Gender and Theology Flashcards
Define ‘post-Christian theology’
Religious thinking that abandons traditional theology
Define ‘reform feminist theology’
Religious thinking that seeks to change traditional Christian thought
Define ‘Davidic Messiah’
A Messiah figure based on the kingly military images of Hebrew scriptures
Define ‘Servant King’
An understanding of the Messiah that focuses on the service than overlordship
Define ‘Sophia’
Greek meaning ‘wisdom’ personified in the female form
Define ‘Thealogy’
Studying God based around a Godess
What does Mary Daly believe to be the ‘unholy trinity’
Rape, genocide and war
Who is Mary Daly?
A radical feminist post-Christian theologian
Give a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche
“Whenever man has thought it necessary to create a memory of himself, his effort has been attended with torture, blood ad sacrifice”
Describe the views of Tertullian (early Christian theologian)
Saw women as the devil’s gateway responsible for the Fall
Describe the views of Augustine and Pope Pius XII
A - Imago dei excludes women
P - Liberation doesn’t come from formalistic or materialistic equality with men, it comes from the recognition of a woman to be a mother
What does Daly believe about religious language?
Androcentric (man-centred)
Describe Daly’s views of rape (unholy trinity)
A symbol of all violent oppression, she calls the leaders of society ‘sovereigns of sado-society’ to use culture, religion, politics and media to erase female power
- Connection of rape mentality and phenomenon of war
Give a quote from Number 31:17-18 in regards to rape (Daly’s unholy trinity)
“Now kill all the boys and kill every woman who has slept with a man but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man”
What does Daly believe about genocide? (unholy trinity)
- Exploitative caste system perpetuated by the consent of victims (females) and dominant males through sex-role socialisation
- Male sexual violence forms the basis of military interest and rape objectifies it
What does Daly believe about war? (unholy trinity)
Inevitable result of male-dominated politics and liberation requires women to be radically deviant and object to moral standards made by men
Describe Daly’s term ‘quintessence’
Describes the being in which we live, love and create, the spirit that permeates all nature that can be damaged or partly blocked by many factors e.g. violence, rape and poverty but it can be rediscovered in nature
Describe Daly’s spirituality through nature
- Maleness of God needs to be overturned
- Priests’ authority locked women into an Eden
- Traditional holy places managed by men are not suitable as centres of spirituality
How does Elizabeth Fiorenza (feminist) challenge Daly’s ideas?
Suggests an alternative reading of the Bible as it actually supports women in their struggles and challenges patriarchal norms e.g. John 4:1-42 when Jesus breaks social norms
How does Simon Chan challenge Daly?
Fatherhood is embedded in the trinity and using male language does not give him male qualities e.g. Isiah 54:5-7 refers to God as the husband who acts with deep compassion
How does the Apostle’s creed oppose Daly’s theology?
“God the Father Almighty… our Lord” the relationship of God is more than a label of him being male
Who is Rosemary Radford Ruether?
Born 1936, a reform feminist theologian and ecofeminist
- Christianity has been distorted by patriarchy
What does the Old Testament imply about the Male Warrior Messiah expectation?
Messiah is God’s anointed one and future King who will be restored to Israel to deliver the people from bondage through battle as the son of David - ‘Davidic Messiah’ who liberates people from their enemies
How does Ruther object to the traditional view of the Messiah warrior?
Jesus is not a traditional warrior Messiah, she wrote “He is expected to win, not suffer and die”
- Jesus does not bring military victory and rejects the nationalist-revenge theology
Why is Jesus a servant king and not a warrior messiah?
Critical of Jewish authorities and reigning powers (John 19:11) and washes his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17)
How does Ruther think the notion of the messiah should change?
Not to be Davidic Messiah but instead the self-sacrificing female notion of wisdom
Describe ‘Sophia’
Greek meaning ‘wisdom’ personified as a Godess
How does Ruether describe ‘Sophia’
Christianity has merged wisdom that unites the cosmos with the divine to become a Messianic king who brings a new age of redemption
What quote from Proverbs can be used when discussing ‘sophia’?
Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point… where paths meet she takes her stand” 8:1-3
How does Simon Chan challenge Ruether?
You cannot rewrite the Christian story to give more prominence to women
God is never called a mother
Many ancient cultures who are centred around a Goddess still have a male God alongside and are still patriarchal
Give a quote from the Catholic Eucharist Prayer
“Through him… in him… all honour and glory”
