In Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality, Carol Christ offers a thealogy that is grounded in embodied thinking and begins with personal experience. She explains that experience is “embodied, relational, communal, social, and historical” (p. 37), and that experiences of the Goddess are shaped and inspired by the experiences of others. Consequently her thealogy, in addition to being personal, is also communal.
According to Christ, the “voices of women are a lifeline” (Rebirth of the Goddess, p. 41), a sentiment that has been loudly echoed by women in blogging communities. Although some may claim that a blog is nothing more than an online diary, it is a powerful tool that offers individuals the opportunity to express their thoughts and experiences in a public forum; blogging gives a voice to anyone who wants it. Recent statistics have shown that women start and maintain blogs at a much higher rate than men. Women are flocking to blogging communities for the opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences in a public forum. Through blogs women are engaging in thoughtful discussion and embodied thinking bringing together their personal experiences with philosophical and theological reflection. Blogs have become a tool for women’s experiences, ideas, and questions to be further shaped and modulated through those of other women. In addition, women are empowered by the means of self-expression that blogs provide.
I propose that women who participate in blogging communities are practicing the thealogy of Carol Christ. As Christ’s thealogy is personal and communal, blogging offers the freedom to share personal experience in a communal setting that allows for women to draw on the experiences of others. It is through this interaction that women’s spirituality and understanding of the divine is further developed. To continue reading, please click here.
This article originally appeared in the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture.
Gina Messina-Dysert, Ph.D. is a feminist theologian, ethicist, and activist, and received her Ph.D. in religion at Claremont Graduate University focused in the areas of women’s studies in religion and theology, ethics, and culture. She is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Theological Ethics at Loyola Marymount University and co-founder and co-director of Feminism and Religion. Gina has authored multiple articles, the forthcoming book Rape Culture and Spiritual Violence, and is a contributor to the Rock and Theology project sponsored by the Liturgical Press. Her research interests are theologically and ethically driven, involve a feminist and interdisciplinary approach, and are influenced by her activist roots and experience working with survivors of rape and domestic violence. Gina can be followed on Twitter@FemTheologian and her website can be accessed at http://ginamessinadysert.com.
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