Womanspirit Rising: A Feminist Reader in Religion

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Now with an updated preface and a new index--the classic anthology on feminist spirituality. "Remains the most inclusive and incisive single collection of critical feminist texts in the field."--Harvey Cox, author of Many Mansions

Womanspirit Rising is an important book for anyone looking to explore religion outside of the traditional patriarchal understanding. It provides a new perspective and new options for the experience of religion, spirituality, and the divine, particularly for women who have experienced isolation or oppression in their religious tradition. The volume brings to attention the realities of not so long ago when women were absent or ignored in the study of religion, within the context of academia and in the larger realm of society. The essays contained in this volume are written by many of the most important female religious scholars including Mary Daly, Rosemary Radford Reuther, Phyllis Trible, Judith Plaskow, and Carol P. Christ. These women, along with many other contributors, wish to challenge the traditions of Jewish and Christian religious traditions and the burden of inferiority of women that has emerged from and been sustained by them.
The contributing authors vary on their approach to the equality of women (whether they should be equal to men or be elevated above them), the anthropomorphic language of god/ess, whether or not religious understanding can be restored to a place where women can find liberation and value, and the relationship between women and nature. Thankfully, the editors allow these differences to be held in tension within the volume. This provides a plethora of language to surround and begin to define the importance of women's experiences within the realm of religious understanding. I found healing in the openness for religious expression in new terms: those according to women and their experiences.
This collection readily addresses the reality that the idea of a male god has oppressive consequences for women in other realms of life outside religion; male conceptualization of god has given male humans control and power in all of society. One of the most meaningful chapters for me, "Why Women Need the Goddess" by Carol Christ, was about the social and political implications of the image of a goddess. Instead of being oppressed by men and a male god, a new vision of the divine is offered, one where women have power and control over their own lives in a way that is affirmed by their understanding of the divine. This provides hope for women not only in religious contexts, but in the world of work, home, and public society.