Feminism and Christianity.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look* into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher)..

I went to church on easter sunday for the first time in a long time and the above pasage was part of the reading and the part I bolded really spoke to me. firstly the “Woman why are you weeping” really speaks to me. it feels not like an acusation but a comfort, a permission to greive.

The christianity I grew up in was savage the jesus in it was unregognisable from the jesus I belive in. the jesus of the gospels was a compasionate, thoughtfull, social activist who was always supporting and rooting for the opressesd and when I am thinking about that or reading mainstream christian literature that is at odds with that I often feel

They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him

What did they do with the man who loved women, tax colectors, protitutes, the disabled, the poor? they westernised him, sanitised him turned him into a middle class, mysognistic conservative. I do not know where they have laid him, he will never be where they say he is.

I want the real deal, I want the jesus who spoke truth to power. I want the jesus who gave a shit about hurting people, I want the jesus who came to teach us how to love.

And once again I find myself crossing boundaries, weaving together my feminism and my Christianity despite criticism and rejection from both sides. Christians are often opposed to feminism because they buy into the idea that women are there to serve men, they read the bible uncritically, it doesn’t occur to them that maybe Paul was wrong, they don’t know christian history and that actually women have been a really important part of the church forever not just as supporting characters but as priests theologians and mystics.

and mainstream feminism is very anti religion (except maybe for certain types of paganism) it tells me that all religious people are misogynistic, are anti women, and its true many are, but so are many doctors, and lawyers, and socialists and journalists. it doesnt take into account that actually most women in the world have some sort of religious affiliation, it doesn’t take into account that religion can be a liberating force, supporting and comforting feminists when they are working at the sharp end, it doesn’t take into account that people are messy and beautiful and the need for god(esses) comes from the same place as sexuality/sensuality and creativity,
Both sides tell lies and uphold stereotypes about each other often without ever having had a dialogue with those on the other “side”

I know sticking true to myself, to my principles, to my belief that both my progressive Christianity and my radical feminism are intrinsic essential parts of myself will be exhausting because of the misunderstanding and hostility I will receive from both Christians and feminists,