Religion in the Modern World: Feminist Principles and the Christian Faith
Religion in the Modern World Paper
This is your last formal paper for Nature of Religion, and serves as your “final”. In this paper, you should answer the question, “How do we study religion today? as scholars in the modern world and scholars facing modern issues. Wilfred Cantwell Smith has raised this question in his Meaning and End of Religion. We are faced with the evidence supplied by the sciences, by plurality and diversity, by the media, by political events, by gender, by sexuality, by consumerism, by art, by technology…by pretty much everything! Two of our assigned texts this term deal with issues of theodicy, a major issue in modern religion: Doors to the Sea, read earlier, and The Cross and the Lynching Tree. Another text we read was Buddhism Beyond Gender, which looked at the issues of gender and attachment in Buddhism. Other thinkers, such as Don Cupitt, take on the bigger meaning of “god”. Your paper must address these authors, as well as branching off on a topic of your own. Options for choosing your topic: Approach this paper by choosing one of the religions we’ve studied in class, and creating a thesis based on similarities or differences you see with David Bentley Hart, Cone, Gross or Cupitt. -You can use the “big religions” of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism, but you can choose one of the tribal religions, whose myths are represented in Primal Myths and Lame Deer’s Seeker of Visions. Remember, these secondary sources were written decades ago, so be sure to use a more “modern” view. You may also choose a tradition mentioned by Smith, such as Manichaeism, Shinto, Sikhism, etc. Don’t tackle the religion overall (or your paper will be a million pages), but just one aspect of it. -You may also challenge Smith’s statement on ancient religions by considering the practice of certain elements of ancient religion today. We find this, for example, in modern Wiccan religion. -Any religion can be considered here, but be careful to frame your discussion. -This is not a paper that expresses your personal faith, but should demonstrate what we covered in class. Instead of a specific tradition, you may choose an issue, such as feminism, LGBTQ rights, gender, wealth, science, health, religion and government, ethical issues, etc. You may also choose to work on religion and the arts as an approach to religion, considering a specific art work, play, installation, film, etc from the modern world. What is religion? Your understanding can include sport, quantum theory, cults – the topic and approach is up to you, but make sure it is grounded in scholarship. Non-Negotiables: -The paper must include David Bently Hart, Cone, Gross and Cupitt. -You must develop a thesis statement. I have opened a section on Turnitin so that you can list your proposed topic easily and so that I can comment. -Any outside source material used MUST be based on academic scholarship. Take time to review the list of “what not to include” on the syllabus. Your paper may need to use some exceptions, and for this, you will need to see me first. Your paper should be a minimum of 5 pages, plus bibliography. Remember to not only keep the tone scholarly, but to avoid statements of personal faith and belief. This is your “final exam” for class. -Proofreading is a must. A paper with major proofreading mistakes will not be considered. This also includes not italicizing titles of books, and adding quotation marks. -No plagiarism -Do not resort to AI to write your paper -Do not write “All Muslims believe…” or “Christians believe that…” unless it is true for all denominations. Enjoy! as this should be something that allows you to explore your interests!
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Biblical Feminism of is Feminism Biblical? The Bible has been considered patriarchal and there is no shortage of evidence for the same. Most of the stories and teachings in the Bible reflect the cultural and historical time it was written and the society at the time was patriarchal. Power and authority in social, economic and political spheres were held mostly by men. The same patriarchy was extended to the family where the man was considered the head of the family unit and key decision makers. God in the Bible is referred to using masculine pronouns and Jesus was born a man, a sentiment echoed by (Gross 53). Therefore, at a glance, the Bible promotes patriarchy. However, the Bible is also feminist. The concept of feminism and biblical patriarchy may seem incompatible on the surface but there is some evidence that show that the biblical text when read and interpreted in the right context it promotes feminism. Through a critical examination of biblical texts, this study argues that feminist principles are deeply rooted in the Christian faith and that the two are compatible. First, there are some scriptures that outrightly support the idea of equality. Paul in the book of Galatians writes, “there is neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28, NIV). This is a clear indication from the scripture that the value of a man or a woman in the eyes of the Lord is the same. This verse asserts that there is no superior gender and any attributions to such teachings is baseless according to the biblical teachings. This echoes the biblical creation story that states that both men and women were created in the image of God. In Genesis 1: 27 (NIV), ‘So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’ This assertion is echoed by (Hart 82) that ‘God has fashioned creatures in his image so that they might be joined in a perfect union with him in the rational freedom of love.’ These verses and Hart argument shows that there are no fundamental differences in men and women in the eyes of God. If there was relative difference in the value of women relative to that of men, there would be an explicit scriptural reference that communicates that idea. Additionally, there are other instances in the Bible that highlights the importance of women's voices and recognition as being equal to men. In Numbers 27: 1-11, Zelophehad was a man from the tribe of Manasseh who had no sons, only daughters. The daughters approached Moses to request that they be allowed to inherit their father’s land since there were no sons. Their request was granted and a new law allowing men without daughters to inherit their father’s wealth was put in place. This story challenges the patriarchy which was culturalized and shows that the Lord was for women empowerment. This was a major deviation from the cultural values of the Israelites and many other communities at the time. It was a new directive that was forward thinking and shows that the Bible supports empowering women and granting their rights despite the established societal norms. Additionally, there are some women who were found themselves in positions of power. Deborah was a judge and prophetess in the Old Testament who played a crucial role in leading the Israelites to victory (Judges 4:4-5). Similarly, in the New Testament, Phoebe is described as a deaconess in the church of Cenchreae (Romans 16:1-2). This shows that women served in powerful positions in and there wasn’t a structure that was laid out to limit empowerment of women. There are some biblical texts that seem to elevate the position of man to be dominant to that of the woman. Like Ephesians 5:22-23 instructs wives to "submit to your own husbands as you do to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church." This is a verse which is often quoted as directive to institute patriarchy. However, there is a key detail which is often left in the interpretation of this verse. In Ephesian 5: 21, ‘Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.’ This suggests that submission is a mutual concept that applies to both men and women in the context of Chri...