Women And Spirituality Essays - Feminism, Ethics, Philosophy

Women And Spirituality Essays - Feminism, Ethics, Philosophy Women And Spirituality What we find as an original response to existences meaning is the belief in a greater being or higher power, eg. God, that we serve and obey in the trade for a fruitful, everlasting life. This can be connected to the theory of the Earth-Mother. The female in nature was intended to represent reoccurring life. Ancient people held the belief that they would return to the body of the womb of mother earth and then be given a new life. This ancient belief is similar to our own when compared. The view of the religious world can give meaning and purpose to the lives of the people as it gives them hope. Hope that if they live their lives as God had intended for them, they will be granted entrance into heaven, an everlasting, peaceful place. It gives people meaning as to what they should do with their lives. The religious view also brings order in peoples lives. Purpose in someones life is also introduced in the world view; they can go to church and have the holy rituals which every religion practices. This may offer people a sense of purpose in their life. Religion cannot be contained by a certain definition because religion is, simplistically enough, what you want it to be. No one can write a definition of religion as it is really just personal opinion. Religion can be the way you live your life, but for someone else it may just be another word in their vocabulary. With the advent of the feminist movement, the role of women in all parts of society has come under increasing scrutiny. One area of recent controversy is the role of women in the Christian Church. Some churches whose traditions and practices are less rigidly tied to Biblical doctrines have begun placing women in leadership positions such as pastor or teacher. Other churches which interpret the Bible more literally have been slow to adopt such changes. Most Commentators agree that man and woman are both equally a reflection of God's image; the word man here is used as a synonym for humanity. Adam and Eve were also given joint dominion over creation. The role of the man is leadership, while the role of woman is as a source of strength and support. If a person wants to understand the Christian authority of a man over his wife, he must consider how Christ demonstrated his leadership as head over the Church. Primarily, he gave his life for his church, not using force or coercion for her submission. Many people would dispute the Bible's relevance to contemporary thought in general, and in particular to the role of women in worship. If the Bible were not written under divine inspiration, a person or practice is not bound by its teachings. He or she can therefore pick and choose whatever corresponds to his/her point of view. However, if the Bible is of divine inspiration, then a cautious consideration of passages relevant to a particular issue must be undertaken. Traditions and customs, that have arisen after the Bible was written, may thus be carefully scrutinized. Such practices may or may not prove sound after comparison with scripture. If women are not allowed to have a voice or some kind of input, the church could be loosing a valuable resource of wisdom. If a husband does not consider his wives thoughts and ideas as being important or valid, his family is surely incomplete, dysfunctional and doomed to failure. Therefore, as the church strives to realize Gods purpose for women, we must remember the truths of the scripture and apply them to our present day culture. This will allow men and women to present the Christian message to our world in the most powerful way. Feminist ethics has much to offer Catholicism. For one, the main issues that concern feminist ethics are basically the same ones that make up Catholic identity. That is, how women and men define themselves in society, what means are available to them for attaining their ends- in short inter personal and social relations. Second, the founding principles that guide feminist ethics are rooted in the tradition of natural law, a tradition well known to Catholicism. So,

12 Interesting Facts About Activist Grace Lee Boggs

12 Interesting Facts About Activist Grace Lee Boggs Grace Lee Boggs isn’t a household name, but the Chinese-American activist made long-lasting contributions to the civil rights, labor, and feminist movements. Boggs died on Oct. 5, 2015, at age 100. Learn why her activism earned her the respect of black leaders such as Angela Davis and Malcolm X with this list of 10 interesting facts about her life. Birth Born Grace Lee on June 27, 1915, to Chin and Yin Lan Lee, the activist came into the world in the unit above her family’s Chinese restaurant in Providence, R.I. Her father would later enjoy success as a restaurateur in Manhattan. Early Years and Education Although Boggs was born in Rhode Island, she spent her childhood in Jackson Heights, Queens. She demonstrated keen intelligence at an early age. At just 16, she started studies at Barnard College. By 1935, she’d earned a philosophy degree from the college, and by 1940, five years before her 30th birthday, she earned a doctorate from Bryn Mawr College. Job Discrimination Although Boggs demonstrated that she was intelligent, perceptive and disciplined at a young age, she couldn’t find work as an academic. No university would hire a Chinese-American woman to teach ethics or political thought in the 1940s,  according to the New Yorker. Early Career and Radicalism Before becoming a prolific author in her own right, Boggs translated the writings of Karl Marx. She was active in leftist circles, participating in the Workers Party, the Socialist Workers Party and the Trotskyite movement as a young adult. Her work and political inclinations led her to partner up with socialist theorists such as C.L.R. James and Raya Dunayevskaya as part of a political sect called the Johnson-Forest Tendency. Fight for Tenants’ Rights In the 1940s, Boggs lived in Chicago, working in a city library. In the Windy City, she organized protests for tenants to fight for their rights, including living quarters free from vermin. Both she and her mostly black neighbors had experienced rodent infestations, and Boggs was inspired to protest after witnessing them demonstrate in the streets. Marriage to James Boggs Just two years shy of her 40th birthday, Boggs married James Boggs in 1953. Like her, James Boggs was an activist and writer. He also worked in the automobile industry, and Grace Lee Boggs settled with him in the auto industry’s epicenter- Detroit. Together, the Boggses set out to give people of color, women, and youth the necessary tools to effect social change. James Boggs died in 1993. Political Inspirations Grace Lee Boggs found inspiration in both the nonviolence of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi as well as in the Black Power Movement. In 1963, she took part in the Great Walk to Freedom march, which featured King. Later that year, she hosted Malcolm X at her home. Under Surveillance Because of her political activism, the Boggses found themselves under government surveillance. The FBI visited their home multiple times, and Boggs even joked that the feds likely thought of her as â€Å"Afro-Chinese† because her husband and friends were black, she lived in a black area and centered her activism on the black struggle for civil rights. Detroit Summer Grace Lee Boggs helped to establish the organization Detroit Summer in 1992. The program connects youth to a number of community service projects, including home renovations and community gardens. Prolific Author Boggs penned a number of books. Her first book, George Herbert Mead: Philosopher of the Social Individual, debuted in 1945. It chronicled Mead, the academic credited with founding social psychology. Boggs’ other books included 1974’s â€Å"Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century,† which she co-wrote with her husband; 1977’s Women and the Movement to Build a New America; 1998’s Living for Change: An Autobiography; and 2011’s The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century, which she co-wrote with Scott Kurashige. School Named in Her Honor In 2013, a charter elementary school opened in honor of Boggs and her husband. It’s called the James and Grace Lee Boggs School. Documentary Film The life and work of Grace Lee Boggs were chronicled in the 2014 PBS documentary â€Å"American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs.† The director of the film shared the name Grace Lee and launched a film project about well-known and unknown people alike about this relatively common name that transcends racial groups.