Feminism and Religion

The sociological 'lived religion' approach focuses on the experiences of religious individuals in everyday life, whilst also considering the institutional aspects of religion that they may engage with. It emphasizes that individuals do not simply 'copy' institutional religious prescriptions; instead, it posits that people have an active and reflexive role in shaping, negotiating and changing their own beliefs and practices. This article examines the implications of the 'lived religion' approach for secular feminist analyses of religion in Western contexts. It starts out by proposing three different secular feminist positions on religion: a hard, a mixed hard and soft, and a soft position. The article then examines the views on women and religion forwarded by some high-profile feminist organisations in Europe, and how these relate to the three proposed secular feminist positions on religion. Finally, the article assesses which secular feminist position is most compatible with a 'lived religion' approach.

The ordination of women as rabbis is a relatively new phenomenon in Jewish communities worldwide, but especially in the State of Israel. Israel’s non-Orthodox movements began to ordain women as rabbis only twenty years after the first woman rabbi was ordained in the United States. Today, women rabbis continue to confront deeply rooted cultural concepts and stereotypes while seeking to reshape the place of women in Judaism.In this article, I shall analyze and interpret Israeli women rabbis’ shared experiences as extracted from their life stories, using folklore research tools. Analyzing these stories using the narrative-package model revealed their commonalities with Vladimir Propp’s fairy-tale narrative structure.
The content of these narratives by pioneer Israeli women rabbis emphasizes the deconstruction of gender roles in Judaism and in Israeli society, even as new structures are being established, enabling women to take religious leadership functions upon themselves. The narrators are aware of the numerous challenges they face, but most of them are deeply motivated to continue exerting their influence in different areas of Israeli society.

The thermal-pressure-mediated hydrolysis rates and the degradation kinetics of environmentally persistent Reactive Blue (RB) 19 dye were studied. The dye decomposition was studied at 40–120 °C, pH 2–10, and atmospheric pressure range of 1–2 atm. The intermediates and end products formed during the degradation were identified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and a possible degradation pathway of RB 19 was proposed. The stability of the dye in aqueous solution was influenced by changes in pH. At pH 4, half-life was 2247.5 min at 40 °C and it reduced to 339.4 min when the temperature was increased to 120 °C. Acidic conditions were more conducive to enhance hydrolysis rate than basic ones as the decomposition was optimum at pH 4. The kinetic studies indicated that the rate of hydrolysis apparently followed first order reaction. A linear relationship was observed between hydrolysis rate of RB 19 dye and increasing temperatures and pressures. Overall, 23% dye decomposition occurred in 120 minutes at pH 4, 120 °C and pressure of 2 atm. Along with thermal-pressure, a combination of techniques like physico-chemical, biological, enzymatic etc. may be more suitable choice for the effective treatment of RB19 dye.

This article won the "Honorable Mention Award" of the Association for Women in Psychology for 2020.

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The article presents the feminist discourse on Lilith and asks why she has returned to the centre of activity and creation? It begins with Lilith’s Integrative Myth – a description of the classic Lilith myths – whilst trying to define her image’s central characteristics. Following, I offer one integrative myth: a complex essence that contains contrasts, and stems from a variety of sources, each contributing to the formation of Lilith’s story’s numerous aspects. Lilith’s Revival is discussed, surveying the different ways in which Lilith appears in today’s feminist spiritual discourse, while presenting some of the ways in which her story is re-interpreted and used towards contemporary feminist needs. A feminist Jungian outlook on Lilith’s Myths is included, deciphering Lilith as a symbol of the life-death-life cycle, which leads to a summary of the Jungian analysis’ implications.

Gender is at the heart of religion and politics, yet marginalized within religion and politics as separate academic fields as well as within studies that bring these two fields together. Indeed, gender is rarely mentioned in major books on religion and politics (see, for instance, the Routledge series ‘Studies in Religion and Politics’ and the Palgrave Macmillan series ‘Culture and Religion in International Relations’). The field of religion and politics thus mirrors other fields of study when it comes to the relative marginalization of gender. When gender is examined, it is via studies that focus explicitly and often exclusively on the role of gender in religion and politics, such as the edited volume by Bayes and Tohidi, which analyzes ‘the politics of women’s rights in Catholic and Muslim contexts’,  along with more recent edited volumes by Cady and Fessenden  and Reilly and Scriver  which both address the religion-secularism-gender equality nexus in different contexts. Other works, including those by Scott,  and Rosenberger and Sauer,  discuss a single topic such as the politicization of the Muslim headscarf.

New and shifting configurations of gender, religion and politics require us to examine how nation states as well as international and global governance structures (e.g., the European Union; the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; the United Nations) deal with gender equality issues that are highly contested (e.g., abortion, contraception, divorce, prostitution, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, honor killings); how national, international and global government institutions relate to religious stakeholders and actors (e.g., the Catholic Church); how faith-based and secular voluntary organizations mobilize in relation to gender equality issues; how religious communities deal with gender equality and women’s rights issues, and how religious women and men perform and negotiate gender relations in their everyday lives. Highlighting the stable and shifting relationships between religion, politics and gender, this chapter focuses on the relationship between religion, politics and gender at global, national and local levels.

From a feminist point of view, politics is not simply about states, governance and the electorate, but also about communities, civil society groups, families and intimate aspects of individuals’ ‘lived citizenship’.  A feminist notion of politics points to the artificial and often imposed distinction between ‘the public’ and ‘the private’ spheres as untenable, as politics are intertwined with our everyday lives as economic, social, gendered, racial and ethnic, sexual and intimate, religious or secular citizens. Moreover, while status, rights and duties are central aspects of lived citizenship, so are our identities, our sense of belonging, our caring for each other, and our participation in a multitude of social contexts.  Politics intersect with gender and religion at all of these levels and also with other forms of difference and inequality such as class, ‘race’ and ethnicity, and sexuality. Women’s political activism that addresses inequalities, discrimination and marginalization is at times primarily based on the mobilization of gender, while at other times it is based on a mixed mobilization of gender together with ‘race’ and ethnicity, sexuality, or religion. Furthermore, gender-based political activism may be anti-religious, indifferent to religion, or pro-religion, while religiously based political activism may support conservative or progressive forms of gender relations. The following three sections of this chapter address the issues of religion, secularization and gender politics; multiculturalism, feminism and religion; and women and religious activism.

This article considers the influence of childhood corporal punishment, abandonment, and neglect on the development and reception of foundational New Testament teachings. The article ends with an exploratory discussion of possible childhood influences in Judaism, Islam, the system of karmic reincarnation in Hinduism and Buddhism, and The Homeric Hymn to Demeter.

The achievement of gender equality, which includes the rights of women and sexual minorities, has been identified as a key development-related goal. The relationship between religion and the achievement of gender equality, which has been fraught in most parts of the worlds, is an area that has been underexplored in the research. This chapter will explore the relationship between religion and the rights of women and sexual minorities in South Asia, focusing particularly on India and Pakistan, where the involvement of Hindu and Muslim conservative groups in politics has consistently acted as a hindrance to the achievement of gender equality. It traces the relationship women’s movements in both countries have had with religion, highlighting the main sources of contention between women’s rights activists and religious groups. It also explores the intersection between the rights of sexual minorities, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities, and religion. Research in India and Pakistan reveals important parallels between both countries where movements for gender equality face serious challenges as a result of the increasing involvement of religious conservative groups in politics. The research also finds that in both contexts, activists working for gender equality have largely found that taking a secular, human-rights based approach is the most effective and inclusive means of achieving their goal.

The debate on feminism and 'religion' has rarely been suggested as a critique of mod-ernity that has silenced other possible cultural, epistemological and spiritual options. Efforts have been made to ascertain whether 'religion' is 'good' or 'bad' for-or indeed an ally or threat to-women's liberation. More specifically, in a European context, contemporary discussions of 'religion' and the rights of women have been very much centred on Islam. Yet, none of these narratives have resolved the intrinsic colonial character of modernity. This article explores the debate on both Islamic and Western feminism from a decolonial perspective. It argues that today, feminist theory faces the tremendous challenge of how to encounter the colonial and not only redefine, but also review the concepts and categories upon which Western feminism bases its arguments. Drawing on the work of the Spanish-Syrian Islamic decolonial thinker, Sirin Adlbi Sibai, this article develops a critical, self-reflexive approach that questions secular assumptions regarding feminist analyses of 'religion'. In doing so, I present the decolo-nising of feminism as an invitation to (re)imagine our feminist encounters.

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This study analyzes the cosmology and theology that are being shaped by contemporary alternative spiritualities, regarding the link between witchcraft and women. It raises issues such as secularization and re-enchantment, religious/spiritual identities and feminism.
The study case is the contemporary writings of Israeli alternative spiritualities' leaders, as they re-narrate a tale from Rabbinic Literature, about the Ashkelon Witch-Hunt that was led by Rabbi Shim'on ben Shatach. This tale has been reshaped in three different ways by spokespersons who represent various religious/spiritual Jewish-Israeli paths: Reform Judaism (Prof. Ruchma Weiss), Jewish Renewal (Rabbi Ohad Ezrahi), and Neo-Shamanism (Dov Trubnik).
All contemporary alternative spiritual texts analyzed herein demonstrate their authors’ identification with the rejected anti-heroines, the Ashkelonian witches. Some appropriate Judaism, whilst others criticize it; some write from within it, whilst others from without. The three alternative spiritual texts reflect different cosmological views contending with issues of secularization versus re-enchantment, as well as various theologies or thealogies. They also voice explicit religious feminist tones, that range from liberal to cultural-maternal and eco-feminist feminisms.

Apparently, it may seem that Hinduism is sincere towards upholding the dignity of women, as its various treatises and mythologies give us some suggestive accounts in this regard. However, behind such a projection, we can find out subtle tricks of socio-religious agencies which work for brahminical patriarchy. The non-mainstream or alternative religious practices like Tantra originated with an aim to challenge and subvert the patriarchal brahminical religious hegemony, and often provide gender equilibrium in the socio-religious space. Nevertheless, such forms were also not free from veiled patriarchal tropes and agendas. In today's society , the baul and faqir sects of Bengal, who formed a folk-oriented sahajiya-cult incorporating tantric practices and Sufi mysticism, are internationally regarded as the believers of a de-institutionalized free society with equal religious and social rights for men and women. However, the question is to what extent do women, who serve as the 'sadhan-sangini' (female partner in sexo-yogic religious practices) of the bauls, actually get equal rights, dignified position and true fulfilment in religious and social life. This article tries to re-explore Indian mythological, classical as well as folk socio-religious texts, treatises and traditions to find out the hidden framework of patriarchy. Keywords Religion and female sexuality · Manusmriti · Durga · Tantra · Baul · Faqir The history of civilization shows that, in the course of time, religion becomes a social (and often, national) agency of utmost power, encompassing various social institutions to utilize them for executing its own propaganda, or the propaganda of the dominating male constituency of that very society. Hinduism, not unlike

Overall, this book is indispensable for anyone wanting to have a richer understanding of how the Qur’an is read and interpreted within a feminist context. It is a wonderful synthesis of the work that has been done in the field thus far and provides tools necessary to seek out new avenues in understanding the Qur’an while still retaining a feminist spirit. Yet, in the end, this book does not disturb Muslim world order. It remains an overwhelming possibility for Hidayatullah that interpretations which hierarchally differentiate between men and women may not be wrong. There is a comforting sense of resignation, or at least an affirmation of the ambivalence that Muslim mothers have transmitted to their daughters for centuries. We, feminist Muslims, are left with the same ambiguity with which we started the book.  However, we now have a much deeper understanding of the nature of that ambiguity, and that perhaps is worth embracing in itself.