Post on "Womanist Theology: Black Women's Voices"

Having just finished reading this assignment, I find myself pleasantly surprised. Although I am not religious myself, I found this chapter very interesting and relevant to my life. Much of the reason that I do not like organized religion is because of how it can be used to oppress people. Women, minorities and homosexuals are often regarded as unimportant characters in religious stories, or not present at all. This article explains that by being a "womanist," one can find ways to connect women and religion in positive ways, and show women in present day that they have roots to powerful women in the past.

The author's explanation of the expression "You acting womanish," made me laugh. She wrote that according to Alice Walker, that means "wanting to know more and in greater depth than is good for one...outrageous, audacious, courageous and willful behavior." She goes on to say that "A womanist is also "responsible, in charge, serious." This description made me think of how girls are sometimes known for being a little bit nosy and into others' business, hunting for gossip. But it also makes me think about journalists, and about how this is an important quality for a reporter to have. The description is kind of good and kind of bad, but when you see the word courageous in there, it takes on more of a good meaning.

One part of the reading reminded me of a reading we did that highlighted the importance of 'old wives tales,' stating that these tales originated as good advice from older women to be passed down to younger generations. The author, Dolores S. Williams writes "Walker's codes are female-centered and they point beyond themselves to conditions, events, meanings and values that have crystallized in the Afro-American community around women's activity and formed traditions." This struck a chord with me. Although 'old wives' tales' are usually scoffed at as nonsense, both these authors are trying to say that the stories came from somewhere. The tales may not be exactly how they started out, but there is wise advice buried deep within them. I think this is how I read all religious texts and stories; as myths that have some good ideas in them, but not always to be taken literally.

Williams has a lot of good points, and one more is how she highlights the importance of strong female figures. Men have unlimited figures to look up to and to use as role models, and this helps them shape themselves and have confidence in themselves. Women have less role models to look up to, and this can cause women to lose faith in themselves and their own goals or dreams. The author references ladies such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks throughout the chapter to draw upon their strengths and accomplishments. By seeing that women have existed in our history with powerful personalities makes it possible for contemporary women to relate. On page 181, Williams writes "Retrieving this often hidden or diminished female tradition of catalytic action is an important task for womanist theologians and ethicists," and goes on to say that women have helped in various situations during history. Bringing these women to light will encourage women of today to look up to these figures. It reminded me of the article we read on "re-membering," because what womanists are really doing is taking a look at history and highlighting the roles that women played.

Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed the end of this chapter. The author wraps everything up by saying that womanists need to bring their thoughts and theories into church and into day-to-day practices. What good is all this knowledge if it is not implemented? Williams writes that the church needs to be challenged and questioned on their portrayals of women-- and this is an essential job of womanists.