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R.S. Theology > Topic 10 - Gender + Theology > Flashcards

Topic 10 - Gender + Theology Flashcards

1
Q

what is the feminist issue with slaves?

A

creates a master-slave relationship, reinforcing the patriarchal mindset of a male (master) female (slave) hierarchy

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2
Q

who was rosemary radford reuther?

A

1936 - present

american

roman catholic

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3
Q

what does rosemary r reuther mean by the idea of a goddess?

A

roots of judaism from which christianity developed were not strictly monotheistic and god was far less male orientated

e.g. passage from prophest isiah god is depicted as the mother goddess

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4
Q

what does rosemary r reuther mean by god as the female wisdom principle?

A

believe another strand of monotheism where the femaleness of god is retained is wisdom

hebrew word for wisdom is hokham and greek its sophia - both feminine words

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5
Q

what does rosemary r reuther mean by new anti patriarchal communities?

A

her argument is that jesus’ relationship to god was based on trust as he called god “abba” which means daddy. Thus, she thinks christianity should be based on respect rather than commander roles

Reuther said the basic christian command should be ‘obey god, not men’

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6
Q

what does rosemary r reuther mean by the apophatic path and inclusive language?

A

one claim made against feminist theology is that it is sexist just reversed

Reuther insists god based language needs to be based on the ‘apophatic assumption’ that god is beyond language and gender and so in the words of reuther “image of god must be transformative”

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7
Q

how does reuther argue a male saviour cannot save women?

A

first, jesus is not only historically male but as the word of god he is the perfect example of what it means to be human and therefore god, in the eyes of reuther the church is therefore suggesting having a male mindset is necessary

thus, its sexist and cannot save women

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8
Q

how does reuther argue a male saviour can save women?

A

traditional christianity needs to first be discovered

first, reuther said the idea of jesus’ role as a messiah and teaching on the kingdom of god was not about having worldly power but gaining justice for the materialised

second, reuther suggests the holy spirit continues the work continued by jesus in his life by challenging intuitiions with too much power

e.g. story of pentecost described after jesus’ ascension the holy spirit was poured on to both men and women as a new period of history

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9
Q

what did rosemary r reuther mean by christ as a liberator?

A

in conclusion, rather says that the maleness of jesus is not relevent but what is that jesus stood up for the marginalised of his era and is representative of what should occur today.

“jesus as liberator calls for a dissolution of the web of stats relationships by which societies have defined privilege”

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10
Q

who was mary daly?

A

originally a roman catholic theologian but later abandoned christianity

1928-2010

“the church and second sex” (1968) built on the work of simone de beauvoir

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11
Q

what does daly mean by transvaluation?

A

links to nietzsche’s concern that to deliver humans from their self-imposed cultural imprisonment requires transvaluation (a complete re-evaluation of existing values)

both nietzsche and daly envisage the new era without god and religion

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12
Q

what aspects of nietzsche on transvaluation does daly use? TWO ASPECTS OF HUMAN NATURE

A

two conflicting sides are the apollonian or passive self and the dionysian or the energetic and creative self, daly thinks only women can be dionysian

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13
Q

what aspects of nietzsche on transvaluation does daly use? THE APOLLONIAN VEIL

A

created when humans falsely create ideas that they then believe are true which alienate them from their natural selves

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14
Q

what aspects of nietzsche on transvaluation does daly use? BECOMING AND BE-ING

A

being human is a creative and on going process, there is no perfect end point. Daly argues that only women understand the process of “be-ing”, this process of living replaces any idea of an objective god in daly’s philosophy

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15
Q

what does daly mean by beyond god the father?

A

disagree’s with nietzsche on his transvaluation of god as he merely substtitued god the father with man the god

daly used this as evidence for apollonian veil that such a great theologian as nietszche could be blindly patriarchal

instead, daly wants god abolished as he castrates women

“if god is male then the 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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16
Q

what does daly mean by new language and “be-ing”?

A

process of transvaluation required transformation of old language

daly categories the “archaic world” (the current sexist one) in two forms -

FOREGROUND = the world dominated by apollonian values
BACKGROUND = women being used to living in the background shadows of men
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17
Q

what does daly consider the primary cause of abuse of women ?

A

christianity, she sees jesus crucifixion as an example of men enjoying pain and suffering

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18
Q

what does daly claim can be the only true friendship?

A

a lesbian one, she is even critical of lesbian relationships which imitate male characteristics, daly says the churches opposition to homosexuality signifies its desire to continue the current status gap between men and women

19
Q

what is daly view of christianity and gender?

A

neither male nor female

‘there is neither male nor female, all of you are one in christ’ (galatians 3:28)

20
Q

what do reuther and daly agree on?

A

GODDESS
both agree calling god ‘she’ is not enough because adding a female pronoun doesn’t alter the perception

ECOLOGY
both agree only feminism adequately deals with human relationsip and the environment, patriarchy assumes a dominance over nature which feminism challenges

PRAXIS
both agree that the purpose of feminist theology should be to transform society and its relationship with nature

21
Q

whre do daly and reuther disagree?

A

GOD
reuther retains the existence of god who can be known through spirit and wisdom, daly rejects god and replaces him with nature

SEPERATISM
reuther agrees there is some aspects of society that should be women only, but doesn’t go as far as daly only advocating female relationsjhios

GODDESS/ GOD
Daly completely rejects the notion that God is female/ male and that being ‘in christ’ there is ‘neither male nor female’ because patriarchy is too strong. Reuther on the other hand considers the experience of god in female/male as ancient and replaceable

22
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 1

male saviour cannot save women, maleness is problematic (inter insigniores 1976)

INTER INSIGNIORES = POPE PAUL SAYING WOMEN CANT BE ORDAINED

A
  • A male saviour wouldn’t be able to save women as the Word or Logos of God, he is also the perfect example of what it means to be human, which means being male.
  • When Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380AD it actively promoted Jesus the triumphal ‘king’ who would return to bring in his new kingdom. This very male presentation of Jesus has serious implications for women. ‘Inter Insigniores’ (1976), ‘there must be a “natural resemblance” which exists between Christ and his minister’, women cannot be ordained.
23
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 1 - counter argument

eschatological religion, inclusive nature of trinity (reuther + soskice)

A
  • Xnity is an eschatological religion, doesn’t matter about his maleness, inclusive nature of trinity (Ruether)
  • Janet Soskice: the Trinity has been interpreted along male dynamics, with the Father-Son relationship; there is something greater to God not fulfilled by Jesus’s maleness and such terms need to be recontextualised to include female or neutral language
24
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 1 - counter response

historical religion, patriarchal age (hampson)

A

• Resurrection is important, one foot in the past (Hampson) “Women will always be disadvantaged in this situation, for that history to which Christians refer is the history of a patriarchal age” Ruether seems to deny the essence of Xnity in an attempt to save it from its inherent sexist nature…

25
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 1 - conclusive response

challenging warrior-messiah expectation

A
  • Not about the maleness of Jesus, it is about him as a liberator and saving the marginalised The Messiah of the New Testament. A servant king, leading a “prophetic liberating tradition” which took form in moral commandments such as the golden rule, criticism of legalistic practises and equal treatment of all these elements are the underlying truth of God and Jesus, and have been dressed in the patriarchal cultures of the time
  • Jesus in this sense was not someone who fulfilled male expectations, but one who sought to establish a new egalitarian social order that promoted equality of woman
26
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 2 -

patriarchy vs wisdom principle, transcendant creator reinforces male-female hierarchy (daly)

A

• Some secular feminists consider that belief in a God who is totally different from the world is a major cause of sexism belief in a transcendent creator God creates a master-slave relationship, which in turn reinforces the patriarchal mindset of a male-female hierarchy Daly argues “Phallocentric power” has given rise to the “Unholy Trinity” of rape, genocide and war that Christianity has been surreptitiously endorsed throughout history, failing to provide emancipation for women

27
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 2 - counter argument

sophia and goddess theology (reuther)

A
  • Ruether identifies the Jewish wisdom tradition the title of “Sophia”, which she argues was used as a metaphor for the Logos before the maleness of Jesus brought forward the preference for male terms to describe the Trinity highlights how the trinity if fundamentally a relational and gender-inclusive spiritual experience which has been misinterpreted by the patriarchy. In a passage from the Prophet Isaiah God is depicted as a mother, “I will cry out like a woman in labour”.
  • Despite Biblical evidence, Christianity has ignored the female/ Goddess aspect of God and promotes its strict (male) monotheism
28
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 2 - counter response

never guaranteed lack of sexism - transvaluation (simon chan, nietzsche)

A

• Yet still it can be argued that Christianity is essentially sexist, as Simon Chan, in ‘Christianity Today’ highlights the spirit of Sophia that she praises as evidence of a more matriarchal past has never guaranteed a lack of sexism: “Even today, many societies devoted to goddess worship remain oppressive towards women. Devotion to the goddess Kali in Hinduism, for instance, has never resulted in better treatment of women, even among Kali devotees.” instead we must abandon Xnity and undergo complete transvaluation, inspired by Neitzche. (Daly). Although sexism has been removed legally, it is still an inherent part of our culture.

29
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 2 - conclusive argument

daly is irrational in her demonstration of men

A

• Enforces a male/female divide and alienates men who might share the same views as herself

30
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 3

development of christianity vs female spirituality, many routes to god (reuther)

DIACHRONIC EXEGESIS = look at biblical text not just now but over history

A
  • Diachronic exegesis – must look at how the Bible has developed in context over time, in order to look past the “layers of varnish” (Ruether, ‘sexism and god talk’) to salvage egalitarian roots and reinterpretation of God
  • Instead of rejecting Christianity and men we should develop Christianity and remove its patriarchal nature; there are many routes to God and the maleness of God and Jesus needs to be overturned, without creating a male/ female divide as Daly seems to
31
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 3 - counter argument

female spirituality and nature

A
  • Developed the concept of biophilia within her new concept of female-orientated spirituality – women must seeks connections and liberation through nature, allowing them to come closer to Be-ing, the re-invention of God
  • Women will become ‘spinsters’, working together to create nature from cloth. Will become free from Christian patriarchy and eventually transvaluate all of society
32
Q

ESSAY PLAN - Christainity and sexism

“is christianity sexist?”

POINT 3 - conclusive response

god is beyond language and gender

A
  • As God is infinite and as human language can only refer to finite things, then all theological language referring to God must be based on the apophatic assumption that God is beyond language and in that sense beyond gender
  • “The norm of truth for Christians, and for feminists, is not an idealised past but the fullness of redemptive potential yet to be fully realised.”
33
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 1

only women can develop genuine spirituality, female spirituality (the shakers)

A
  • Developed the concept of biophilia within her new concept of female-orientated spirituality – women must seeks connections and liberation through nature, allowing them to come closer to Be-ing, the re-invention of God
  • The Shakers believe women are particularly susceptible to the Holy Spirit – must lead in Church
34
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 1 - counter argument

excludes men, enforces male/female divide

A

• The belief that only women can develop genuine spirituality enforces a male/ female divide, alienating men who may not hold chauvinistic views – Daly seems to stereotype and generalise

35
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 1 - counter response

it is the church that has excluded women (inter ins ignores)

A
  • A male saviour wouldn’t be able to save women as the Word or Logos of God, he is also the perfect example of what it means to be human, which means being male.
  • When Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380AD it actively promoted Jesus the triumphal ‘king’ who would return to bring in his new kingdom. This very male presentation of Jesus has serious implications for women. ‘Inter Insigniores’ (1976), ‘there must be a “natural resemblance” which exists between Christ and his minister’, women cannot be ordained Xnity has excluded women from the beginning and this exclusion continues today, thus to propose a female only solution, that of biophilia, is a fair solution; men have failed to co operate with women thus women must develop their own spirituality
36
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 1 - conclusive response

fatherhood can encompass male and female qualities (simon chan)

A

• Some theologians, such as Simon Chan, point to the fact that the relationship of the Trinity is a unique father/son relationship that can’t be rendered simply as ‘God is male’. Daly doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge that God is father to all-universal fatherhood is both a caring and creative response. Being male doesn’t need to mean that so-called feminine qualities are expunged – men can be compassionate, creative etc both can develop spirituality

37
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 2

men cannot develop spirituality due to evil nature, trinity

A
  • Such spirituality is not open to men, due to their naturally evil and defective natures which are manifested in the Unholy Trinity of rape, genocide and war
  • Daly is certain that radical feminism will triumph and overcome the last vestiges of post-Christianity society and create what she calls the ‘cosmic tapestry’ most holy trinity of power, justice and love
38
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 2 - counter argument

irrational demonisation (Reuther)

A
  • Despite her brilliant and imaginative insights, her demonization of men as the cause of ‘rape culture’ is not the view that many feminists have of men.
  • Although her conclusions are drawn from analysing the behaviour of men throughout history, it is possible to counter that through re-education and re-interpretation of Christianity (as posed by Ruether), with inclusion of the female experience, these impulses could be extinguished and the spirituality Daly envisions become open to men
39
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 2 - counter response

christian narrative rooted in patriarchal age (hampson)

A

• Resurrection is important, one foot in the past (Hampson) “Women will always be disadvantaged in this situation, for that history to which Christians refer is the history of a patriarchal age” Christianity arguably cannot be re-interpreted, allowing spirituality for men and women, as it cannot be removed from patriarchal attitudes at the time of Jesus’ resurrection!

40
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 2 - conclusive response

jesus as liberator (mark 5)

A
  • Not about the maleness of Jesus, it is about him as a liberator and saving the marginalised The Messiah of the New Testament. A servant king, leading a “prophetic liberating tradition” which took form in moral commandments such as the golden rule, criticism of legalistic practises and equal treatment of all these elements are the underlying truth of God and Jesus, and have been dressed in the patriarchal cultures of the time
  • Mark 5:25-34 – The woman bleeding for 12 years Jesus in this sense was not someone who fulfilled male expectations, but one who sought to establish a new egalitarian social order that promoted equality of woman; men and women can clearly work together to grow in spirituality and equality
41
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 3

men and women equally capable, gender should be overlooked (reuther)

A
  • Diachronic exegesis – must look at how the Bible has developed in context over time, in order to look past the “layers of varnish” (Ruether, ‘sexism and god talk’) to salvage egalitarian roots and reinterpretation of God
  • Instead of rejecting men and their capacity for spirituality we should develop Christianity and remove its patriarchal nature; there are many routes to God and the maleness of God and Jesus needs to be overturned, without creating a male/ female divide as Daly seems to
42
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 3 - counter argument

patriarchy interwoven into fabric of society

A
  • Language is a product of the phallic values of our culture; women need to develop new forms of discourse, free from traditional gender constraints
  • Reclaimed words – hag an empowered woman, spinster spinner of new history
43
Q

ESSAY PLAN - WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY

“can only women develop genuine spirituality?”

POINT 3 - counter response

spirituality is beyond gender

A
  • As God is infinite and as human language can only refer to finite things, then all theological language referring to God must be based on the apophatic assumption that God is beyond language and in that sense beyond gender
  • “The norm of truth for Christians, and for feminists, is not an idealised past but the fullness of redemptive potential yet to be fully realised.”

R.S. Theology (12 decks)

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