Feminism and Religion: An Introduction

In this illuminating work, Gross (professor of philosophy and religion at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) traces the historical role of women in religion, including the impact of feminist scholarship on the study of religion and theology. Gross does not limit her explorations to the roles of women in Judaism and Christianity but ranges over the roles of women in Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. She also examines feminist spirituality, which has developed the contours of an organized religion. The author points out that all religions, including Christianity and Judaism, have not always been patriarchal, and she notes some groundbreaking work done by American Christian feminists in the 1800s that had been mostly forgotten by the 1950s. Historians of religion and theologians are in Gross's debt for casting a bright light on the relationship between women and religion. (Oct.)