Where patriarchalism trumps love, when push comes, shove often follows. The underside of love patriarchalism is hatred of the independence of women. We are told that it is the duty of a loving father and husband to protect his wife… Read More ›
feminism and religion
SHADOWS OF THE GODDESS IN GREEK ORTHODOX TRADITION: EASTER AND THE DORMITION OF THE VIRGIN by Carol P. Christ
While I would not wish to argue that Greek Orthodoxy is in any way a “feminist” tradition, the shadow of the Goddess falls long over the two great festivals of spring and midsummer. In Greek Othodox tradition, there are two… Read More ›
IS ‘HAVING TO HAVE’ ONE OF THE ROOTS OF SUFFERING? by Carol P. Christ
There is a strong thread of fatalism in modern Greek culture that has been a powerfully healing antidote to my American upbringing in the culture of “I think I can, I can.” When confronted with an obstacle, many Greeks throw… Read More ›
WHEN THE OLYMPICS CELEBRATED THE STRENGTH OF GIRLS AND THE RENEWAL OF LIFE by Carol P. Christ
The first “Olympics” were races of girls of various age-groups around a 500 foot stadium in ancient Olympia. The races of girls were held every four years on the new moon of the month of Parthenios (September/October). They were dedicated to… Read More ›
Are Most of Us Abused Children? And is Child Abuse the Root of Evil? by Carol P. Christ
Child abuse does not have to be physical or sexual. The most widespread forms of child abuse are psychological, and therefore harder to see, acknowledge, and eradicate. As abused children, we unconsciously pass on patterns of abuse visited on us… Read More ›
WHY DON’T FEMINISTS EXPRESS ANGER AT GOD? by Carol P. Christ
My relationship to God changed when I accused “Him” of everything I thought “He” had done or let be done to women—from allowing us to be beaten and raped and sold into slavery, to not sending us female prophets and saviors,… Read More ›
On Winning and Not Winning in the “Fight” for “Justice” in the Web of Life by Carol P. Christ
The reason for hope is not the rational calculation that we will be able to save the world. The reason for hope is that it is important for us to try. A few days ago, the United States Supreme Court… Read More ›
GOD AND WOMAN AT YALE* by Carol P. Christ
As a graduate student, I was told in every way possible that I could not be a woman and a theologian. When I was studying for my Ph.D. at Yale in theology in the late 1960s and early 1970s, my skirts were short… Read More ›
“Vaginas are Everywhere!”: The Power of the Female Reproductive System by John Erickson
Nice girls don’t say the word vagina.
LOVING LIFE* by Carol P. Christ
My religious views have changed over time, but the spirituality I learned from my grandmothers has remained constant. I have been Protestant, Catholic, a lover of Judaism, an admirer of Christian Science, and a Goddess feminist. I have always loved… Read More ›
SHE WHO CHANGES* by Carol P. Christ
She changes everything She touches and everything She touches changes. The world is Her body. The world is in Her and She is in the world. She surrounds us like the air we breathe. She is as close to us… Read More ›
Somebody Almost Walked Off With All of My Stuff: And He Didn’t Even Know He Had a Thing of Value on the Open Market* by Carol P. Christ
Gina Messina-Dysert’s blog on sexual harassment by a Religious Studies professor brought up memories that have haunted me for years. It has taken me some months to find the courage to post this story. When I was an undergraduate, I… Read More ›
“AS WE BLESS THE SOURCE OF LIFE, SO WE ARE BLESSED” by Carol P. Christ
Blessing the Source of Life harks back to the time when shrines were built near springs, the very literal sources of life for plants, animals, and humans. The prayer “As we bless the Source of Life, so we are blessed,” based… Read More ›
To a Friend, on the Loss of her Daughter by Carol P. Christ
One test of a thealogy is whether it can help us “make sense” of our lives—even the senseless parts of them. Recently a friend told me that the teen-aged daughter of a friend of hers had committed suicide. “What would… Read More ›
EASTER OF THE GODDESS: A VIEW FROM GREECE by Carol P. Christ
On Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday the blogs on feminismandreligion.com celebrated mothers and God the Mother.* This is my body, given for you. This is my blood, given for you. While these words are the center of… Read More ›
ON NOT GETTING WHAT WE WANT AND LEARNING TO BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT WE HAVE BY CAROL P. CHRIST
Many women’s dreams have not been realized. How do we come to terms with this thealogically? Although I am as neurotic as the next person, I am also really wonderful—intelligent, emotionally available, beautiful (if I do say so myself), sweet, caring,… Read More ›
1, 2, 3, 4: FEMINISTS DON’T WANT ANOTHER WAR by Carol P. Christ
War is a feminist issue for many reasons, most importantly because war is always war against women. Patriarchy, war, rape as the “spoils” of war, and the taking of women and children as slaves in the wake of war arose… Read More ›
WOMEN ARE NOT SLUTS, RUSH, DOUCHE-BAG IS NOT FUNNY, JON, AND SEXISM IS MORE THAN “INAPPROPRIATE,” MR. WHITEHOUSE SPOKESPERSON! by Carol P. Christ
Why is it OK to insult women, our bodies, and our sexuality in ways that it is no longer OK to insult other groups? The recent controversy over Rush Limbaugh’s rant about Sandra Fluke would not be so important if… Read More ›
FORGIVENESS or TRUTH: WHICH IS THE BEST REMEDY? by Carol P. Christ
What happened to you really was bad. This should not happen to any child. It should not have happened to you. In our culture there is often a rush to forgiveness that precedes acknowledging the harm that has been done…. Read More ›
Occupying Feminism/Religion: Letting Community Consciousness Roam Free By Amy Levin
Becoming involved in the women’s movement means moving from isolation as a woman to community. Through telling my story, I reach out to other women. Through their hearing, which both affirms my story and makes it possible, they reach out to me. I am able to move, gradually, from defensiveness to openness, from fear of questioning to a deep and radical questioning of the premises from which I have lived my life. I experience relief; my anger has been heard, and I am not alone. But I am also frightened; I am undermining my own foundations. The walls come tumbling down. – Judith Plaskow, The Coming of Lilith
Lately, I’ve been thinking about this blog – what it does – in relation to my life, as it promotes the intersection between scholarship, activism, and community. I notice these three elements in most, if not all of the FAR posts, but I’ve been wondering what exactly it means to really embody a life that allows scholarship, activism, and community to mutually mix and inform each other.
