The opinions expressed in this thesis and the conclusions reached are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Research Development Institute or the Humanities Research Council. The other from outside it, although I (as they are) very aware of the influence of the symbolic Christian Universe and the inevitability of fusion.I. She quotes Barbara Johnson, "Difference does not arise in the space between identities; it is what makes it impossible to totalize the identity of a property or the meaning of a text."
I come from a high church tradition, as opposed to an evangelical background, and have been ordained a priest in one of the so-called 'mainstream' churches. This thesis follows the three steps of the method of liberation theology: by analyzing the situation, searching in the tradition for what contributes to oppression, by searching again for a hermeneutic that allows women's liberation, and presents ultimately a dialogue between the second and the second. the third (Johnson 1990: 99). It is this recognition of the importance of the symbol and the image as 'an instrument of knowledge' and the unconscious role they play that has led feminist theology to question the existing images and symbols of the Christian faith and to to attempt rediscovery of Christian images that are liberating for women.
She reflects on the "absence of women's voices and concerns in the most prestigious linguistic register (eg religious ceremonial, political rhetoric etc.)", and specifically identifies the problem of the representation of women in language.
Chapter One
Re-weaving the Cloth: Seeking Emancipatory Speech about God
Ruether defines the basic tenet of feminism as "promoting the full humanity of women". He claims that the biggest contributor was the institution of the Christian church. Woman not only becomes secondary because of the denial of her right to be created in God's image, but is seen as the image of a lower, material nature.
Ruether says that such images exist as reminders of the saving aspect of God, and are not intended to reinforce an image of God as mother or father. Ruether's hermeneutics seeks a liberating image of God for women that focuses on the historical aspect of the biblical text. To speak of God as mother is to accept that all talk of God is indirect, that it describes the unknown in terms of the known.
It is this theological understanding of creation that makes possible McFague's metaphor of the world as the body of God. Jolmson cites Ruether's critical principle of feminist theology, which is the promotion of women's full humanity. This aspect of the triune God is seen as less personal power; it is the “Cinderella” of theology.
Re-weaving the Cloth: Finding a Hermeneutic that Liberates God
She writes: “I do not intend to simply discover what the text says about the Samaritan Woman in relation to Jesus in the context of the former. Gadamer sees regaining the past and merging it with the present as a means of understanding ourselves. This position has endorsed the selective reading of biblical tradition and tolerated the silencing of women, however unintentional.
The past informs the contemporary situation, with the past setting the precedent within the limitations of the interpretation of the 'contemporary context'. He writes: “An unconditional appropriation of the past (conventionalism) denies a critical, contextual basis and leads to distortions and biases in interpretation.” A feminist reading 'behind the text' places her commitment to the struggle to free her community from possible distortions of the text.
This is a series of actions against women that serve as examples of the androcentric nature of the Bible. The third answer is "pre-text" reading, which involves relating the text to the world that is opened up by the text. An "in-text" reading, while acknowledging the patriarchal nature of Scripture and even condemning the dominant use of masculine imagery, would focus on the reality of God's nature and recognize God as Other, beyond language.
We have seen how the world in front of the text: it is an interaction between the reader and the text. Our search has been for a hermeneutic that locates the meaning of the text (the language for God) in the worlds it opens up for those who receive it. In a liberation theology, this search begins through the interpretation of tradition as recorded in biblical experience and an examination of the names we use to refer to God.
34;The symbol of God works and its content is of the greatest importance for personal prosperity or woe" (p. 36). Criticism of feminist theology, as shown in the first chapter, focuses on the distortion of the image of God as a man, the recognition of his idolatrous nature and his influence to theological thinking.
Chapter Three
Surveying the Damaged Cloth
When the observer is part of the research group, there is always the problem of the 'knowledgeable outsider': the danger lies in the. Third, I knew that the women in each group had some form of higher education, so a reasonable formulation and understanding of the issues involved could be expected. The majority of women were involved in education in some form, ranging from theology students to university teachers or nursing teachers.
The choice of image or issue to be discussed was flexible, even if the women knew the topic of the study. Each two-hour session would start with a brief summary of the previous meeting's discussion to share any additional thoughts on the topic that had arisen during the week. Of the three groups, this one chose not to look at biblical images per se; the topics discussed were broader and stronger feelings were expressed on the subject of the Church.
I would suggest that one of the fundamental arguments for qualitative research for this study is that it provides opportunities for the voices of the oppressed and marginalized to be heard. First, gaining access to the group, establishing a role and establishing rapport, and second, conducting the study and taking field notes. The relative underestimation of female models has led to an untrue theoretical definition of the interview as a means of.
Interviews as part of the research methodology provide an opportunity for in-depth study. The guiding hypothesis outlined the field of research on the questionnaire; that the questionnaire will be aimed at clarifying and elaborating opinions already expressed at group meetings. The voluntary nature of the interview indicated a greater degree of valid and freely given information.
Exploring the issues requires an analysis of the phenomenon, trying to avoid the pitfalls of over-identification and distorted interpretation. The next chapter examines the different images of the women within a framework of issues that emerged during the discussions.
Chapter Four
Spinning and Weaving: Re-claiming the Making of Tapestry
The concern about power and patriarchy arose in all three groups as the discussion turned to the use of the dominant image for God: God as Father. It became clear that in. I know that He will provide." The image of God as the male provider is a dominant image in this group. The struggle with patriarchy as a form of oppression underpins feminist critical consciousness, and this is expressed in the reconstructive work of feminist science and in the experiences of the women in this study.
Some of the biblical references to women came as a surprise to the group from Imbali. A lot of bad things happened to the women in the Bible too, and they got on with their lives.” The women in the groups possessed very nuanced understandings of the mystery of the unknown God.
I breathe in the essence of God, but things like rosaries, symbols, ritual and the sense of the immanent, are vitally important to me." myself, but I am part of it, because I can see it, it is my world." Many of the women in the Alternative Church group described. When asked by one of the other women what she was trying to do, she said, "To erase the image of God as a white man.
Even though my image has changed, I still think God watches over people who do bad things.” Another said: The Imbali group talked about the groups in the Zulu church set up specifically for women and said how important they are for women. In my group, most of us struggle with the language in the church, we have problems with the hierarchical structure of the church and so on.
The challenge for the church lies in its ability to be transformed into a dynamic, inclusive church of the people. To complement this analysis, I also looked at Ruether's work and her presentation of the church as a concept of Godless. For a number of women, the outlet for their spirituality lay outside the church and its traditional images of God.
Most of the women in the Alternative Church, some in the Julian group and one in the Imbali group, spoke of finding alternative sources of spiritual enrichment and growth.
Appendix
Bibliography
34;Henneeutics and Tradition: The Role of the Past in Jurisprudence and Theology."Harvard Theological Review, 79(4), pp. Visualizing our Liberation: Sketches and Reflections on our Dialogue with Chung."Journal ofConstructive Theology, 2(1) , pp. 1973).Beyond God the Father: T~wardsa Philosophy of Women's Liberation. 34; Continuing the Story, but Departing the Text: A Historicist Interpretation of Feminist Norms in Theology" in R.S.
34; Women's Experience Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Feminist, Womanizing, and Mujerista Theologies in North America" in RS. 34; Recovering Objects, Rethinking Subjects: Archeology and Feminist Biblical Study" in A. Companion to Reading the Bible: Approaches, methods and strategies. eds), Women Hold Up Half the Sky: Women in the Church in Southern Africa. Russell (ed.), Women Resisting Violence. 1988). Inheriting our mothers' gardens: Feminist theology in a Third World perspective.
LaCugna (red.), Freeing Theology: The Essentials o/Theology in Feminist Perspective. 1995). Læsning/fra dette sted: Social Location and Biblical Interpretation in the United States.
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