Female Marginality In The Catholic Church

In 1988, the Council for Biblic¬al Manhood and Womanhood published the Danvers Statement, affirming that "In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men." I am hesitant to single out one organization for focused argument, but this statement accurately represents a sentiment within the faith that I find disturbing. In this paper, I will use the redemptive trend hermeneutic to deconstruct the CBMW's affirmation, while providing my own views on why I find both women in ministry and the redemptive trend hermeneutic as valid.

Many people today have misconceptions about how women were viewed during the Medieval Catholic time period (15th century) and the Protestant Reformation (16th century). To be honest, women have always made significant contributions to their culture and life several times in the past and even still today. All throughout history there is evidence that women have been regarded highly of. In “Woman In Catholic Tradition” by Edgar Schmiedeler, St. Jerome quoted

"The Role of Women in the Orthodox Church." Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

As there is much debate about the role of women in the church, I believe that we should, as in all circumstances, rely on the Word of God to instruct us as to God 's will. In many religious circles, this is a hot-button subject and everyone will not easily accept this teaching. Nevertheless, because it has become a church dividing issue, it demands an appropriate review.

Religion is powerful in that it controls followers’ behaviours and beliefs throughout their entire lives; it is a form of social control. Catholicism is one of the most widely known religions influencing more than 2 billion people around the world (Ross). Within Catholicism not everyone are seen as equals; men have greater privilege than women. The bible and church are from a male’s point of view (Christ 86) and passages within the bible are used to enforce a sexual hierarchy. In fact, the oppression of women begins with the first story in Genesis about creation, which portrays females as being inferior to men and even of an evil nature. This one passage is the main source of justification of oppression of woman in the church (Daly 13).

From the rampant persecution of science and inquiry during the Age of Enlightenment, to the condemnation of abortion and the use of contraceptives in the most HIV/AIDS ridden regions of Africa today, the Catholic Church has nearly always been the “thorn in the side” of progressive ideas, movements, organizations, and institutions. Today the Catholic Church remains one of the largest religious entities on the planet, with nineteen percent of the world’s population and a half of all Christians adhering to its religious doctrines ("Catholic Desires for Change”). Catholicism is unique among Christian secs for its incredibly long history and staunch traditionalism. The church structure has remained almost unchanged since the time of the Roman Empire, and its doctrines are slow evolving at best. The Catholic Church only recently amended its stance on the heliocentric nature of the solar system, when in nineteen ninety two Pope John Paul II exonerated Galileo Galilei’s crimes of heresy, three centuries after the man’s death (Cowell, 1992). As many western institutions begin to diversify their gender and ethnic makeup, the Catholic Church has remained almost devoid of female participation in all positions of authority and significance. The Church’s sedated progressivism has never been more egregious than in the rapidly changing society of the last half century, with the millennia old barriers of sexism rapidly

Discovering Biblical Equality goes through the wide range of thought in addressing Biblical equality. It focuses on the egalitarian and the complementarian view. The chapters are dedicated to what men and women have in common. Such articles as “The Changing Role of Women in Ministry”, “Equality With and Without Innocence, Teaching and Usurping Authority” speak to the complementary and egalitarian issues in the church.

Alice Paul, the author of the Equal Rights Amendment of 1921, firmly stated that “there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.” 1 Equality, a basic human truth, is the foundation of many governments, institutions, and schools of thought. While it may not be a common – or even a popular – opinion, feminist theory and the Roman Catholic Church both believe in the inherent trait of equality amongst all human beings, whether they be male or female. In order to prove this claim, one must examine both philosophies, acknowledge their differences, and finally, recognize the common themes of unity, equality, and inclusion that make feminism and Catholicism what they truly are.

1 Timothy 2:11–15 states: “11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 for Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” 1 Corinthians 14:33–35 states: “33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their

The purpose of this brief is to provide you with an overview of how the Catholic Church view women being ordained in the church. The views are based on the traditional and doctrinal references that the Catholic religion is based on. The views are from various resources such as the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican, Pope John Paul II, and the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI. The views described in this brief are based on the traditions of old and their refusal to change the traditions to fit for the twentieth century.

All throughout history, women have been perceived as the lesser, gentler, more emotional, and the inferior gender. This thinking, of course, has been a brainwashed ideology by men. During the Renaissance and Reformation throughout Europe, the lives of women were and subject to limitations and change for various different classes, locations, and religious basis. Catholicism was the core of every European during this period. The Pope had everyone under his control, and the doctrines were knitted tightly in their everyday lives.

Christianity has been seen as a church that professes the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Just with this introduction, feminist individuals would have already have some opposition with the terms used and attributed to God. In this paper I will explore on several aspects that the feminist movement provides to Christianity. First, I will illustrate on what is feminist Christology. Then I will present passages from Sacred Scripture, both in Old and New Testament. Then I will go further on and reflect on the Ecclesial aspect and the service god has provided to creation. Last, I will conclude by acknowledging all aspects exposed, yet analyzing the fact that God would be limited if he had a

Throughout history, women have been consistently the backbone of the church. They are the ones who uphold the daily and imperative roles needed to make sure that the church functions and prospers. Without these central roles being fulfilled, the church, and ultimately religion would inevitably crumble. Yet, even with our roles and vital necessity within the church (where people go to learn and grow spiritualy) we have been considered a minority in a male dominated hierarchical system. Women outnumber men in participating within religious communities as contributing member. In 2009, the Pew Forum posted an analysis of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey that shows how women are more religious than men. The study was called “The Stronger Sex- Spiritually Speaking” and the following graph shows statistics proving that women are generally more religious than men.

In today’s society the controversial subject of what positions in the church a woman can hold; has become incredibly debatable among the nation. Some people believe that women have equal rights with men and can uphold any position that a man can. Today’s society also believes that because a woman can be in political and business power, then a woman can also be in authority in the church. However, that could not be farther from the truth a women’s positions in the church are defined by God.

The women in the history involved in the church played a variety of roles in their life of Christianity. During early Christianity, they were mostly health care givers, teachers, and missionaries. Until recent times, women were mostly excluded from higher church positions such as episcopal and clerical jobs within the churches. However a good number of women have been influential in the life of the church - from contemporaries of Jesus, to subsequent saints, theologians, doctors of the church, missionaries, abbesses, nuns, mystics, founders of religious institutes, military leaders, monarchs and martyrs.