Appropriating beginnings
creation and natality
pp. 211-225
in: Jeremiah Hackett, Jerald Wallulis (eds), Philosophy of religion for a new century, Berlin, Springer, 2004Abstract
Feminist thought has, in the latter part of the twentieth century, been able to enter into the development of academic disciplines in more fundamental ways than at any previous time. Yet, it has had only minimal influence in the philosophy of religion. There are a few articles and authors who are regularly anthologized and cited, but the discussions have not expanded and developed as they have in other areas of philosophy and in other disciplines. In addition, as Western philosophy of religion moves into the twenty-first century, it remains firmly grounded in a tradition that emphasizes the importance of establishing the limits of human reason to understand or know the transcendent. This tradition, heavily influenced by Kant, has focused on examining the claims of religious traditions and the extent to which these claims can hold up under rational examination. Feminist philosophy has often functioned within this philosophical tradition. For example, in the philosophy of religion, feminist thought has examined the use of masculine names and pronouns for the transcendent and argued that there is no rational justification for the assumption that God is male.
