RS a level DCT - gender and theology

ao1 and ao2

quote from Daly on gendering God

“if God is male then male is God”

does Daly believe Christianity is irredeemably sexist

yes

does Ruether believe Christianity is irredeemable sexist

no

quote from Daly on the gender of Christ incarnate

"the idea of a uniquely male saviour may be seen as one more legitimisation of male superiority"

quote from Genesis 2 showing subservience of women

“I will make a helper suitable for him.”

quote from Catholic Catechism on gender of God

"God is neither man nor woman... pure spirit"

quote from Genesis 1 suggesting man and woman to be equal

“in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”

quote from Paul in equality in Galatians 3

“nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”

does Ruether suggest Jesus is a Davidic Messiah?

no, he rejects the warrior-messiah stereotype and instead acts as a servant

does Ruether suggest female language can be used to talk about God? why?

yes

examples can be found in the Bible of God as a woman

e.g. Numbers 11:12 portrays God as a mother and nurse of wondering children

can also talk about God as wisdom which is a female principle, arguing early Christians continued to refer to this as “Sophia”

2 examples from Christianity showing change in the face of social oppression e.g. sexism

bible has strong messages of liberation e.g. exodus

Jesus transgresses traditional rules surrounding women e.g. by touching them

recent example of an attempt to reform the Church away from patriarchy

2025 Catholic Women Lenten Strike, attempted to encourage the Catholic Church to give women positions of power

what is Daly’s ‘unholy trinity’

patriarchal ideals/practices Christianity encourages to destroy women and empower men: rape, genocide, and war

how does Daly suggests Christianity justifies war

through “phallic mentality” and “phallic morality”

what does rape represent according to Daly

a manifestation of a cultural sexual caste system - a hierarchy that gives the sexes unequal power

quote from Daly on Mary’s rape

the immaculate conception is a "symbolic legitimation of the rape of all women"

1 Corinthians 11 on gender roles

"the head of the woman is man"

quote from Ruether highlighting that Jesus transgressed cultural expectations

"he is expected to win, not to suffer and die”

quote from Proverbs 8 showing divine wisdom in female terms

"does wisdom not call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?"

does Ruether view the feminine divine wisdom as a concept equal to the Son of God

yes, as "revealer of the mind of God, and reconciler of humanity to God"

3 criticisms of Daly from Simon Chan

the Christian idea of fatherhood is unique and important; the relational concept of father, son, and holy spirit cannot be equated to "God is male"

God is a heavenly father for all which Daly does not give credit to as a symbol

"the term father, then, excludes not feminine qualities, but rather the idea of a distant and impersonal deity"

4 criticisms of Ruether from Simon Chan

the Christian narrative cannot be rewritten to give more prominence to women because it is the story itself that shapes Christian identity

belief in the trinity is central to Christianity

Christian liturgy relies on traditional language

many ancient cultures who feature goddesses were still patriarchal: "even today, many societies devoted to goddess worship remain oppressive towards women"

why does Daly argue we should rethink spiritual places?

traditional holy places, such as those built and managed by men, are not suitable centres of free spirituality

what is Daly’s quintessence?

the highest reality/essence that permeates all of nature and can be rediscovered through spirituality in nature

reflects the renewed interest in pagan spirituality and nature worship in the 1970s

why does Daly think Christianity can’t lead women towards spirituality

new language has to be adopted by women because old language is androcentric; women need a new spirituality

how does Ruether see God incarnate

as the incarnation of the female wisdom principle, Sophia

Christ could have been female but is ‘accidentally’ male

quote from the Catechism of Catholic Church clarifying that they do not understand God to be male

“in no way is God in man’s image. He is neither man nor woman”

quote from Ruether on challenging God’s maleness

“male monotheism has been so taken for granted… that the peculiarity of imagining God solely through one gender has not been recognised”

argument and quote on gender equality from Rachel Treweek (first female bishop in house of Lords)

equality is rooted in the Bible, as Genesis shows we are all made in God’s image

“a lot of what has been framed as theology is blatant misogyny”

Quote from ‘The Wisdom of Solomon’ 7:25 (book in the Greek Old Testament but not the modern day bible) describing wisdom in female terms

“she is a breath of the power of God”

Quote from Paul in Corinthians 1 equating Jesus with wisdom

Calls Jesus the ‘wisdom of God’

Quote from Daly in ‘Beyond God the Father’ suggesting the idea of God’s plan to be patriarchal

“God’s plan is often a front for men’s plans and a cover for inadequacy, ignorance, and evil”

3 examples of biblical women

Eve - tempted first in Genesis

Phoebe - early dedicated deaconess of the church

Priscilla - co-missionary with St Paul

how does British author Oliver Burkeman define spirituality (to be used in introductions)

“things that are not expressible in words… non-conceptual”

in what was does Augustine claim that only men have a genuine spirituality

questions whether women were made in “the image of God”

in what way does Tertullian suggest women do not have genuine spirituality

describes women as “the devil’s gateway”

why does Daly suggest men cannot be genuinely spiritual

they cannot embrace quintessence since men are fundamentally sexist/patriarchal

how does Daly describe traditional, sexist ways of being spiritual

“feeding on the bodies and minds of women, sapping energy at the expense of female death”

Catholic Church teaching showing both genders to be able to access spirituality

both men and women have “perfections” that reflect “something of the infinite perfection in God”

quote from Ruether on reform

“we do not have thousands of years to unlearn the wrong patterns”

Ruether quote on the warrior messiah expectation

“the messiah can only be imagined as male” (Sexism and God Talk)

how does Ruether sometimes refer to God

Gaia - the ancient Greek goddess of the earth

what is rapism

Daly’s term to describe the culture of rape Christianity legitimises

symbolises violent oppression within society

quote from Daly on fulfilling/embracing femininity

“to be female is to be deviant by definition in the prevailing culture” e.g. abandoning moral laws because these have been designed by men to oppress women

sexist quote from Moses in numbers

“spare the lives of the young girls who have not slept with a man, and take them for yourselves”