Source 1 states that “God has put a difference between the sexes’ and tha ¬t men and women are ‘designed to move in separate spheres’. This implies that women are too delicate for the outside world and aren’t ‘designed’ to take on the world of work and politics as they were not created to be equal. However source 1 is taken from the Christian library and is exaggerating in order to agree with the bible and persuade the reader of its views. Women must remain in the safety of the home looking after their husband and children. They aren’t seen as tough as men, and therefore inferior.
Assess the veiw that woman are no longer opressed by religion When it comes to woman and religion there are many arguments that suggest woman are opressed and then many that say woman arent being opressed. Feminist are the main people who suggest woman are being opressed when it comes to religion. Feminist see relgion as patriachal ideology, which is where the men are in power and use religion as a way to get there ideas across. so for example they say man is made in gods image. So this patriachal ideology legitamates gender inequality where woman are concerned as women can not become higher leader in the church the highest women can go is to become a vicar.
Another argument that religion maintains the oppression of women in terms of rituals is that in some instances women are not allowed in a sacred place when going through the menstrual period. Also, even in marriage the women have to promise to obey the man in their vow whereas the man doesn’t need to make this promise in their vow. Arguments against the idea that religion maintains the oppression of women is that society is becoming more secular so rituals aren’t so important as they use to be, which means women are no longer oppressed. It can also be argued that it is not the rituals that are patriarchal and that it may just be the use of ritual by men. This means it is not religious rituals that are patriarchal, but instead it is the way in which men use rituals to match their own ideology.
While many churches continue to deny women certain human rights, it is very clear that without women, the Christian religion would be a vastly different community. Women continue to strive for equal status in the church. They are beginning to oppose more and more of the Church’s teaching. Feminists are now opposing the idea that humans have a “dual anthropology.” The Church supports this philosophy and explains that “women’s human nature is naturally different from men’s human nature” (Bielgrien 13).
Many aspects of Feminist theology also believe the greatly patriarchal dominated nature of the bible is caused by a ‘Kyriarchy’, which means that a powerful group dominates over and excludes a less powerful group, showing where the male dominance comes from. The literal meaning of the word ‘Kyriarchy’ is derived from the Greek term meaning to ‘Lord over’. Liberationist theology is a view of promoting liberation and rights within the Christian church, leading to questioning of any patriarchy in the church, while viewing this as being sexist. The Rejectionist theology approach contests that the Bible is so tainted by Patriarchy that there is no value in retaining it and using it as a source of inspiration and guidance. Through this, this theology seeks to give up the bible
The church justifies its ideas by basing them on nature; insisting that it is part of human nature for women to be caretakers while men are the breadwinners. Instead of women changing their roles they insist on collaboration. This idea insists that men and women each have gifts, therefore they should work together in order to fill up the part the other lacks. Feminists do not see this as benefiting “they fear it undermines collaboration, because it tends to promote separation and practical inequality” (Kaveny 17). This idea promotes separation rather than togetherness.
They disregard the feminists demand for equality in conjugal roles as they believe that a division of labour where woman focus upon the home is instinctive, natural and functional. Marxists feminists, however, agree that the trad nuclear family should be dismantled as it is the corner stone of capitalism which they believe to be problematic. Firstly they see the family
This causes the reader to contemplate whether Jeanette’s homosexuality is wrong which coherently leads to the reader questioning the traditional values we uphold within society. Jeanette’s mother has a binary philosophy to life accompanied with almost fundamentalist Christian views. By the church creating the noun phrase, ‘Unnatural Passion’, for homosexuality it projects the sheer vitriol of the church to anything different. The church played a key role in Jeanette’s development making it near impossible for her not to feel the impact of their outlook on homosexuality. By allowing the reader to observe the church’s hatred towards happenings that they deem peculiar, the reader builds connection to the protagonist as Winterson displays how comfortable Jeanette is with Melanie, ‘glad the Lord had brought us together’.
Another prospect is that in the lack of discrimination gender differences can appear. Men and women are clearly different from birth, but their differences in interests, talents, attitudes whether arising from birth or learning all plays a part in the big story. Pinker’s third thought behind women’s absence is the child-rearing idea. Women, who embrace most of the responsibility when it comes to raising children, cannot simply coexist with professions in the science field which are so demanding in time. Pinker concludes his commentary with psychologist Philip Tetlock’s argument dealing with taboo.
Egalitarian vs. Complimentarian: Women in the Church One of the most controversial topics I have run into at Arizona Christian University is whether holding a complimentarian view is better or worse than holding an egalitarian view. It mainly applies to women’s roles in the church and within a marriage. A popular definition of egalitarian within Christianity, “is a movement based on the theological view that not only are all people equal before God in their personhood, but there are no gender-based limitations of what functions or roles each can fulfill in the home, the church, and the society”. Complimentarian can be defined as the “theological view that although men and women are created equal in their being and personhood, they are created to complement each other via different roles and responsibilities as manifested in marriage, family life, and religious leadership”. An argument in favor of complementarianism can be made from 1 Timothy 2:9-15.