Womanist Theology - Research Paper Example

Womanist Theology In womanist theology, religion provides a conceptual framework that revises and reconsiders the scriptures, practices, traditions, and biblical interpretation based on a special lens in order to liberate and empower America’s African American women. Many theological stories associate African American women with motherhood. Black women had a strong bond with their children and existed in Africa before their movement to America as slaves. Fathers could not assume their responsibility mainly due to reasons emanating from slavery in plantations or studs. As such, black women had to nature their children on their own due to slavery. In other parts of Africa, black women earned their living through working as market women whereas in the America slave mothers worked in plantations and if they were city slaves, worked in other capacities as hired slaves. This paper will discuss womanist theology basing its argument from theologian Delores Williams, the writer of The Sisters of the Wilderness. According to Delores Williams, a host of alien political and social forces controlled the black woman and shaped her present life. During slavery times, Anglo American family and social demands controlled her life and thus in the course of her life, she found herself falling victim of cultural redefinitions and black male female crises as well as role exploitation. These crises affected the black woman’s well being seriously and as s result; the new world of slavery in America adjusted her to meet the American institutional needs during those times. Theological studies based on literary history reveals the role of African American women as vital in development of community since the time of antebellum in North America throughout today. Black women used religion to console themselves upon encountering emotional, psychological, spiritual exploitations from the white world and even some black community members. Black mothers used to serve as mammies in the white families back in slavery times however later, religion redeemed their role and reinstituted and made them important denominational mothers of the church. In this context, black African American women used to serve as powerful and figurative mothers of the church. Many slave narratives describe black African American mothers as burdened by bondage system between them and their children. However, of the hundred and thirty spiritual songs available in the Ballanta Taylor collection describe black mothers as helpful women, caring mothers, and nurtures filled with maturity. As opposed to spiritual songs, slave narratives projected the relationship between slave owners and black women as exploitative and negatively affected their well-being. Just as slave narrative narrated by Linda Brent, describe the relationship between the wife slave owner and the black mother as exploitative as the latter jargons avid her nurturing and mothering roles. Black or slave mothers manifested apparent and great strengths in not only nurturing and mothering their young ones; they also manifested their strength in their ability to endure as well as emerge victorious over suffering and pain that accompanied their hard roles. This endurance and later emergency of victory related directly to slave mothers in depth dependence on God. This argument is evident spiritual lines of songs in religious faith revealed in both slave narratives and religious songs. In other instances within the story, mothers depended on religion on rearing their children. A particular slave named Sojourner Truth in the excerpt describes her mother as using religious ritual to bring up him. She always prayed to God to protect her and her son from the oppression of slavery. With that respect, it is evident that slave mothers who were black African American women used religion as a means of survival by asking God to take care of both themselves and their children. Strength among slave mothers is also evident in other tasks that she performed such as providing for, resisting oppression, protecting, and liberating their children from white exploitations. Their strength enabled them to form regiments and scouting movements such as the Union Army that existed during the American Civil War. With reference to womanist theology, black African Americans who were slave mothers and daughters during slavery, engaged in some economic activities that facilitated their well-being by providing them with support. A black mother named Moses by her people got permission from her slave master to carry out a small business of selling pies and hot coffee to marines. With time, she was able to purchase a horse and a chariot to ferry her goods to the nearby marine harbor. However, white jealousy traversed and she could no longer continue with her business. At this point, you should understand that strength does not synonymously link to power or black matriarchy but rather the black woman’s power over her family. In this scenario, through the teachings of the religious faith, the slave mothers were able to understand their role in nurturing and mothering as well as in serving their masters. As Moses accomplished, it appears then that, good slave master relationship had some benefits in return although minimal. In the study of a story, that accords Genesis 16:1-16, the story of Hagar “A route black women’s issues” it is clear that motherhood is a very important issue in the text. The believe by Sarah that it is Yahweh who has control over procreation as well as Hagar’s life makes her understand that, for Hagar, motherhood would be a coerced experience that will involve violation of her body since, as a slave, she does not have control over it. Given the fact that Sarah could not bear children, she gave Hagar to Abram, and upon his visit, Hagar conceived. Nevertheless, Sarah drove her away. It is vital to bear in mind that, Sarah’s actions were completely in accordance with their customs. Through Sarah’s option for motherhood, we are able to see the nature of social processes and aspects affecting the welfare of both slaves and their owners alike. In addition, via the lens of mother hood, we are able to see the struggles involved between the powerful and the powerless in accordance to human relationships. It is through choices and decisions of human relationships that we see how power disrupts peace in families, breeds enmity between women. For instance, since Sarah, the slave owner, is powerful she sends Hagar, the powerless and poverty-stricken woman into scurrying wilderness. In this story, the power of will remains passive unless you technically act on it. Through the Bible Hagar becomes the first slave to liberate herself from the oppressive structure of master powers. In relation to slave mothers in the America Civil War, black women used the Bible as their source of power that could ever liberate them from slave masters’ oppressive structures. Survival, quality of life, and God With reference to Hagar’s story, we later come to see in her own speech and religious experience how she goes through hardships after she fled from Sarah’s oppression and becomes in control of her own destiny. Her survival in the wilderness manifests the work of divinity and quality of life. The story also brings out the role of surrogacy and experience in the wilderness where Genesis 16 reminds the reader about the several roles of surrogacy that Sarah makes Hagar assume. In light of Hagar and Sarah’s relationship as well as the position taken by Abram, readers are in a position to view how familial relationship between slaves and their owners shaped their destiny. As such, black African American women also assumed surrogate roles during slavery as a direct order from their female slave owners. Furthermore, female slave owners could also hire out their black slave women as concubines. Nevertheless, the wilderness experience of Hagar is a clear indication that slave mothers used prayer and religious faith to help them persevere and finally liberate themselves from their masters in spite of what might happen to them. Upon examining some of the issues from the biblical story of Hagar and Sarah as models, we are able to highlight the fabric of experience of African American women. Through their faith in God African American, women were able to overcome the negative reactions and relationships of slave owners towards their motherhood strengths. Besides, they also survived fierce struggles by exhibiting natural resistance strategies. The story of Hagar and Sarah reflects social processes experienced in the Anglo American community and its effects on the lives of black women. Owing to Sarah’s response towards religion, we are also able to recognize how black women relied on religion to cope with and eventually transform some the processes characters. The Bible and black liberation theology Through the mirror of Sarah and Hagar’s story, we are able to see the share situation of life between black women and black men in some conditions surrounded by oppression and the establishment of community symbols. The womanist theology raises a question regarding the Bible’s use in liberating the black woman from oppression. In accordance to Hagar, there is normative claim that God is validating source towards liberating the black women. Theologian James Cone asserts that, God is a symbol of liberation citing this as a biblical witness. As a biblical witness, God of liberation speaks to the oppressed and assures them of divine righteousness and his vindication from their suffering. Womanist theology discusses in depth the place of a woman slave in Hebrew community. In Leviticus 19:20-22, the story states that, if a man sins with another man’s female slave, the man must bring a guilt offering to the slave owner. Further, it clears that, the offering is not settling dispute for having sinned a slave, but for appeasing the Lord for having carnally sinned with his slave. This shows that, women slaves were not just man’s property, but also their concubines. Concerning the story of womanist God talk, womanist theologians in concert with womainst biblical scholars need to portray black liberation theology and African American denominational churches ability to use the Bible in ways that are not too self-serving or in uncritical manner. This is because; employing the use of Bible in uncritical and at times too self-serving prohibits the community from seeing the outcome depicted by the biblical exodus event that commenced in the book of Exodus. It is evident that there was violent destruction that swept away a whole nation of Canaanites, just as the book of Joshua describes. Today, black liberation theologians should be in a position to conceptualize the meaning of uplifting uncritically the biblical event found in the book of Exodus as major paradigm aimed at reflecting on black liberation theology. Furthermore, womanist theology presents the wilderness experience symbolically as holistic reality encompassed by four active constituents, which comprise of the vertical encounter, horizontal encounter, transformation of consciousness, and an epistemological process. In a number of writings, black theologians discuss the black experience with an accord of effects with reference to one or more of these active constituents. Poet Don Lee as recalled by Cone describes the social effects of black people as inhumane as he paints a vivid picture of six people living in a kitchenette and others sleeping in sub ways. The relationship between the white women and black slaves is hostile but the latter tries to shape her destiny through trying to live in accordance with her dreams and aspirations. Conclusion In conclusion, while Cecil Cones gives a suggestion based on God human encounter as depicting black experience, James Roberts suggests that certain transformations affect black experience in black women’s consciousness. As such, womanist theology revolves around studying the position and use of religion and faith to show how black African American women use these religious elements to shape their lives towards the modern society. Theological task helps in inventing means of healing the negative relations experienced through horizontal encounters. Therefore, it is clear that black theologians such as Cone and Cecil attempt to acquaint theological task with the view of involving their role in finding the meaning the meaning of black religion in the black community. In this paper, there is a clear examination of the essence of wominist theology about the black African American women and their well-being in both the time of slavocracy and present. Read More