Theology Flashcards

1
Q

Mary Daly’s main quote about sexism in Christianity

A

“If God is male, then male is God. The divine patriarch castrates women as long as he is allowed to live on in the human imagination.”

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2
Q

Mary Daly criticised which ‘Fathers of Christian tradition’?

A

Tertullian - saw women as the ‘devil’s gateway’ and said women were the reason for the Fall and why Jesus had to die for everyone.

Augustine suggested women were not made in the image of God.

Aquinas saw women as ill-conceived males.

Martin Luther suggested Adam was Lord of all and Eve spoiled this.

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3
Q

What is ‘rapism’

A

A culture of rape.

This is a symbol of all violent oppression within a society that encompasses: nuclear arms race, racism, man made poverty and ecological disaster.

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4
Q

In Daly’s unholy trinity, she brings up rape as a whole lot of violence towards women. What are the problems that arise from this?

A

She includes hysterectomy, which is actually sometimes done as a medical procedure to deal with heavy periods. It shouldn’t really count as ‘rape’.

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5
Q

What is the problem with Daly’s ‘arm chair rapists’ argument?

A

Not only men watch pornography. Women do as well. Usually pornography isn’t something that is forced to create, it is often by consent of a man and women.

Bring up OnlyFans

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6
Q

What is one example of Rape in the Bible that Daly mentions, and how can you criticise this?

A

Daly references Judges 19, where scoundrels arrive at a house demanding to abyuse a guest staying and the host offers his virgin daughter and concubine. They rape the concubine to death.

However, she misses out the rest of the story, and is just cherry-picking. She actually leaves out the fact that the host is outraged, and gathers his whole village to find the scoundrels and go to kill them.

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7
Q

What did Daly say about Genocide?

A

There is a deep link between rape and genocide (deliberate killing of a large group of people).

Male sexual violence forms the basis of military interests. (The men try to protect their country, not have sex, ridiculous)

It is not just an act on the individual but is instead part of a group of ‘raped people’.

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8
Q

Daly presents the argument of ‘war’ with two examples:

Bengali women being raped by West Pakistani soldiers, and Moses enraged after a campaign against Midian because the commanders had spared the lives of all women.

What is the problem with the first example?

A

The first example has no link with religion - how can you blame sex/rape blindly with war? It’s historically present in non-religious interests.

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9
Q

What is phallic morality and phallic mentality?

A

Penis driven morals and reasoning

USE RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

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10
Q

What did Daly say women should do as a result of patriarchal society?

A

Reject all moral standards, as they’re designed by men to subjugate women

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11
Q

What was Mary Daly’s conclusion, and what are the problems with this?

A

Jesus Christ is the ‘symbolic legitimation of the rape of all women and all matter”. This is because the underlying culture of rape, genocide and war is impregnated within Christianity itself and these elements are so fundamental to Christianity that leaving this culture means leaving Christianity.

Firstly, Christianity is built on the New Testament, and many ideas about war and rape are from the Old Testament. Christianity was built in a patriarchy, it didn’t create it.

Secondly, calling Jesus a symbiolic legitimation of rape is crazy. He is one who worked with women to free them from oppression. Mention the stoning incident.

Thirdly, Lisa Sowle Cahill believed that the Church actually protected women by banning adultery, polygamy, etc.

Furthermore, does this mean leaving behind all history as well? There’s so much wrong with the past, not even including Christianity.

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12
Q

What is quintessence?

A

The highest essence of being which lives, loves and creates. The spirit that permeates all nature, giving life and vitality to the whole universe.

Daly said there should be a turning away from the fixed nature of sacred places and the maleness of God, and turn to quintessence.

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13
Q

Simon Chan’s criticisms of Daly

A

It’s not as simple as saying ‘God is male’. The Christian idea of fatherhood, as embodied in the Trinity, is unique.

Daly seems to gloss over, according to Chan, the focus that God is the heavenly father and creator of all = universal fatherhood.

Chan reminds us that the male language for God does not create masculine qualities for God. For example, in Isaiah 54, God as husband who acts with ‘deep compassion’.

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14
Q

Elisabeth Fiorenza’s criticisms of Daly

A

The Bible supports women’s struggles against partriarchal sexism such as when Jesus breaks sexist customs.

Matthew 26:6, when Jesus goes against the disciples, who had been shaming a woman who had poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ head.

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15
Q

What did Bonhoeffer accuse German Christians of?

A

Not confessing their faith.
Not being true to their discipleship
Not following the commands of God

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16
Q

What was Bonhoeffer’s discipleship composed of?

A

Exclusive obedience to the leadership of Jesus and the will of God, placing it above the law and any human leadership. This entails cutting yourself off from previous existence.

This act of obedience is the only real faith.

God’s call demands action. No time to think things through. Bonhoeffer called for ‘single-minded obedience’, just as Jesus called Peter to risk his life and walk on the sea.

Reason, conscience responsibility and piety all stand in the way of obedience.

Suffering and sacrifice are inherent to discipleship for anyone who follows Jesus because they must pick up his cross and follow the path of suffering that Jesus walks.

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17
Q

In what ways did Bonhoeffer commit civil disobedience?

A

He spoke out at a university he worked in (lost his job), in public lectures (was banned), in illegal seminars.

He argued that Hitler was the anti-Christ and is believed to have joined the plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944.

18
Q

What is the difference between Cheap Grace and Costly Grace?

A

“Cheap Grace is the deadly enemy of the Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjack’s wares.” (The cost of Discipleship)

It criticisises that Christian living should be easy and comfortable, full of reward with little struggle. Bonhoeffer is concerned that people think because Jesus died for everyone that God’s grace is just given out for free to everyone.

Costly Grace is the “treasure hidden in a field”, the idea that you would gladly sacrifice everything for. It’s costly because it calls us to follow Jesus and that means making changes to our lives and our decisions.

19
Q

Example of solidarity in Bonhoeffer’s life

A

After 21 days of living in America in safety, he returned to Berlin to share in the time of suffering with the German people.

That sharing of suffering included his decision to get involved with the Resistance including passing on information to the Allies and smuggling Jews to safety into Switzerland under the guise of being a member of the German military intelligence, thanks to his brother.

20
Q

Some objections to Bonhoeffer

A

Bonhoeffer over emphasises suffering as a concept of discipleship. Bonhoeffer lived at a time of extreme ideologies (communism and facism) and great suffering (Great Depression). He is stuck on the cross.

Bonhoeffer’s interpretation of God’s will could be wrong. He became involved in an assasination attempt which contradicts Jesus’ teachings on violence. This could be the result of uncertainty about God’s will.

Christianity should be inclusive and adopt values of modern age. Bonhoeffer encouraging us to follow God’s commands not trends of the day but state loyalty is important today.

21
Q

Strengths of Bonhoeffer’s theory

A

His message is about solidarity not just suffering. Many people suffer injustice, illness, betrayal or bereavement. They can find consolation through friendship.

Common life together reduces risk of distorted meaning. Bonhoeffer advocated a life in a community based on shared reflection and reading of scripture. i.e. seminary he led. Only through common life with the Bible that we can understand all of the Bible not just the parts we want to read.

Bonhoeffer’s challenge to abandon comfortable Christianity gives people prospect of meaningful life. In western societies there is an obsession with material benefits and self-interest alongside deep sense of unhappiness.

22
Q

Why did Aquinas believe that Christianity worked well with science and observation?

A

He was influenced by Aristotle - by looking at the world and the cause and effect cycle is one possible point. Uncaused causer.

23
Q

What did Cicero believe about Natural Theology?

A

Many people and many different cultures have adopted the idea of there being an infinite being. So we have this innate sense of God?

24
Q

How do we, as humans, have an innate sense of the Divine?

A

We are born with a sense, due to many cultures/religions adopting this idea of an infinite being. (Cicero)

We are made in the Image of God, the spark of Divinity could imply that there is something in humans which is designed to seek and respond to God.

Seed of divinity (sensus divinitas) - Calvin proposed that we have an innate sense of God.

Epistemic distance - thinkers like Hick believed that God deliberately made himself obscure to preserve free will. HOWEVER Calvin believes that we make the epistemic distance by ignoring God.

Aesthetic argument - we appreciate beauty and goodness in the world.

Innate sense of morality - knowing what is r/w. Butler, Newman, C.S. Lewis.

25
Q

What was Aquinas’ belief about faith?

A

You cannot have faith and science on the same thing. Because faith is about the things we are not certain of, whereas science is about things we can test.

Aquinas makes clear this is not just opinion, as opinions can change whereas faith has a commitment.

26
Q

God as the Holy Spirit is believed to give what?

A
Prophets of the OT the right words
People wisdom to understand revelation
Faith to believe in the Christian message
Confidence to share Christian faith
Guidance to writers of scripture
Ability to live Christian life
Strength to the Church
Opportunity for salvation
27
Q

Quote from Acts 17 about natural and revealed theology

A

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.”

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”

28
Q

What was the main idea promoted in Acts 17 by St Paul?

A

Through reason Paul hoped his listeners would gain new knowledge of God (Natural theology) and recognise that God cannot be captured by humans in statues but through God’s grace (Revealed theology).

29
Q

What did Karl Barth believe about Natural theology?

A

He believed that natural theology was idoltary, where people worship false ideas.

He argues that clearly people are incapable (human reason limited) of working out right and wrong by themselves and need God’s commandments as revealed in the Bible.

God is revealed in Christ (so no truth in any other World Religions)

Only Christ breaks through the barrier of human sin to reveal God - any attempt to understand God, without Christ, was bound to be corrupt and wrong!

30
Q

What did Dawkins believe about Theology in general?

A

Faith is actually harmful. encouraging people to be lazy in their thinking and avoid trying to reach any kind of certainty (‘God did it’)

Dawkins likens belief in God to belief in the tooth fairy or a teapot orbiting Mars - these beliefs cannot be conclusively disproved but no evidence to support them and therefore no good reason to commit to them.

31
Q

What does N.T. Wright believe about Jesus?

A

He discusses how Jesus cures people from groups that have been excluded from society. Jesus is reuniting the socially excluded, ritually unclean, separated groups back into a relationship with God.

In Wright’s interpretation, Jesus’ miracles show a greater authority than simply a power to alter the way the universe works.

32
Q

Significance of the resurrection for Paul and Wright

A

For Paul, if Jesus was not resurrected then all preaching would be in vain. Sins would not have been washed clean and at death all would perish.

Wright suggests that the belief that Jesus rose from the dead was the reason why Jesus’ disciples regrouped and rapidly changed their traditional worship to focus on Christ.

33
Q

What did Dawkins say about Jesus?

A

“Jesus was a great moral teacher” - Dawkins

34
Q

In the Beautitudes, who are blessed?

A

Blessed are:

The poor in spirit
Those who mourn
The meek
The merciful
The pure in heart (goodness beyond external actions but reach inside to motivations that drive us)
The peacemakers
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
Those who are persecuted for righteousness

35
Q

In the Beautitudes, who are blessed?

A

Blessed are:

The poor in spirit
Those who mourn
The meek
The merciful
The pure in heart (goodness beyond external actions but reach inside to motivations that drive us)
The peacemakers
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
Those who are persecuted for righteousness

36
Q

What happened in John 8:3-10?

A

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”

37
Q

Name an example of Jesus serving others in the Bible

A

“Now that I, your Lord and Teahcer have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” (Jesus teaches Christians to serve one another)

This was in John 13:3-6

38
Q

Two ways in which Jesus was a liberator

A

A religious revolutionary (less authoritative, more spiritual, and his arguments with the Pharisees/Scribes over religious laws)

Political and social revolutionary (liberating the people of Israel from Roman occupation, for example)

39
Q

One example of Jesus trying to set Israel free

A

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey and the crowd laid cloaks in rememberence of King Jehu and laid palm branches to symbolise the Maccabees who liberated two centuries earlier.

Many scholars believe this was carefully orchestrated by Jesus and his followers to fulfil Zechariah’s prophecy and to send a message that the long awaited Messiah had come to set Israel free.

40
Q

What does Daphne Hampson say about Reuther’s argument?

A

Christianity and feminism are essentially incompatible. Christianity is too tightly interwoven with patriarchy to be reinterpreted with a feminist agenda. She thinks that trying to carry out a radical feminist transformation of Christianity, in the way Reuther is attempting, is impossible.