Christianity is often associated with numerous negative connotations, especially in the context of feminism. There came a point in my life when I realized how much feminism mattered to me and how little religion meant to me. I especially connected with the piece about Kathleen Norris because I felt she was writing about a lot of the things I’ve experienced growing up with religion and subsequently doubting it. I grew up going to church with my mother, but as Norris once said, “we go to church in order to sing, and theology is secondary (WW pg 281).” We “church hopped” around various denominations as my mother searched for a congregation with good music. As a result, I never really took church seriously, so it was easy for me to give it
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Christianity has long used the bible to segregate women into an inferior, sinful, and almost inhuman place. Their primary “evidence” is usually drawn from Genesis 2-3, where Eve was created second and was the first to sin. We have read many different dismissals of the claim of female inferiority, my favorites being Sarah Grimké and Phyllis Trible. My mother and I have discussed the idea that the only reason the bible is so oppressive of women is because it has largely been interpreted and translated by men, but reading Trible’s in depth examination of the original text and context was awesome. Another issue that stems from this pervasive anti-woman stance is the bible’s position on rape. Whether or not specific bible verses condone rape is up for debate, but the fact that one of the ten commandments forbids taking the lord’s name in vain, but that there is nothing about rape is reprehensible. Christianity has also been a fierce opponent of a woman’s constitutional right to bodily autonomy, which is something I want to spend the rest of my life upholding. The church is often seen as picking and choosing the rules it wants to follow and disregarding certain ones because of “context.” This is especially true regarding the church’s stance on homosexuality. For example, Deuteronomy 22:11 NIV states “do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together,” which my mother thought was pointless. …show more content…
Protestant women were often much more vocal than Catholic women, but the gains religious women made by organizing into voluntary societies was unprecedented. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, for example, was revolutionary when she proposed the “Women’s Bible,” proving that while feminism and religion are not mutually exclusive, the traditional patriarchal constraints placed on religion and society must first be dismantled. This feminism was often dependent upon men; careful not to upset them or cross the appropriate boundaries determined by the context of patriarchal models of power. I, however, will never be content with a quiet, modest feminism. The past year or two, I have experienced a radical liberation that I will never constrain for the sake of protecting male ego. Until the patriarchal constraints of society have been lifted, until women can walk the streets without fearing for their safety, until a woman’s right to an abortion is never questioned, until the wage gap is closed, until women are truly equal, I will never censor my feminism as to not offend men, or anyone else for that matter. I understand that Christianity is ultimately about a personal relationship with God and the readings covered in class have completely opened my mind to the possibility of reconciliation, but as of now, I don’t want it. All strength and comfort I need, I draw from
Christianity has long used the bible to segregate women into an inferior, sinful, and almost inhuman place. Their primary “evidence” is usually drawn from Genesis 2-3, where Eve was created second and was the first to sin. We have read many different dismissals of the claim of female inferiority, my favorites being Sarah Grimké and Phyllis Trible. My mother and I have discussed the idea that the only reason the bible is so oppressive of women is because it has largely been interpreted and translated by men, but reading Trible’s in depth examination of the original text and context was awesome. Another issue that stems from this pervasive anti-woman stance is the bible’s position on rape. Whether or not specific bible verses condone rape is up for debate, but the fact that one of the ten commandments forbids taking the lord’s name in vain, but that there is nothing about rape is reprehensible. Christianity has also been a fierce opponent of a woman’s constitutional right to bodily autonomy, which is something I want to spend the rest of my life upholding. The church is often seen as picking and choosing the rules it wants to follow and disregarding certain ones because of “context.” This is especially true regarding the church’s stance on homosexuality. For example, Deuteronomy 22:11 NIV states “do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together,” which my mother thought was pointless. …show more content…
Protestant women were often much more vocal than Catholic women, but the gains religious women made by organizing into voluntary societies was unprecedented. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, for example, was revolutionary when she proposed the “Women’s Bible,” proving that while feminism and religion are not mutually exclusive, the traditional patriarchal constraints placed on religion and society must first be dismantled. This feminism was often dependent upon men; careful not to upset them or cross the appropriate boundaries determined by the context of patriarchal models of power. I, however, will never be content with a quiet, modest feminism. The past year or two, I have experienced a radical liberation that I will never constrain for the sake of protecting male ego. Until the patriarchal constraints of society have been lifted, until women can walk the streets without fearing for their safety, until a woman’s right to an abortion is never questioned, until the wage gap is closed, until women are truly equal, I will never censor my feminism as to not offend men, or anyone else for that matter. I understand that Christianity is ultimately about a personal relationship with God and the readings covered in class have completely opened my mind to the possibility of reconciliation, but as of now, I don’t want it. All strength and comfort I need, I draw from