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Name

Women and Religion

Name

07/18/2021

JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT

(Women and religious traditions and Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression)

Quotes:

“……Within each tradition, there are women who are themselves suspicious of how women have been treated. There are also women who do not see that suspicion as important and who are content to remain within their own tradition without questioning the status and roles of women” (Anderson and Young).

“There is no getting around it. After all this time, the term “feminist” makes many bright, ambitious, intelligent women embarrassed and uncomfortable. They simply don’t want to be associated with it” (Hooks).

Questions:

In the reading, the writers explore the interactions and the roles of women who possess major world faith traditions. I think a particular tradition will have issues such as family structures, sexuality, the status of women, rituals, social change, among others. The traditions in religion are depicted from the existing major believes and this plays a critical role in defining how women perceive their religious traditions. “Feminism in America has come to mean anything you like, honey” (Hooks). What is the real meaning of feminism? Does it mainstream the inequality between men and women? Do the diverse traditions affect how women perceive religion and their practices? Why is it difficult for women to unite for liberation? Is it because of their difference in social classes or ignorance?

Responses:

According to my understanding and belief, women and men are all human and equal before the eyes of God. Therefore, it is incorrect to state that women cannot unite and form a movement in solidarity to fight for their rights. Consequently, the failure to cooperate could be attributed to the fact that male-dominated cultures hinder most women. Feminism is viewed as a way to make women equal to men, enjoying equal rights as humans. I agree that the women in the lower social classes, especially nonwhite, would not view feminism as a way to gain social equality with men because not all women share common social status. According to (Hooks), the term feminist makes many bright, intelligent and ambitious women embarrassed and uncomfortable. I think it's because they do not share common interests and they belong to different social classes. A lot has been depicted from this book, especially about many other religious traditions such as women in Hindu, Judaism, Buddhist, Chinese, Christianity. Islam, Sikhism, Indigenous and the western spirituality movement. It doesn’t matter what the women or anyone believe or how one believes it; understanding how such beliefs affect women is essential. It is important to note that such beliefs on women will affect how they perceive religion and their traditions.

According to (Anderson and Young), women have been obliterated, disregarded, and diminished for eras, often due to male-controlled systems of power that were endorsed by religious traditions. In my view, the authors have provided a critical view on each tradition, with the intention to give a woman-centric perspective on board. The diverse traditions affect how women perceive religion and their traditions. For instance, there is sufficient evidence that Hindu women participated in the rituals which significantly affected their religious beliefs (Anderson and Young). “Although feminists have worked together to identify their position and status of women, there is no manner in which their concerns have to be addressed.” Feminists' methodologies have focused on issues of power, and the way power manifests itself in any given social context (Hooks). This has been a privilege to a few and a disenfranchising agent to others. Despite the diverse religions highlighted, different aspects of women's religions have been considered, such as their identity and participation in the religion. According to the text, “Biological sex becomes the marker for assigning particular gendered religious and moral roles and expectations” (Anderson and Young).

I completely agree with several aspects of the impression about feminism, as restricted by bell hooks. Sexism within religions is a subject that must be looked into profoundly and eradicated from society. Feminism and the battle for women’s equality are active.

Works Cited

Anderson, L. M., and P. D. Young. Women and religious traditions. OUP Canada, 2010.

Hooks, Bell. Feminism: a Movement to End Sexist Oppression. 2014.