gender and theology (10) Flashcards
who is the leading person in this section (messiah bit)
Rosemary Radford Ruether
Old beliefs on the Messiah
Jews thought the Messiah had to be a warrior and therefore a man.
Ruether and Messiah
She thought it wasnt being a warrior, but being virtous. Jesus was not like the messiah they expected (Semon on the Mount) so why should it be a man?
Old Testament and wisdom
Proverbs 8 refers to God’s wisdom as female and both Herbew/Greek words for wisdom are feminine. Wisdom is linked to divine knowledge and therefore God.
‘Wisdom of Solomon’
A part of the Catholic Old Testament. Wisdom seen as feminine.
New Testament and Femininity
Hebrew word for spirit is feminine (Holy Spirit) and Paul described Jesus as wisdom of God 1 Corinthians 24
3 reasons Feminism could change Christianity
- a key part of Jesus’ character is not his maleness, therefore he does not have to be a male
- Ruether says Catholic priests do not have to be men as Jesus didnt have to be.
- Allow far greater relationship with women and understanding
Who believes christianity should be abandoned
Mary Daly, a radical lesbian feminist
church reforms
Daly initially wanted to change the church but thought that there was far too much patriarchal history in the church for it to be reformed
Daly and language
Daly thought language needed to be reclaimed and re evaluted- this would allow women to look objectivley at current culture
Spinster
Daly example of langauge. Used to mean a woman who span cloth but men made it derogatory. Women must re evaluate such language (and christianity) and look again at true meaning
Daly famous quote
“If God is male then the male is God”
Daly quote meaning
the image of God was created by men, to benefit men and to just think og God as female would be wrong because its still teh same male imagined God
Transvalued
Daly thought Christianity needed to be transvalued, meaning a radical change of values using a new starting point
Nietzsche
Who Daly took inspiration from. In claiming God is Dead he refocused us on man. This allowed for new forms of thinking and creativity to flourish, Daly thought only women were able to access such creativity.
Be-ing
Daly reality which is beyond male image of God, an aim of life which is a being and not a verb. This can only be established through creativity.
Castrating God
Daly said needed to transvaluate every phallic value and that sorts with castrating God- removing use of word is ‘God’
Christianity should be abandoned
- 2000 year old religion is too patriarchal and unable to change
- Daly focus on nature shows essential aspect of the world
- Daly’s language makes people shift in consiouness and tries to shock people into seeing need for change
Christianity shouldnt be abandoned
- Daly writes for women like her and becomes just as dangerous as patriarchy
- may be misandry and it only needs reform, not drastic change
- Daly key quote is flawed because pronouns ‘he’ filler for ineffable God
Ruether Goddess theology roots
When studying early Judaism Ruether found that it was less monotheistic amd found images of God suffering like a mother and the goddess is a source of life
Ruether and monotheism
She said it inspired misogyny as it made a man (god) a supreme being
Goddess and Christianity
Ruether would argue that if early judiasm didnt have monotheism than the feminine understanding of the Trinity is real and Jesus the feminine aspect fo God
Daly and Virgin Mary
a ‘total rape victim’ who was entirley passive and hollow.
Unholy trinity RAPE
rape= all men are rapists because women are literally/metaphorically raped. Genesis 19 makes rape normal and men armchair rapists by watching porn
Unholy trinity WAR
war is a violent male act that comes from male approaches, the Bible normalises war. Church condems war but hates abortion- futher suppressing women.
Unholy trinity GENOCIDE
all men are rapists so all men causes genocide: through war, through banning abortion. all comes from idea that one group deserves power over another due to soicietal conditioning.
Christianity is sexist
- it is made up of 2000 years of sexist traditions
- male hierarchy is funademntal, ie only male priests
- Daly unholy trinity shows how engrained it is in Christianity
Christianity isnt sexist
- root of faith is a rich goddess of wisdom showing male hierarchy later imposed
- Biblical texts products of their environment and the essential point of christianity is to live in a given society so if society isnt sexist neither is christianity
- Jesus broke taboos towards women and so Christianity cant be sexist
Jesus nice to women evidence
Mark 5:21, he spoke to a woman who touched him which would have had great ramification at the time
what is spirituality
focuing on non-material things rather than material
christian spirituality
it is the ability to be holy, to have a relationship with God, ability to live a life of prayer.
a male saviour can save women
- Jesus’ gender not essential to his character as he was god incarnate
- Ruether says that discovering feminine aspects of Jesus allows this
- Jesus showed how he brought salvation to all in the Gospels
a male saviour cant save women
- Daly said Jesus on the cross was male enjoyment of pain and torture over women as it only saved men
- Any idea JC is perfect seems to suggest perfect people are men who can reach salvation
- It may be difficult to form a relationship with a male figure, which limits relationship with God
Only women can develop genuine spirituality
- Daly argued only women can access to creative aspects of human nature and join Be-ing
- spirituality is about relationships, which tend to be deeper and more meaningful towards women
- genuine spirituality means something different for everyone, so maybe there is no distinct genuine
Both women and men can develop genuine spirituality
- there are both female and male mystics (teresa of Avala and John of the Cross)
- if men/women se world differently than their journey to spirituality would be different and neither inferior
- Catholic church says women/men have ‘perfections’ that reflect God’s infinite perfection so both can
God’s gender
God’s language has to be gendered as that is how English works, it can be argued that his image as a Father is a convention of language.
Jesus’ gender
If God in carnate was biologically man, then it is logical to presume he would be too
New Zealand Anglican prayer book
refers to God as “father and mother of us all”
Cathecism 239
“God’s parental tenderness can be expressed by the image of motherhood”
Christian God can be presented in female terms
- Ruether says this must happen to put patriarchal past behind us and help change structure of church
- Jewish God’s wisdom presented as having female characteristics
- Ruether says the langauge already exists and merely needs to be discovered
Christian God cant be presented in female terms
- “there must be physical resemblance between priest and christ” - Catholic Church. Jesus’ maleness therefore integeral
- Christian God is male defined, even if use female language still male
- God is beyond gender
- There is too many years of patriarchal history to ignore.
1 Corinthians 14:34
“The women should be kept silent in the Church”
Daphne Hampson
rejects view that liberal Christians manage to escape confines of ancient patriarchal christianity. They all read the Bible as scripture and thus their outlook is influenced.
patriarchalisation
view of Radford, Christianity is now sexist as it has been over run by misogyny
Ruether’s Golden Thread
idea that there is a theme of liberation, including female, throughout the Bible. But there is also sexism, they cannot co-exist so we must uncover the ‘Golden thread’ of the true Christian message.
Golden thread quotes
“Let whoever is without sin cast the first stone” John 8, JC protects an adulterous woman
“Neither man nor woman for you are one in Christ” Galatians 3:28
