gender and society
christian teaching on the roles of men and women in the family and society
ephesians 5:22
mulleris dignitatum
impact of waves of feminism
wave 1
women began to get equal rights
they gained the right to vote thanks to the work of the suffragettes
wave 2
the right of women to have ownership over themselves
the consequence of this wave was the development of sexual health
in 1967 abortion became legal in the uk
wave 3
called into question the whole of gender roles
it is also aimed to be inclusive of women, irrekevant of their ethnicity, sexuality and other backgrounds
aquinas' view
in the 13th century, aquinas argued that women are inferior to men in physical strength and also in intelligence
aquinas also used the word defective of women
other christians say that they need to look more at the bigger picture and take the bible for the context in which it was written
pope john paul wrote a letter on the dignity of women
this document more closely reflects what catholic church beleves the role of women is today, however it was still written in 1988, over 30 years ago
st pauls letter to the espesians is very conservaative and patriarchal in its tone, this was in keeping in the cultural tone of the 1st century
this shows how outdated many of the biblical passages are
mulieris dignitatum
reasons for the letter
intended to clarify tge catholic position on issues surrounding owmen, in response o accusations that the church is sexist
for example not allowing women to take a role in the hierarchy of the church, women still cannot become priests/ bishops
position on women and gender roles
men and women have different, complimentary characteristics oven to them by god
gender and leadership roles
a womans role as a christian is to be respected
pope john paul II said that although women could nottake up leadership roles within the church, they still played an imperative part in the church itslef
importance of mary
implied the church would not be the same without a woman
christian views about gender roles and family
conservative view
some conservative christians believe that it is a wifes duty to obey her husband.
st pauls letter to the ephesians promote this kind of attitude
dominant men
there should be a dominat partner in relationships for settling disputes
men are physically stronger than women, women give birth so men should have leadership while women should take a more caring, supportive role
old fashioned ideals
other christians believe that these views are too old fashioned for the modern world
the bible was written a long time ago and society has developed since then
liberal view
equality of roles
many christians believe men and women should have equal opportunities in the home and work
biblical support
may support their view by drawing attention to the bible which states that everyone is equal and created in the image of god
galatians 3:28
should christianity resist secular perspectives on gender?
for - importance of the bible
christians believe the bible has authority as the word of god, even though there are different opinions about what this means in practice
some christians use 'sola scriptura' - meaning only for the bible - for making decisions
for - separate roles
other Christians apply heteronomous ethics - they believe the bible needs to be read in the context in whicj is was written
neverless the bible and the church state that men and women do have different roles to play. biblical teaching is consistent in saying thar god deliberately created 2 distinct sexes
against - legal exemptions
the sex discrimination act and the equality act both make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual identity in the uk
there are exemptions from this including 'priests, monks, nuns, rabbis and ministers of religion
against - british humanist association
the british humanist association thinks this exemption is unjust
against - church leadership
there has been a decline in vocations into the priesthood
some might argue that if christianity did not resist secular views of gender, they would allow women to enter the priest hood and there would be more equality in church leaderhsip
has secualirsm undermines gender roles in christianity
conservative protestant view
argue men and women are created equal but differe by god and must fulfill their gender roles - genesis 1:27
god created specific gender vies and secular views should not undermine this
for - fluidity of roles
conservative protestants also look in the bible : in particular, st pauls letter to the ephesians
this argument says that man is the head of the woman
b
but secular views say gender roles are fluid and so undermine christian belief
liberal protestant view
might argue that secular views of gender equality do not undermine christian gender roles
liberal protestants might appeal to st pauls teaching that everyone is created under the image of god
this is clear biblical evidence that jesus wanted equakity in gender roles
"there is neither jew nor gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in jesus christ
against - texts supporing equality
mulieris dignitatum argues that the bible recognised the essential equality ofmen and women
amoris laetitia pop francias
the language of headship and submission from st pauls letters to the ephesians is part of the 'cultural matrix' of the time, in other words he thinks that the language of submission is part of the historical context rather than the kind of language we should use today about the relationship between men and women in mariiage
is being a mother restrictive or liberating?
restrictive - beauvior
the feminist writer simone de beaviour wrote in the 1940w about the ways in which motherhood forces a woman to suspend her own interests and personality to take care of her children
she wrote that women have motherhood forced upon them and it leaves them crushed and unable to develop as individuals while their children are young, and then leave them without purpose once thir children grow up and leave home
restrictive - socialisation
sociologist ann oakley interviewved women and gave their accounts of their lives in their own words, describing how they felt about housework and motherhood
she concluded a womans feeling that she needs to become a mother is not biological but entirely rhe result of socialisation: there is no such thing as a maternal instanct
liberating - mulieris dignitatum
pope john paul II says that motherhoof is a precious and wonderful gift given to women
liberating - mary and jesus
marys motherhood of jesus is seen as a model for motherhood
undeniable that the church has a positive view of motherhood and would not endorse any negative views
a gift women can give that no man can, it is part of being a women and gives women a unique place not just in the church but in society and the world
is the concept if familt totally culturally determined
for - jesus' teaching
liberal protestants may be inspired by the teahcing of jesus and the kingdom of god
jesus seemed to argue for a more inclusive, non-heirarchal and non judgemental society
in particular, jesus aimed his teaching at the marginalised, including women and those on the fringes of society
for this reason they argue that the church needs to be more flexible in its understanding of family
for - legal changes
marriage was made legal for homosexual couples in the uk in 2014
as a consequence, more children nowadays have same gender parents
these christians would accept the views of feminist sociologist jessie bernard, who argues that as long as children are loved, feel secure and are provided for, then the structure of the family does not matter
against - letter to ephesians
love between husband and wife should mirror love between christ and church
husbands love your wives, jsut as christ loved the church and gave himelf up for her
familt has specific gender roles that are timeless and not based on culture