gender and theology - mary

Question 1

two main examples of church being anti women in bible

Answer 1

fall, spare rib

Question 2

two main points mary daly makes about roman catholic church oppressing women

Answer 2

• illusion of equality
• idolises theoretical women

Question 3

what does mary daly compare to the kkk

Answer 3

a woman asking for equality in the church is comparable to a black man asking for equality inthe kkk

Question 4

is church and the second sex reformist or post christian

Answer 4

r

Question 5

‘phallocentric power celebration’

Answer 5

penis centred power encourages links to unholy trinity and male entitlement

Question 6

unholy trinity

Answer 6

rape genocide and war naturally exist in a phallocentric power celebration

Question 7

what is a quote about divinity being associated with maleness

Answer 7

‘if god is male then the male is god’

Question 8

‘if god is male then the male is god’
- explain what daly means by this

Answer 8

divinity is associated with masculinity/men so suggests men are superior to women
- encourage patriarchy.

Question 9

quote about women not being able to have authority over men

Answer 9

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.”

Question 10

why do liberal christians not care about the sexist parts of bible - how can this be evaluated

Answer 10

accept that it is not word of god and so must contain errors
- but it is still a sexist document so why read and worship it? can also affect ppl subconsciously

Question 11

daly on jesus being a feminist

Answer 11

it doesnt matter whether he was or is
- even if he is a feminist his maleness is what will perpetuate, rather than counter, this patriarchal view

Question 12

why does ruether see jesus as having female traits

Answer 12

• was not traditional idea of messiah who was a warlord
• embodied wisdom and self-sacrifice (traditionally female attributes)
  so is gender inclusive

Question 13

why is jesus, regardless of being feminist, seen as upholding patriarchy

Answer 13

• jesus died for everyones sins - the idea comes from women needing a saviour
• jesus is a man - male spiritual leader of religion is simply too patriarchal

Question 14

what is the main thing ruether looks at in the bible (and if it doesnt follow this it has less authoirty)

Answer 14

golden thread of bible is liberation

Question 15

what did ruether call the passages where jesus helped women

Answer 15

she called these passages the prophetic liberating tradition/theme in the bible

Question 16

how does ruether explain the sexist passages in the bible and how must we fix this

Answer 16

as being influenced by patriarchal culture
- we need to get rid of them and reform it

Question 17

hermeneutical aim def

Answer 17

• the way a scripture is interpeted academically

Question 18

ruethers hermeneutical aim

Answer 18

read the bible with a feminist agenda and to question how texts have been trad used by patriarchy
- she sees the bible as the word of humans not god
- understand the context of it being written by and for men

Question 19

do catholic church think jesus intended for women to lead

Answer 19

no
inter insigniores - jesus had male disciples and actively chose them to lead instead

Question 20

Fiorenze on womens place in bible

Answer 20

it has a mixture of timeless truth and also reflections of the culture it was written in
- jesus let mary M sit at his feet which is where disciples sat
- but also says 3 womems testimonys is equal to a mans

Question 21

Ricci on why women are allowed to lead

Answer 21

women are disciples in the bible too
- they are key witnesses (ressurection), and break social norms
- mary annoints jesus with her hair for burial - jesus criticises disciples for only focusing on her modesty

Question 22

why is mary m annointing jesus so crazy

Answer 22

• she annointed him for burial before it was ever revealed
• even her being in that room breaks social norms so jesus must have thought highly of her
• sitting at his feet is a symbol of importance

Question 23

how does ruether justify women leading in church services

Answer 23

• she examines early church and found egalitarian sects such as montanism
  ‘your sons and daughters shall prophecy’

Question 24

How does Chan criticise ruether

Answer 24

selects and cherrypicks texts to suit her agenda.
hypocritical for accusing church of doing that too
- look at mainstream church not cultic secys that popped up as dogma was being developed

Question 25

‘ruether selects and cherrypicks texts to suit her agenda.
hypocritical for accusing church of doing that too
- look at mainstream church not cultic secys that popped up as dogma was being developed’ who says this

Answer 25

Chan

Question 26

what does the church thin about jesus’ maleness

Answer 26

that is was purposeful
- inter insigniorius say priests have to act in persona christ which means they have to play that role of a man
- jesus also acts as second adam

Question 27

Ricci on Jesus’ maleness

Answer 27

• essential
• as a radical feminst he had to be male so men would respect him and follow his way
• he couldn’t breakdown patriarchal values as a woman

Question 28

Chan on jesus’ maleness (4)

Answer 28

• in ancient times christianity was unique in calling god father
• god is described with both male and female characteristics but shouldn’t downplay maleness
• ruether is trying to rewrite christianity
• there was patriarchy even with female godesses

Question 29

who says that there was patriarchy even with female godesses

Answer 29

chan

Question 30

what does ruther think about the maleness of christ

four

Answer 30

it is accidental and not essential
- his maleness has been used to reinforce views that men are closer to god (aquinas)
- maleness of gods form is nit consistent with golden thread of liberation
- gender is physical and god is not - anthropomorphising

Question 31

how does ruether say god as a reconstruction theologist

Answer 31

God/ess

Question 32

what does daly call god - why

Answer 32

Being
- as a verb not noun

Question 33

significance of origional term for wisdom and what it was replaced by

Answer 33

sophia - female term in old testament
got replaced by logos - for the word which is masculine

Question 34

what female way was god depicted in

Answer 34

• a mother going through pains of childbirth ‘ i will cry out like a woman in labour’

Question 35

what does daly mean by biophillia

Answer 35

women must seek connections and liberation through nature so that they can come closer to being
- only women

Question 36

why does daly say spirituality is not open to men

Answer 36

their evil and defective natures

Question 37

what does daly mean by transvaluation

Answer 37

needs to be a complete re-evaluation of all existing values - inspired by Nietzsche
- this new era is only possible with overturn of existing culture
- christianity is inherently sexist so cannot be reinterpreted

Question 38

how does christianity present an illusion of equality according to daly

Answer 38

by idolising theoretical women such as virgin mary

Question 39

what does mary daly mean by castrate god

Answer 39

de masculinise him and see god as be-ing

Question 40

why does daly think god cannot be a noun

Answer 40

encourages human attriubutes
and as a verb it can now focus on what we do not what we believe in

Question 41

what does daly say about women and seeing themselves as victims

Answer 41

• women have some responsibility for it
• they need to abolish feeling ‘other’
• salvation is achieved when they recognise they arent other

Question 42

daly says women need to reject idea of being a ‘good woman’ and be

Answer 42

hags and crones

Question 43

why does daly say there is patriarchy in all cultures

Answer 43

men have natural inclination to oppress

Question 44

what is suttee

Answer 44

old indian practice where widows would light themselves on fire at their husbands funeral pyre to show devotion and loyalty