Chapter 12

Religion and Spirituality

1. True/False Religion can be both empowering and oppressive to women.
2. True/False Women are excluded from most sacred rituals in protestant religions.
3. True/False Christian imperialism is one motivation for missionary work around the world.
4. True/False The Christian Right interpret the Christian creation story as evidence that women should hold positions of power in their denominations.
5. True/False The rule against interracial dating at Bob Jones University was repealed as late as 1995.
6. True/False Working as missionaries has invariably put women in positions of marginalization and dependence.
7. True/False The Quakers have ordained women for a long time.
8. True/False The Catholic Church only recently ordained women within the last 5 years.
9. True/False Sharia is the sacred law of the wiccan tradition.
10. True/False Susan B. Anthony wrote The Women’s Bible.
11. True/False Feminist Mormon Housewives is a pro-social justice website.
12. True/False The term “white fragility,” which was coined by Robin DiAngelo, can be defined as an emotional state for white people in which the stress of being confronted by white privilege is intolerable.
13. Who organized anti-lynching activism in the early 1920s?

a. Jesse Daniel Ames

b. Elizabeth Cady Stanton

c. Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza

d. Mary Daly

14. The act that required Indian woman to be burned at their husbands’ funeral pyres is known as

a. Santeria

b. Sati

c. Sakandi

d. Sufi

15. What protestant denomination has been embroiled in a public controversy between fundamentalist and moderate leaders over religious and secular issues affecting women?

a. Unitarian Universalists

b. Presbyterians

c. Southern Baptists

d. United Church of Christ

16. Who was called the Great Mother in ancient Babylonian mythology?

a. Marduk

b. Sophia

c. Venus

d. Tiamat

17. In 2013 the leaders of Exodus International did which of the following?

1. Stepped up action to “retrain” LGBQ individuals into heteronormativity
2. Apologized to the LGBQ community for their activity
3. Initiated policies against priests who sexually abused their parishioners
4. Lobbied the Vatican to reform policies allowing women to serve as priests

18. Susan Shaw defines “Christian fragility” as

a. A term to describe the fact that Christians have more fragile bones than members of other religious groups

b. The fragile nature of a Christian’s relationship with God

c. The fragile nature of Christians’ relationships with each other

d. The intense, defensive reactions conservative Christians have when their Truth is challenged

19. In the U.S., Christian privilege includes which of the following?

a. Holidays embedded in the work calendar

b. Foods our religion allows us to eat are easily accessible

c. Lack of familiarity with the holidays celebrated by other religious groups

d. Holidays recognized and celebrated in schools

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

20. Exploring new metaphors for deity can be fruitful because

a. Using the same terms over and over gets boring

b. Eve ate the fruit from the Tree of Life

c. No one image or analogy can capture the nature of deity

d. Metaphors allow us to consider deity in new ways

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

Reading 77 “Introduction to The Woman’s Bible” Elizabeth Cady Stanton

1. True/False Stanton makes the case for women’s ordination in the introduction to The Woman’s Bible.
2. True/False In the introduction to The Woman’s Bible, Stanton argues that the Bible has been used to subjugate women.
3. True/False Stanton questions whether or not the Bible is the “veritable ‘Word of God’” in her introduction to The Woman’s Bible.
4. In the introduction to The Woman’s Bible, Stanton argues that the Bible has been used to forbid women from doing which of the following?

a. Participating in the suffrage movement

b. Participating in the abolition movement

c. Holding equal positions in the church

d. Challenging the civil and political degradation of women

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

1. In the introduction to The Women’s Bible, Stanton does which of the following?

a. Demands equal rights for women based on legal theory

b. Demands equal rights for women based on scripture

c. Recounts the ways that scripture has been used to keep women from participating in public life

d. Recounts her own experiences as a young Christian girl

Reading 78 “God Says Yes to Me” Kaylin Haught

1. True/False In her poem “God Says Yes to Me,” Kaylin Haught imagines her God as a kind, elderly man.
2. In Kaylin Haught’s poem “God Says Yes to Me,” which of the following names does God call her?

a. Honey

b. Rebel

c. Sinner

d. Both (a) and (b)

e. Both (c) and (d)

f. All of the above

g. None of the above

3. Kaylin Haught’s poem “God Says Yes to Me” begins with a repetition of the phrases “I asked God if…” and “she said…, ” followed by God’s responses. What does the repetition of those phrases communicate about the author’s relationship with God?

a. God is not listening to Haught

b. Haught does not believe in God

c. Haught talks to God a lot

d. God listens to Haught and responds to her

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

1. In her poem “God Says Yes to Me,” Kaylin Haught refers to God as “she.” Calling God “she” is an example of which concept from chapter 12?

a. Ordination of women

b. Construction of alternative feminine images of deity

c. Limitations religion places on women

d. Destruction of existing spiritual traditions

1. In Kaylin Haught’s poem “God Says Yes to Me,” God tells Haught “yes” in many different ways, including, “Yes Yes Yes.” God’s many affirmative responses communicate which of the following ideas?

a. God is encouraging and does not place limitations on Haught

b. God praises Haught for following the rules

c. God wants Haught to be a faithful Christian

d. God wants Haught to do everything except the things forbidden to women in the Bible

Reading 79 “Fundamentalism and the Control of Women” Karen McCarthy Brown

1. True/False In her essay “Fundamentalism and the Control of Women,” Karen McCarthy Brown argues that religious fundamentalism is a direct response to the complexity and precarious nature of the modern world.
2. True/False Believing scripture to be inerrant is to emphasize a literal interpretation of scripture (Karen McCarthy Brown/“Fundamentalism and the Control of Women”).
3. Whose sati attracted much attention (Karen McCarthy Brown/“Fundamentalism and the Control of Women”)?

a. Roop Kanwar

b. Saj Deorala

c. Jaspal Rajput

d. Deorala Rajput

1. In “Fundamentalism and the Control of Women,” Karen McCarthy Brown notes that one source of fundamentalism is the failed promises of:

a. Enlightenment Reformism

b. Enlightenment Liberalism

c. Enlightenment Rationalism

d. Enlightenment Restitution

1. In “Fundamentalism and the Control of Women,” Karen McCarthy Brown argues that the fundamentalists assert control over women in order to

a. Punish them for their sinful natures

b. Follow the decrees of religious texts

c. Contain their will and their flesh

d. Maintain a comprehensible social order

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

Reading 80 “I’m a Mormon Feminist” Jessica Finnigan and Nancy Ross

1. True/False In their essay “I’m a Mormon Feminist,” Jessica Finnigan and Nancy Ross argue that the concept of a “Mormon feminist” is an oxymoron.
2. True/False 19% of Mormon feminists are male.
3. True/False In “I’m a Mormon Feminist,” Jessica Finnigan and Nancy Ross argue that the Internet has played a key role in the development of Mormon feminist activism.
4. Mormon feminists who remain active in the church are examples of which concept from chapter 12?

a. Addressing issues related to Christian fragility

b. Negotiating the complex dynamic of religion as empowering and oppressive to women

c. Using normative God language

d. Decolonizing religious traditions

1. In their essay “I’m a Mormon Feminist,” Jessica Finnigan and Nancy Ross describe which kinds of feminist activism by Mormon women?

a. Advocating for clear church positions on particular issues

b. Attempting to remove the stigma of feminism within the church

c. Using social media to share ideas and information

d. Advocating for the ordination of women

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

Reading 81 “Buddhist Nuns in Nepal” Kathryn Lafever

1. True/False The word “woman” in the Tibetan language literally translates to “born low” (Kathryn Lafever/“Buddhist Nuns in Nepal”).
2. True/False Although there have been Buddhist nuns for millennia, there is very little biographical literature written by nuns.
3. True/False Kathryn Lafever’s research involved interviews with Buddhist nuns (“Buddhist Nuns in Nepal”).
4. In her article “Buddhist Nuns in Nepal,” Kathryn Lafever argues that the nuns are empowered by which of the following?

a. Doing public speaking

b. Working in various jobs at the nunnery

c. Gaining an education

d. Naming themselves “Vajrayana nuns”

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

1. In her article “Buddhist Nuns in Nepal,” Kathryn Lafever uses the term “situated empowerment” to describe the nuns’ efforts to negotiate the particular constraints placed upon them. An example of the nuns’ situated empowerment is

a. Corresponding with Western feminists

b. Using the Internet

c. Reading and analyzing Buddhist texts for themselves

d. Shaving their heads

Reading 82 “The Prophet’s Daughters: An Interview with Syafa Almirzanah”

1. True/False The Qur’an gives women the right to pursue an education and be involved with worldly matters (“The Prophet’s Daughters: An interview with Syafa Almirzanah”).
2. True/False Religious scholars such as Syafa Almirzanah do not use the example of Muhammad’s wives to show the scope of women’s possible participation in Islam (“The Prophet’s Daughters: An interview with Syafa Almirzanah).
3. Which of the following is not an issue discussed in “The Prophet’s Daughters: An Interview with Syafa Almirzanah”)?
4. The monolithic nature of Islam
5. Feminism within Islam
6. Education as a key to improving women’s status
7. Both (a) and (b)
8. Both (b) and (c)
9. All of these issues are discussed in the reading
10. None of these issues are discussed in the reading
11. Syafa Almirzanah’s analysis of the ways Muslims interpret the Qur’an’s verse on polygamy is an example of which concept from chapter 11 (“The Prophet’s Daughters: An Interview with Syafa Almirzanah”)?

a. Religion as oppressive to women

b. Queer Muslim activism

c. Gender and God-language

d. Reinterpretation and reconstruction

1. According to “The Prophet’s Daughters: An interview with Syafa Almirzanah,” Christian and Muslim women share which of the same issues?

a. A tradition of men interpreting sacred texts rather than women

b. A struggle to gain equal positions to men within their religions

c. Sexual abuse scandals surrounding church leaders

d. Describing God as both masculine and feminine

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

Reading 83 “Feminists in the Temple of Orthodoxy” Yitzhak Reiter

1. True/False According to Yitzhak Reiter in “Feminists in the Temple of Orthodoxy,” women in the group Women of the Wall (WoW) are challenging the right of Jewish women to pray at the Western Wall.
2. True/False Scholars argue that allowing women to pray at the Western Wall could cause a ripple effect that would include positive changes for women in Israeli society (Yitzhak Reiter/“Feminists in the Temple of Orthodoxy”).
3. True/False The Women of the Wall’s legal and political strategies provide a model for other groups who want to change the status quo at holy places to favor minority groups (Yitzhak Reiter/“Feminists in the Temple of Orthodoxy”).
4. The Sharanksy plan, which is a proposal intended to provide a solution to the issues of women’s prayer at the Western Wall, includes which of the following aspects (Yitzhak Reiter/“Feminists in the Temple of Orthodoxy”)?

a. Demolish the Western Wall

b. Expand the Western Wall plaza to include a second prayer area for those who are not Orthodox

c. Admit Orthodox worshippers during some times and pluralistic worshippers during other times

d. Divide the prayer space between Orthodox worshippers and pluralistic worshippers

1. The Women of the Wall’s achievements include which of the following (Yitzhak Reiter/“Feminists in the Temple of Orthodoxy”)?

a. A legal order protecting their right to pray at the Western Wall for one hour per month.

b. Support of the American Jewry

c. Unifying the Reform, Conservative, and WoW movements in negotiation with the Israeli government

d. Connecting the issue of women’s prayer at the Western Wall with larger issues of women’s equality

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

Reading 84 “How Evangelicals Became White” Kelly Brown Douglas

1. True/False According to Kelly Brown Douglas in “How Evangelicals Became White,” 81% of evangelicals voted for President Trump.
2. True/False By the year 2044, the United States is expected to be majority non-white.
3. True/False The Puritans and Pilgrims had a vision of the British colonies (which are now part of the United States) as a biblically ordained Anglo-Saxon (white) nation.
4. In “How Evangelicals Became White,” Kelly Brown Douglas argues that white evangelicals supported Trump for which of the following reasons?

a. They are part of a historical tradition of Christian white supremacy in the U.S.

b. Their desire to maintain Christian white supremacy was greater than their desire to elect a person of strong moral character

c. They believe that Trump is truly a moral man despite reports to the contrary

d. The issue of abortion overshadowed all other concerns

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

1. According to Kelly Brown Douglas in “How Evangelicals Became White,” white Christian America’s election of Trump was a “death rattle” for which of the following reasons?

a. Trump is not a moral man

b. Within the next 25 years, America will be a majority non-white nation

c. Michele Bachmann endorsed Trump for the presidency

d. White supremacy is not truly Christian

Reading 85 “Transgressing the Father Figure” Allyson S. Dean and Whitney J. Archer

1. True/False In their article “Transgressing the Father Figure,” Allyson S. Dean and Whitney J. Archer argue that drag can never be a site for investigating and creating theology because the practice of drag is inherently sinful.
2. True/False In their article “Transgressing the Father Figure,” Allyson S. Dean and Whitney J. Archer argue that their drag performance disrupted that the idea that only heterosexual men can be conduits to God
3. True/False In their article “Transgressing the Father Figure,” Allyson S. Dean and Whitney J. Archer maintain that there is a clear line between queerness and pedophilia, but that the Catholic Church does not distinguish between the two.
4. In their article “Transgressing the Father Figure,” Allyson S. Dean and Whitney J. Archer argue that their drag performance interrupted the scripts for drag for which of the following reasons?

a. Drag performances usually involve men performing as queens rather than women performing as kings

b. Drag performances usually focus exclusively on the ways that men perform traditional femininity

c. Drag performances usually are not political

d. Drag performances usually do not involve songs like George Michael’s “Father Figure”

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above

1. In their article “Transgressing the Father Figure,” Allyson S. Dean and Whitney J. Archer argue that their drag performance interrupted the scripts for Catholicism for which of the following reasons?

a. They are women performing Catholic rituals

b. They depict an altar boy giving Communion to a priest

c. They explore the significance of the Eucharist

d. They are “queering” Catholic rituals

e. Both (a) and (b)

f. Both (c) and (d)

g. All of the above

h. None of the above