Gender and theology essays

Question 1

what is essy 1 ?

Answer 1

Assess the view that Rosemary Radford Ruether’s theology offers a satisfactory solution to the
issue of God and sexism in Christian thought.

Question 2

what is your view essay 1 ?

Answer 2

successful

Question 3

what is the intro essay 1 ?

Answer 3

Reuther- RC theologian and American feminist. Main belief that Jesus and God doesn’t need to be male and that its not too late to reform Christianity.

Question 4

what scholars essay 1 ?

Answer 4

Ruether, Daly,

Question 5

what is point in para 1 essay 1 ?

Answer 5

Jesus doesn’t need to be male. Messiah would have usually been expected to have been male. However, a messiah used to mean warrior. However, Jesus’ way of fighting was different. He fought for liberation and fairness. His key traits were self-sacrifice and forgiveness which is different to a normal messiah - Therefore if hes not a warrior then why does he need to be male - his gender doesn’t matter.

Old testament supports this - Hebrew and Greek words for wisdom = feminine = wisdom is linked with divine source of knowledge of life.

‘Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?’- Proverbs 8:1, 10-11.

Jesus was incarnation of the feminine wisdom principle as anything else - he was only biologically male.

women and men are born equally created with the imago dei , which should be a basis for equality.

Question 6

what is counterargument para 1 essay 1 ?

Answer 6

Its important that Jesus is male because Catholic priests have a tradition of being male so they can perform communion. ‘There must be a physical resemblance between priest and Christ’

If female terms are used just replacing them.

Question 7

how will you counterargue the counterargument para 1 essay 1 ?

Answer 7

Christianity is more sexist thatn polytheistic religions because in monotheistic the male is the supreme being.

Question 8

what is the point in para 2 essay 1 ?

Answer 8

Priests don’t to be male. This needs to change. Also, makes it easier for women to feel connected to God, because they feel alienated by having a male figure who doesnt understand what its like to be a female.

Change must come from within.

God must be presented as female - New Zealand Lord’s Prayer - ‘Father and Mother of us all’ vs Catechism

Female language needs to be rediscovered in the tradition.

Question 9

what is the counterargument para 2 essay 1

Answer 9

Jesus/ God is omniscient - so do know what its like to be male ?

Daly - 2000 years of patriarchy to be overcome. It should be abandoned. Unholy Trinity.

We shouldn’t see God in terms of a female being because we arent addressing anything we are just using different words.

Question 10

how will you counterargue the counterargument para 2 essay 1

Answer 10

Fiorenza - Daly developed criticism by reading Bible through male dominated lens.

Question 11

what is essay 2 ?

Answer 11

Is Christianity essentially sexist?

Question 12

what is ur view essay 2 ?

Answer 12

yes

Question 13

what intro essay 2 ?

Question 14

what scholars essay 2 ?

Answer 14

Daphne Hampton, Daly, St Paul, Fiorenza.

Question 15

what is point para 1 essay 2 ?

Answer 15

Daly’s beliefs

Draws attention to marginalization of women in the CC. There’s too much inherent sexism and patriarchy. Sees the church as abusing women.

Also, her Unholy Trinity.

Rape- women are raped literally and metaphorically. Mary - ‘Total Rape Victim’. She says rape is assumed normal in the Bible.

Genocide- One group can have power over another entire group. Rape leads to genocide - makes people feel power over an object.

War - it comes from male dominated approaches to life and decision making.

“If God is male then male is God”- God is an image drawn up by men in order to favour men.

Question 16

what is counterargument para 1 essay 2 ?

Answer 16

Her approach centred on people like her and becomes as dangerous as the patriarchy she challenges. - doesn’t consider women of colour.

The ‘if god is male then male is God’ - flawed because pronouns like ‘he’ are simply linguistic devices and not true description of the ineffable God who not only is genderless but is not a thing at all.

Daly’s thinking could be said to be based on a hatred of men (fighting fire with fire).

FIORENZA- Daly developed her criticism by reading bible through male dominated lens.

Question 17

how will you counterargue the counterargument para 1 essay 2

Answer 17

Holy Trinity - how engrained sexism is in Christianity and shows the need to abandon it entirely.

If men didn’t use derogatory language, then she wouldnt have to fight fire with fire

Christianity is irretrievably patriarchal and mysogynistic.

Question 18

what is point para 2 essay 2 ?

Answer 18

Eve - prominent women in Bible - depicted as a sinful temptress responsible for original sin.

Daphne Hampson- Christianity + Feminism - incompatible.

Jesus - only appointed men as disciples - didn’t trust women /didn’t see them as leader

Catholic church dont allow female priests

Question 19

what is counterargument para 2 essay 2

Answer 19

Biblical texts are simply products of societies from which they came from.

Even though he didnt have any women disciples, he broke taboos of this day and his interaction with women and if Jesus was not sexist then Christianity is not sexist.

‘For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and now had myself back. But now like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant ‘ - Isaiah 42:14

COFE - Allowed women to be priests in 1994 and bishops in 2014

BEING - Mary Daly belives there should be a genderless and spiritual beign to replace God (not too late to change - which means the sexism hasnt impacted it too much)

Question 20

how will you counterarct the counterargument in para 2 essay 2 ?

Answer 20

still very recent to make women preists

We shouldnt need a be-ing.

2000 years of patriarchy is simply too deep rooted to reform

male hierarchy is fundamental to Christianity now and so the sexism is fundamental

Also, men believed women were unclean during menstruation.

Question 21

what is essay 3 ?

Answer 21

evaluate Daly’s views on gender

Question 22

what is ur view essay 3 ?

Answer 22

successful

Question 23

what is intro essay 3 ?

Answer 23

Mary Daly was an important radical feminist and theologian in the 20th century. Her main beliefs centred around the fact that Christianity sexist and patriarchal.

Question 24

what scholars essay 3 ?

Answer 24

Daly, Reuther, Hampson, Fiorenza.

Question 25

what is point para 1 essay 3 ?

Answer 25

‘If God is male then male is God’- Gpd is an image drawn up by men in order to favour men - the male becomes God

UNHOLY TRINITY - RAPE, GENOCIDE AND WAR. - Three key signals of male dominance.

Rape - Women are raped metaphorically and literally , and its assumed ‘normal’ in the Bible. Mary = ‘Total Rape Victim’. - example Luke 1:26-38. Did not give consent to be impregnated.

Genocide - Makes people feel power over objects - like rape (all interlinked)

Unholuy trinity shows how engrained sexism is in Christianity.

Question 26

what is counterargument para 1 essay 3 ?

Answer 26

‘If God…. ‘is flawed because pronouns like ‘He’ are simply linguistic devices.

Liberal Christians - accpet bible written by humans and contains human error - also bible is product of society at the time.

Fiorenza - Daly developed their criticism by reading the Bible through a male dominated lens.

Daly - Based on a hatred of men - fighting fire with fire

Question 27

how will you counteract counterargument para 1 essay 3 ?

Answer 27

Literal Christians + Daphne Hampson - Still view Bible as unique value

Daphne Hampson - also - christianity and feminism = incompatible

Question 28

what is point in para 2 essay 3 ?

Answer 28

We need to have a be-ing instead. Which is genderless, spiritual, transcendent and is beyond the ideas of a male dominated world and God.

After further research, she found out theres too much inherent sexism to reform it. Needs to be abandoned. Too much inherent sexism and patriarchy. 2000 years is simply too deep rooted to reform

God needs to be transvalued - revaluated and transformed using a new starting point.

Question 29

what is counterargument para 2 essay 3 ?

Answer 29

What is Reuther gonna do ? - Change must come from within.

Greater female leadership in churches would radically change Chrsitianity.

Need to reform religious language and symbols - they reflect patriarchy and they marginalise/ alienate women. Instead , needs to be female centred.

Jesus doesn’t need to be male - he wasn’t what was expected of a messiah - not a warrior - only important due to virtues of forgiveness and self-sacrifice - so he didnt need to be male ? - so we need to not describe him as a male ?? - also this would make it easier for women as its hard praying to something that doesn’t understand what it is like to be female.

Question 30

how will you counteract counterargument para 2 essay 3 ?

Answer 30

negatives of Reuther

Theres too many years of historical patriarchy to be overcome - should just be abandoned - so much needs to be done - will it ever be non-sexist ??

If its difficult that God doesn’t understand what its like to be a female - thought he was meant to be omniscient - God formed us in the womb so he should know.

Question 31

what is essay 4 ?

Answer 31

‘A male saviour cannot save women’ – Discuss

Question 32

what is ur view essay 4 ?

Answer 32

A male saviour cannot save women.

Question 33

what is the intro essay 4 ?

Answer 33

Many believe that Jesus’ maleness is an issue especially to women. How can he save someone of the same gender ??

Question 34

what scholars essay 4 ?

Answer 34

Daly, Reuther,

Question 35

what is point para 1 essay 4 ?

Answer 35

What Daly believes ?

Jesus’ maleness is a potential issue- how can someone develop an absolute, genuine spiritual relationship with someone of the other gender and therefore gain salvation from this ??

DALY - She said - Jesus dying on the cross is a symbol of the male enjoyment of pain, torture and sexual dominance over women because his death only served to save men.

Question 36

what is the counterargument para 1 essay 4 ?

Answer 36

Very extreme views and offensive to Christians

Jesus showed how he brought salvation to all who desired it - the gender didnt matter it was his virtues and his gender was coincidental.

The gender wasn’t essential to his nature as God incarnate - his salvation was for everyone made in the image of God - why would God create and love women if he didnt want them to be saved ?

Question 37

how will you counteract the counterargument in para 1 essay 4 ?

Answer 37

Any belief that Jesus is the perfect person sems to indicate that people like this are men. - so women can’t achieve salvation - alienates them - they have no representation.

Question 38

what is the point in para 2 essay 4 ?

Answer 38

First stage of being saved is to develop a prayer life with God thru Jesus. For women, this cant be achieved as its too difficult to have a pure relationship with a man. - Doesnt understand fully what its like to be a woman.

Question 39

what is the counterargument in para 2 essay 4 ?

Answer 39

In the same way that Jesus was not a typical warrior/messiah , REUTHER - says that discovering the feminine aspect of Jesus thru the wisdom tradition makes salvation open to both genders. God is omniscient and formed us the womb ‘insert womb quote’ , so he does know what its like to be a woman and so does Jesus.

Question 40

how will you counteract the counterargument in para 2 essay 4 ?

Answer 40

Daly - women need to stand against the Church - especially the central message of Jesus saving the world - as woman were not saved.

Question 41

what is essay 5 ?

Answer 41

Only women can develop a genuine spirituality Discuss

Question 42

What is ur view essay 5

Answer 42

Women can only develop a genuine spirituality

Question 43

What is the intro essay 5

Answer 43

Christian idea of spirituality
Ability to be holy
Ability to have a relationship with God
Ability to live a life of prayer

Question 44

What scholars essay 5

Answer 44

Daly, RcC, Reuther, Teresa of Avila

Question 45

What is point in para 1 essay 5

Answer 45

Daly = only women can fully access the creative aspect of human nature and this creative aspect is the way to join with the be-ing.

Using metaphors - As spinsters, women can spin a new narrative in the world. To remake the tapestry of history which was destroyed by patriarchy.

There needs to be resurface of ‘gynergy,- womens spirituality

Question 46

What is the counter argument para 1 essay 5

Answer 46

• REUTHER - There is clear encouragement of men+women working together. Aruges that womne can bring a new perspective to spirituality which complements what men can offer- so we should have spirituality,

Also, enforces a male/female divide - alienating men who may not hold chauvinistic views (patriarchal) - so Daly is stereotyping

Question 47

How will counteract the counter argument in para 1 essay 5

Answer 47

Men are naturally evil + have defective natures which are manifested in the Unholy Trinity of rape, genocide and war. - so daly is certain that radical feminism will triumphy and women are only capable of spirituality.

Question 48

What is the point in para 2 essay 5

Answer 48

Men who are embodied by the ‘masculine Christ and clerical church’ are unable to be spiritual beings.

Christianity is so patriarchal it is devoid of spirituality - 2000 years of deep rooted sexism.

Question 49

What is the counter argument para 2 essay 5

Answer 49

christianity

‘It pleased our Lord that I should see the following vision a number of times….I saw an angel near me’

Shows that she has achieved the same as others such as John of the Cross.

If men and women see the world differently, at least in some ways it is entirely possible to say that women’s route to spirituality is different to that of men’s.

RCC - both men and women have ‘perfections’ that reflect ‘something of the infinite perfection of God’- so they can both access spiritual unity. Makes sense because we were all made in ‘imago dei’ so we would all have features of the divine.

Question 50

How will you counteract the counter argument in para 2 essay 5

Answer 50

Spirituality is all about relationships. Women tend to make deeper and more meaningful and emotional relationships with others than men. So they can only develop a genuine spirituality