Last night I went to Boston College for a meeting about the School of Americas protest. I picked up "The Observer" a conservative newspaper on campus. I was appalled to read an article calling feminism a heresy. They were calling it a heresy because some people change the words in Mass to gender neutral language. So instead of saying "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to his people on earth", people change it to "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to God's people on earth". Now, I don't really find anything wrong with this, but the article blamed the "lying radical feminists" who think that they can do anything, when no person is allowed to change the mass (Hello, Vatican II! Oops....the Mass has been changed). Now, I understand if you oppose using gender neutral language,but I do not understand at all blaming it on radical feminists. I don't understand why it is radical to not want to think of God as a man...or a woman. God is greater than gender, so why should we refer to God as male?
Feminism is not at all radical. Believing that everyone no matter their race, age, class, gender, or ability/disability, should have an equal chance at being successful at life is not radical. Wasn't Jesus' message radical? I mean he wanted to change the whole foundation of the church! People didn't understand him at first either. There are parts of feminism that disagree with Catholicism, but there is also a lot of good involved with feminism. There is social justice in feminism and would probably go along a lot with Catholic Social Teaching. It's not radical to think that because I'm a woman I should be able to be on an equal playing field with a man. I think God and Jesus would be on my side with this. We are all children of God are we not? Someday God will answer all my questions around this matter!
The book this time is:
Catholic and Feminist: The Surprising History of the American Catholic Feminist Movement (Mary J. Henold)
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