Gender and Theology: Rosemary Radford Ruether and Mary Daly

Rosemary Radford Ruether and Reformist Theology

• Rosemary Radford Ruether identifies as a reformist theologian. Her central argument is that the Christian Church should reform specific elements that have been distorted by patriarchal traditions rather than abandoning the faith entirely.

• Ruether supports specific structural and social changes within the Church, including:

  • The support for female ordination.
  • The necessity for the Church to change its official stance on abortion.

• Goddess Theology:

  • Ruether explores "Goddess theology," arguing that polytheistic religions were historically less patriarchal than monotheism.
  • Monotheism typically emphasizes male dominance, whereas Goddess worship was prevalent in ancient roots.
  • Roots in ancient Judaism: Ruether maintains that the idea of the Goddess was present within early Jewish worship. She cites specific biblical passages as evidence of female imagery for the divine:
  • Isaiah 42: "Now I will cry out like a woman in labor."
  • Isaiah 66: "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you."
  • Challenges to Male Terms for God: Ruether challenges the exclusive use of male terminology for God. She utilizes the term 'Gaia,' a reference to the Greek Goddess of Earth. She clarifies that this is not a "new" way of speaking about God, but rather an uncovering of an ancient notion.

• God as the Female Wisdom Principle:

  • Ruether argues that the "femaleness" of God has been retained through the quality of Wisdom, which is the divine source of knowledge and life.
  • Wisdom is consistently presented in female terms in original languages:
  • Hebrew: $hokhmah$
  • Greek: $Sophia$
  • The "Wisdom of Solomon": This Old Testament book develops the notion of wisdom, describing her as "a breath of the power of God."

• The Relationship Between Jesus, Wisdom, and the Spirit:

  • Jesus as the Incarnation of Wisdom: Ruether notes that in John's Gospel, Jesus is described using the word 'logos' (meaning Wisdom/Word). While 'logos' is a male word (fitting for the historical man Jesus), he is viewed as the incarnation of divine wisdom.
  • The Holy Spirit: The Spirit is often depicted in 'Sophia' terms as the immanent aspect of God.
  • The Trinity: Consequently, Ruether posits that there is no strict male or female distinction within the Trinity. She identifies female aspects in the Spirit and male aspects in the Son.

The Debate: Can a Male Savior Save Women?

• The concept of the Messiah in Jewish tradition was traditionally that of a warrior king intended to restore political power to Israel. This led to the historical assumption that the Messiah can only be imagined as male.

• Jesus Rejects the Stereotype:

  • Jesus challenged the traditional male-messiah archetype through his actions and teachings.
  • Mark 10: "Even the son of man came not to be served but to serve." Ruether highlights that Jesus washed his disciples' feet, placing himself in the position of a servant (a role lower than a woman in that social hierarchy).

• Arguments for YES: A Male Savior Can Save Women:

  • The death and resurrection of Jesus touch on the universal human experience of life and death, making it applicable to all genders.
  • Jesus as the Messiah focused on justice and dignity for the marginalized and sought to heal all human relationships.
  • The Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus by challenging patriarchal institutions. Ruether cites the Shakers as an example, as they placed women in priority in Churches due to the belief that women were more receptive to the Spirit.

• Arguments for NO: A Male Savior Cannot Save Women:

  • Historically, Jesus was male and presented as the example of the perfect human. This implies that the perfect human is inherently male, forcing women to deny their own nature and adopt a male mindset to achieve perfection.
  • The image of Jesus as "King" was advocated by the Roman Empire, which helped justify the inclusion of only male officials in the Church hierarchy.

Criticisms of Reuther’s Theology

• Church Tradition: Critics argue that Ruether goes too far in her attempts to reform the Church. Some believe she makes Jesus too political and relies on minor or discredited movements outside mainstream Christianity, such as the Shakers.
• God's Sovereignty: By adopting Goddess theology, critics argue she has compromised the unity and sovereignty of God, potentially moving into the territory of idolatry.
• Male/Female Difference: Both the Church and the Bible teach that men and women are "equal but different." Some argue that Ruether's theology discards the "natural order," which dictates that a woman's primary role is motherhood.

Mary Daly and Post-Christian Theology

• Mary Daly (an "ex-Christian") argues that women should leave the Christian framework behind entirely because its values are inherently and irredeemably patriarchal.
• Key Ideas and Premises:
  1. God the Father has caused the oppression of women. Within this framework, all of creation belongs to Him, meaning the universe is male-dominated.
  2. The husband dominating the wife is a reflection of God’s dominance: "If God is male then male is God."
  3. Daly criticized the notion that women's sole purpose is motherhood and opposed the idea that they cannot be ordained.
  4. Inadequacy of "God the Father": Daly argues that the maleness of God must be removed, suggesting God must be "castrated" through language (using terms like 'she').
  5. Women need an entirely new spirituality outside the existing religious structures.

The Most Unholy Trinity: Rape, Genocide, and War

• Daly argues that the culture of violence against women originates within Christianity and identifies three core pillars of this violence:

• Rape:

  • Daly speaks of "rapism," a culture of rape that serves as a symbol for all violent oppression against women in society. She argues this is present within Christianity.
  • Scriptural Example: Judges 19. In this passage, a host protects a male guest from a gang rape by giving up the women in the household instead. These women are raped to death. When the visitor reports this, a war ensues.
  • Daly claims the incarnation of Jesus serves as a "symbolic legitimization of the rape of all women."

• Genocide:

  • Daly links genocide to rape as a form of group violence that objectifies victims.
  • "Groupthink": She argues that the Jewish origins of Christianity taught that the Israelis were "chosen" and set apart. The Catholic Church adopted this logic of "us" vs. "other," which Daly likens to Nazi ideology.
  • Anti-abortion teaching: Daly asserts that enforcing anti-abortion laws commits genocide because it forces women to bear children as a result of rape.

• War:

  • The horrors of war are aligned with traditionally "manly" virtues such as power and bravery.
  • Language like "collateral damage" is used to mask the reality of physical violence. Daly questions how society can justify killing in war while viewing abortion as unjust.

Liberating Women and New Spirituality

• Rejection of Christianity:

  • Daly describes the Church and priesthood as a "men's club" of "male mothers" who have trapped women’s spirituality.
  • Women must find a new spirituality outside the Church.

• Transvaluation:

  • Daly adapts the concept of "transvaluation" from Nietzsche, meaning the transformation of something through a new set of values.
  • She believes all patriarchal (phallic) values within Christianity must be transvalued. Simply replacing "God" with a "Goddess" is insufficient because the concept of a "ruler" still promotes male values of domination.
  • Proposed Change: Replace the noun "God" with the verb "Be-ing," representing an active and ongoing process of creativity. She asks: "Why indeed must 'God' be a noun? Why not a verb—the most active and dynamic thing of all?"

• Spirituality Through Nature:

  • Daly encouraged women toward paganism and nature worship.
  • Quintessence: This is the highest essence or life force of the universe. It is currently blocked by pornography and violence but can be rediscovered through nature.
  • The Role of Men: Daly argues that men will struggle to receive this spirituality because they are trapped by the patriarchy. Women possess a kind of spirituality that men cannot achieve.
  • Language Recovery: This social and psychic change requires uncovering words that have lost their power: "spinster," "weird," "witch," and "Goddess."

Evaluating Genuine Spirituality: Can Only Women Develop It?

• YES:

  • Daly argues that only true spirituality exists outside of Christianity, which is so patriarchal it has been emptied of spiritual value. Men cannot escape this trap because they are embodied by the masculine Christ.

• NO:

  • Others argue Christianity is not inherently patriarchal. They point to strong women in the Bible and female notions of divine wisdom (Sophia).
  • Ruether’s perspective suggests that women can bring a new sense of spirituality that complements the spirituality men offer.

Criticisms of Mary Daly

• Exclusive: Critics argue Daly has fallen into her own trap by alienating women who do not conform to her specific views. Her theology is also criticized for failing to include non-white, non-Western women.
• Narrow: She dismisses those who find liberation through Christian faith, labeling them as "demonic."
• Irrational: The demonization of men does not promote the equality that feminism initially seeks. By demonizing men, Daly alienates potential supporters of the feminist movement within the Church.