My recent discovery of Marija Gimbutas on Youtube rekindled my admiration for her work. In her slide-lecture “The World of the Goddess” Marija Gimbutas allows us to follow the line of reasoning she used to decipher the “language of the… Read More ›
Feminism and Religion
Pesach, Patriachy and the Unfinished Work of Liberation.
Pesach, or Passover, begins tomorrow at sunset. It has always seemed strange to me that a festival centered on liberation begins with a focus on housework and cleanliness to the point where one is almost a slave to the process… Read More ›
Gendered Imagery of God (Part 2) by Elise M. Edwards
In my previous post, I shared some of the ways in which I’ve been wrestling with gendered imagery for God, the first person of the Christian Trinity often referred to as God the Father. In this entry, I’d like to… Read More ›
IS EVIL PART OF THE NATURE OF REALITY AND DIVINITY? by Carol P. Christ
What is the origin of evil? Is it innate in human nature or even in the nature of the universe? Judith Plaskow and I discuss this question in our forthcoming book Goddess and God in the World and this is… Read More ›
My Afternoon with Amina Wadud: Some Pearls of Wisdom for a Warm Autumn in Santiago by Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente
Albert Einstein said that there are two ways for understanding life: One, to believe nothing is a miracle; the other, to believe everything is a miracle. I think life is a bit of both. There are experiences that result from… Read More ›
TWO TORTOISES IN THE WEB OF LIFE by Carol P. Christ
The Gods made only one creature like them—man. Greek TV documentary The sight of a reptile or an amphibian usually provokes, at the very least, a feeling of repulsion in most people. Natural History of Lesbos In the past days… Read More ›
Segregation by Carol P. Christ
As I think about the incarceration of young black men for relatively minor drug crimes, and the murders of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, I cannot help but compare the astonishing progress that Americans have made in overcoming prejudice against… Read More ›
Gendered Imagery of God (Part 1) by Elise M. Edwards
I have been doing a lot of thinking about gendered imagery and language for God over the past few months. Honestly, a lot of this reflection was provoked by hostile comments I got from my college students at the end… Read More ›
“Immanent Inclusive Monotheism” with a Multiplicity of Symbols Affirming All the Diversity and Difference in the World by Carol P. Christ
In recent years monotheism has been attacked as a “totalizing discourse” that justifies the domination of others in the name of a universal truth. In addition, from the Bible to the present day some have used their own definitions of… Read More ›
Please Welcome Kate and Safa!
Hello Friends! Please let us introduce to you Kate Brunner and Safa Plenty; both have signed on for internships with Feminism and Religion. We are thrilled that they have joined the FAR community! You will see from their brief biographies… Read More ›
Was Ariadne the Most Graceful Bull-leaper of All? Deconstructing and Re-visioning Greek Mythology by Carol P. Christ
Sometimes we think of Greek myth as a pre-patriarchal or less patriarchal alternative to the stories of the Bible. After all, Goddesses appear in Greek myths while they are nearly absent from the Bible. Right? So far so good, but… Read More ›
Making Our Way – Updating the Guide for Women in Religion by Kecia Ali
Mary E. Hunt, Monique Moultrie, and I are updating the Guide for Women in Religion. The original version was edited by Mary with an impressive cast of contributors and first published ten years ago. Organized with entries from “A” (AAR)… Read More ›
Feminist Professors Are Not Secluded Monks by Kwok Pui-lan
In his column “Professors, We Need You!” New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof charges that most university professors “just don’t matter in today’s great debates” and admonishes them not to cloister themselves “like medieval monks.” Many academics and others took… Read More ›
Sex, Religion, and Discourse: An Interview with Judith Butler
One of my academic joys is interviewing people I find particularly interesting (see most of my posts here). This time I am honored to present a recent interview I did with Judith Butler. Many wonder how gender performance relates to… Read More ›
A Not So Ideal Deal: Perspectives On Sexism In “Islamic Marriage” by Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente
One topic that emerges from the discussions I have with other Muslims and people in general relates to marriage. Starting with, I don’t agree with marriage. Not because I think married life is negative but because, under the prevailing patriarchal… Read More ›
Anti-sex feminism? by Linn Marie Tonstad
Lori Gottlieb’s article in the February 9 New York Times magazine, “The Egalitarian-Marriage Conundrum,” was yet another tired entry in the New York Times’s annual clickbait misogyny Olympics. Who doesn’t remember the supposed opt-out revolution, and the sadness of the… Read More ›
Getting It Done: The Buffy-Blodeuwedd Connection by Kate Brunner
You guys, you’re just men—just the men who did this… to her. Whoever that girl was before she was the first Slayer. You violated that girl… made her kill for you because you’re weak… you’re pathetic and you obviously have… Read More ›
Why I Don’t Believe in Female Pastors by Andreea Nica
It may come as a surprise to those who identify as both feminists and religious practitioners that I don’t believe women should be pastors of any dominant religious congregation. This includes most religions which, I assert, are rooted in and… Read More ›
WOMEN AND WEEDING, THE FIRST 10,000 YEARS* by Carol P. Christ
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells, and pretty little maids all in a row. From the beginning of horticulture about 8000 BCE or earlier to the present day, weeding has been… Read More ›
“Talking Taboo”: Register for WATER’s Feminist Conversations in Religion Teleconference
WATER’s Feminist Conversations in Religion Series Presents “Talking Taboo” Part Two An hour long teleconference with Grace BiskieGina Messina-DysertTara Woodard-LehmanKatey Zeh Wednesday, February 5, 2014 1-2PM EST The book, Talking Taboo: American Christian Get Frank About Faith edited by Erin Lane and… Read More ›
Who Is Jephthah’s Daughter? The Sacrifice of Women and Girls by Carol P. Christ
Last week I reflected on Angela Yarber’s insightful essay and painting on Jephthah’s daughter. For those who did not read the earlier posts, the story of Jephthah’s daughter is found in the Hebrew Bible. Jephthah’s daughter was sacrificed by her… Read More ›
Who Is Jephthah’s Daughter? The Cost of War by Carol P. Christ
In a provocative essay and heart-breaking painting, Angela Yarber asked us to consider who Jephthah’s daughter is in our time. Angela reminded us that Jephthah was a heroic warrior in the Hebrew Bible who swore in the heat of battle… Read More ›
Remember the Sabbath Day: The Cost of Difference by Linn Marie Tonstad
I grew up Seventh-day Adventist and was educated at Seventh-day Adventist schools all the way through college. I can tell endless quirky stories about growing up – about the time my parents gave me The Lion, the Witch, and the… Read More ›
Let Us Give Thanks for Feminism and Religion Dot Com by Carol P. Christ
Feminism and Religion was founded in the late spring of 2011. Throughout the summer Gina Messina-Dysert hounded me about submitting a blog while I ignored her emails because I didn’t think I wanted to take on a new project. Gina… Read More ›
5 Interesting Facts about Religion and Modern Society by Kile Jones
Following up on an older (and my most popular) post, 5 Interesting Facts about Women and Religion, I am going to draw your attention to 5 other telling facts. 1: Women clergy are blowing up in the Anglican Church! In U.K. Church… Read More ›
What is the Nature of the Hope that Can Trump Despair in the New Year? by Carol P. Christ
“All hope abandon, ye who enter here.” These words posted on the gates of hell in Dante’s Inferno have an eerie resonance in our time. Marie Cartier recently posted a blog on children and hunger with facts so devastating I could… Read More ›
Yes, You’re a Homophobe by John Erickson
Jesus loved sinners and Jesus would rather be dancing with me in West Hollywood on a Friday night than lugging through a swamp luring ducks into a trap with a duck caller made by a clan who think that my sexual actions are similar to that of an individual having sex with an animal.
Of Birds, Angels, and Tidings of Great Joy by Carol P. Christ
A link to a video of a European Hooded Crow sliding down a snow-covered rooftop on a mayonnaise-lid sled appeared on my Facebook timeline a few days ago. For me this crow expresses the “spirit of the season” as aptly as anything I… Read More ›
Rosemary Radford Ruether’s Quests for Hope and Meaning by Gina Messina-Dysert
Rosemary Radford Ruether is one of the most brilliant theologians of our time and her newly released autobiography, My Quest for Hope and Meaning, is a gift to those of us who have been so touched by her work. In… Read More ›
Feminism and Religion Project Intern – Job Description
Project Summary : Feminism and Religion (FAR), feminismandreligion.com, is a project that brings together multiple feminist voices from around the world to dialogue about the “f-word” in religion and the intersection between scholarship, activism, and community. It was established in the… Read More ›
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