Gender and theology Flashcards
Bible quote supporting gender equality
“There is neither male or female..you are all one in Jesus Christ”
Bible quote for women being inferior to men
“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the lord”
Ephesians quote
“Be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies”
What is the context of Ephesians?
At the time, women were being sold and exploited inflow paid jobs - men had to protect their wives.
What is Paul Ricouer’s hermeneutic of suspicion?
We need to be suspicious go the motives, values and culture of those who wrote a text. It stops is from simply projecting our own values onto a text
What did Elaine Pagel say about original sin?
She lays the Balme for Christian sexual repression and misogyny on Augustine, arguing that his pessimism surrounding sexuality and human nature would come to dominate in western culture.
Elaine Pagel quote on the patriarchy
“The Christian marginality of women has its roots in the patriarchal beginnings of the church”
What does Mulieris Dignitatum argue about motherhood?
Motherhood is a woman’s telos; natural purpose.
Both physically - the womb - and mentally - the ability to nurture.
The fulfilment and purpose of the female personality comes from virginity and motherhood.
What does Mulieris Dignitatum argue about important and valued women in Christian history and theology?
There were many female European saints and that Jesus coming to earth was only possible because of a woman, Mary.
The claim is that Christianity can’t be sexist since there are women it holds in high regard.
Quote from Mulieris Dignitatum about motherhood
“Motherhood implies from the beginning a special openness to the new person…discovering herself through a sincere gift of self”
Quote from Mulieris Dignitatum about motherhood and virginity alongside purpose
“Motherhood and virginity are two particular dimensions of the fulfilment of the female personality”
What does Mulieris Dignitatum argue about gender and equality?
Men and women have different but complimentary qualities due to the nature God designed them with.
Women’s qualities are nurturing, caring and the ability to bring life into the world.
Men’s qualities are reason-driven, making them dominate society.
While men and women are different, they are both equally valuable and need each other.
Quote from Mulieris Dignitatum about gender equality
“Both are human beings, equally in the image of God…their specific femininity and masculinity complement each other.”
What is Daly’s idea of a false spirituality?
The Christian idea that God is male is the invention of a patriarchal mindset trying to justify its having power.
God being male gave people the concept that power was a male thing, not female.
Mary Daly quote on false spirituality
“If God is male, then the male is God”
The cultural belief and system of male power over women is shown by the claim that God, the highest authority of all, is male
What is Mary Daly’s idea that God is a verb?
The concept of God needed to be castrated by changing the meaning of God from a noun to a verb, so people think of God as ‘be-ing’ rather than ‘a being’.
Thinking of God as a verb introduces the flexibility required for a person to see that the unjust state of being is not fixed but may be changed.
What does Mary Daly say about original Sin?
The Fall has been used to oppress women by portraying them as the source of sin. She claimed that women had internalised feelings of guilt and inferiority and had to recognize this to take the first step towards liberation.
What is Mary Daly’s unholy trinity?
Rape, genocide and war are the result of a patriarchal world. Daly claimed Christianity has legitimated male dominance which reinforces patriarchy. If oppressive hierarchy like patriarchy exists, the result is the unholy trinity.
What is Mary Daly’s idea of rape?
It is a symbol of all violent oppression which is encompassed in society.
The mentality of rape creates a persuasive culture of violence.
Not only literally meant, but also as an ideology - “armchair rapists” - through participation in pornography, for example.
What is Mary Daly’s idea of genocide?
If rape objectifies a woman, then a culture of rape is where women are imagined as a group of objects - setting men against women and men over women in the sm way genocide sets one group over another.
What is Mary Daly’s idea of war?
We live in a world pf violence based on “phallic mentality” - a male dominated approach that women need to move away from. War is deemed necessary but abortion isn’t - violence for ‘good’ ends which is hypocritical.
How do Liberal Christians oppose Daly?
We should take a symbolic view of the bible.
They admit that human authors, and thereby patriarchy, had a role in writing the bible, not just God.
Christianity is redeemable, if it is reinterpreted to fit more modern times by ignoring the maleness of God in the bible.
Hampson’s support of Daly against Liberal Christians
Liberal Christians 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.
Hampson argues that they cannot just ignore it. It still affects their outlook. Even at a subconscious level, the sexist themes will affect them.
What did Daly say in regards to the abandonment of the Church?
The Church was irredeemably patriarchal and sexist against women and had to be abandoned.
The Sisterhood of Feminism can take its place and fulfil many of the traditional spiritual functions of religion without being patriarchal.
