of God” and thus should be replaced. Its replacement, to count as an improvement, needs two changes:
Theology should be grounded on human experience; human awareness of God.
Our conceptualization of God must be at least compatible with our ethical ideals, since God is held to be good.
Hampson draws influence from Schleiermacher, who also claimed that human religious experience should be the foundation of theology.
liberal theology argument to hampson
Liberal Christian theology challenges views like Hampson’s; that Christianity is hopelessly tied to its ancient patriarchal teachings, because Liberal theology does not regard the Bible as the perfect word of God and thus is free to re-interpret Christian teachings to fit with progressive contemporary ethics and cultural norms. Liberal Christians would therefore regard the patriarchal quotes from the Bible as the irrelevant products of the ancient human culture. Arguably Liberal Christianity therefore is a defensible form of Christianity and so Hampton is wrong to think Christianity must be abandoned. Really it must be liberalised.
Hampson reponse to liberal theology
Hampson responds that her critique of Christianity as inevitably saddled with sexism “is true of all Christians, liberals as well as fundamentalists”. They are saddled with the weight of ancient tradition because despite their different approaches to the Bible, they all “read the bible as scripture”. They still view the bible as a book which has a unique value, even though they may take different approaches in their understanding of it. While liberals may attempt to take a different approach to the history and tradition of Christianity, Hampson argues that they cannot just ignore it. It still affects their outlook. Even at a subconscious level, the sexist paradigms and themes of the bible will affect them so long as they continue to read it.
Ruther on Jesus
Women can be saved by Christ but it requires a re-evaluation of the view of Christ. Reuther points out that the Jesus of the synoptic Gospels is very different to the later doctrines of the Church which involved five centuries of ‘patriarchalization’. Jesus was very different to the expected male warrior type of Messiah. Instead, Jesus was a servant King. Old testament prophecy about the Messiah pictured him as a conquering warrior saving his people and Israel from its enemies through battle. On that view, says Ruether, the messiah is ‘expected to win, not suffer and die’ – which would be the patriarchal view of a spiritual leader. Yet, Jesus did suffer and die. He served his people rather than ruling over them. He washed their feet, spent time with the poor and criticised those in power.
Since Jesus didn’t act like a male warrior messiah as was expected, Ruether argues that Jesus is better understood as a self-sacrificing non-warrior Messiah, invoking female wisdom. This is a more gender-inclusive understanding of Jesus which could therefore be the basis for a redeemed Christianity. Ruether thinks this view which incorporates the female in the concept of God has been masked by the patriarchal interpretation of Jesus as only the male Messiah.
Daly arguement against ruther
The idea of a unique male savior may be seen as one more legitimation of male superiority
“The idea of a unique male savior may be seen as one more legitimation of male superiority.”
against daly if jesus is understood as embodying female wisdom
If merely seen as a ‘male symbol’ as Daly presents him, Jesus would indeed seem unfit to provide genuine saving spirituality to women under patriarchy. However, If Jesus is properly understood as embodying female wisdom, as Reuther argued he did, then although he is technically male in appearance, nonetheless spiritually he is more inclusive. This fits with Reuther’s argument that Christianity underwent patriarchalization – Jesus was a gender inclusive figure which was corrupted by patriarchal reinterpretation. So Christianity can be reformed by this understanding of Jesus.
Ruther and the golden thread
The golden thread is Reuther’s idea that there is a theme of liberation, including supporting feminist causes, in the Bible. This is a thread of validity, which we can disentangle from the patriarchal influences. However, the Bible also contains sexist patriarchal themes. These two themes – liberation and sexism – are inconsistent with each other. They cannot both be God’s authentic revelation. If we can find a way to separate the golden thread of authentic teachings which support feminism from the patriarchal threads, then Christianity might be redeemable.
Reuther describes this golden thread as the ‘prophetic-liberating tradition’. It includes:
God’s defence the oppressed such freeing the Jews in Exodus.
Jesus’ treatment of marginalised people (including the poor and women).
Jesus’ criticism of the established religious views that serve to justify and sanctify the dominant, unjust social order.
Jesus’ moral teachings like the golden rule.
the golden thread -authentic doctrine the rest is influenced by male patriarchy
This golden thread is the theme of liberation, which is God’s authentic revelation, the rest is influenced by patriarchal men. Identifying the golden thread gives us a standard by which to compare and judge other parts of the bible and ‘reject’ those that do not fit the liberation theme. The only way for the bible to be feminist is if it rejects the use of God to justify social domination or subjugation. Patriarchy is the idolizing of the male as representing the divine so it must be denounced as idolatry and blasphemy.
Jesus asking a women for a drink
Reuther’s golden thread argument depends on her claim that a plausible reading of Jesus’ actions is that they were aimed at liberating of women from the unjust social order. Reuther claims Jesus supported feminist causes, which would suggest Christianity can be redeemed by living up to the example of Jesus. There are bible stories which seem to demonstrate this:
The woman at the well. There were racial, historical and religious tensions between the Jews and the Samaritans, yet Jesus began a conversation with a female Samaritan at a well by asking her for a drink, which was unheard of as the ancient Jewish view was that Samaritans were unclean. She responded by asking how he could ask her such a thing. The disciples are also shocked when they see Jesus doing this. Christian feminists interpret this story as showing Jesus’ willingness to challenge the discriminatory culture of the time.
