Names provoke opinions, responses, and even controversy. Lady Gaga’s song “Judas” is a perfect example of this. Before this song was released, the title “Judas” stirred controversy throughout the nation just because of its name. If one takes the time to read the lyrics, you find a human struggle summed up with the phrase, “Jesus is my virtue but Judas is the demon I cling to.” To look beyond the name, a deep theological fight that is relevant to every one of us emerges; struggling between what you know is right but being drawn to what you know is wrong. Within this song lays a fundamental dichotomy of betrayal and forgiveness that is overlooked because of a name, Judas, or what Mary Elizabeth Williams calls a “Christian taboo.”
The word “taboo” refers to something that is inappropriate or unacceptable by society , and can also indicate ostracizing. It seems strange to apply this word to female scholars in the field of Religion and Biblical Studies; but it fits. Scholarship that is identifiably authored as female brings about scrutiny and opinions of inferior quality or lack of creditability; after all “what does a woman know?” Women and scholarship, especially in the male-dominated fields of Religion, Biblical Studies, and Archaeology, are in fact “taboo;” unaccepted, improper, ignored, and shunned. This issue was first brought to my attention at a Women’s Luncheon at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (“SBL”) in 2008. Carol Meyers, a professor of Religion at Duke University, was being honored for her mentorship to women in the field of biblical studies. Amy-Jill Levine, an earlier recipient of this award, introduced Meyers. Continue reading ““I’m in love with Judas”: Names and Taboos within the Scholarly Arena of Religion and Biblical Studies By Michele Stopera Freyhauf”
Feminism and Religion 