Alliance of Faith and Feminism

What comes to your mind when you hear the word feminism? What images are conjured up for you? What bias do you feel toward feminists? How does your understanding of feminism collide with your religious beliefs? Can you be a feminist and be a person of faith? Too often the feminist movement is thought to be a secular endeavor which contradicts ones faith but there are those who consider themselves feminists as well as people of faith. In fact they feel that their faith is an integral part of what they believe as feminists.

This group of people who identify themselves as feminists from diverse religious backgrounds are members of the Alliance of Faith & Feminism. The organization was founded by the Rev. Dr. Della Fahnestock, of York County in 2006. The Alliance is an online resource center where people of all faith traditions can network, share ideas, and access a wide range of faith-feminist material. In just a short time they have grown to over 150 members all over the U.S.A. and abroad.

So what is a feminist? Feminism means many different things to different people but according to Rev Fahnestock, "Simply put it is a world view that affirms collaboration and mutuality instead of domination and supremacy. Feminism is the perspective of millions of men and women who believe that systemic balance and partnership can best create the justice and dignity we seek for our planet and all who inhabit it."

Reverend Fahnestock knows something about inequality. She felt the pain of discrimination very early in life simply because she had been born female. "I grew up in a rigid, fundamentalist Christian home," she said, "where I learned all the commonly-taught values of white, male supremacy. I was the first person in my family's history to attend college. When I graduated from college (I majored in History & Political Science) and then went to seminary (Masters in Theology) the family expressed typical interest and support. When I followed what I thought was the natural outcome of completing seminary (i.e. ordination and pastoral ministry) several family members were shocked, condemned me and have not spoken to me since. You see for a girl to be educated was one matter. Having a career would be fine, though unconventional. But, in their minds, to think that I would take a position of authority over men in the church was sinful and against the natural law of God."

Of course in spite of this Della went on to become a pastor; serving three local churches over sixteen years before founding the Alliance. "I consider myself a lifelong student and I'm driven by the learning experience itself. So for me, being a pastor was all about teaching my congregation all the really cool stuff that I knew and they didn't. I just thought that spiritual evolution would happen best if we could keep learning things. In other words, I pressed my congregation's boundaries in many ways and challenged them to deal with it through conscious, informed assessment.

In her travels, throughout the country, Della kept hearing people apologize for their faith when discussing equal rights for women and girls. For too long there has been a popular notion that faith and feminism are irreconcilable. "Too many times I have heard feminists at grassroots meetings apologizing for their faith, and witnessed people of faith hiding their feminism from friends at their house of worship." Said Della, "What I discovered to be missing was the general knowledge of thousands of feminists-of-faith at work within every religious tradition who are actively living and advocating a feminist world view."

The Alliance of Faith & Feminism is a response to this awareness gap. The purpose of the organization is to support the advances toward global ecological justice and human equality that emanate from and occur within the various expressions and institutions of faith. Della recalled the moment when she knew she had to do something tangible.

"I took a straw poll of two seminary classes at a local, mainline seminary," Said Della. "The only thing I asked the students and professors to do was raise your hand if you consider yourself a feminist. In both cases each and every person raised his or her hand. What a startling disconnect exists between the perspectives of these faith leaders and the population at large. Soon after that, I had a moment of clarity. I realized that my core conviction is that professionals are responsible to disseminate what they know. It is so frustrating to me that seminarians who, in an open and exploring educational context, can identify themselves as feminists and then go on to lead safe pastorates where the people in the pews are never given the insights of current scholarship that might lead them to similar conclusions. Pastors are duty bound to teach."

This commitment to education and understanding is expressed through the Alliance's global Outreach Program; The Alliance Education Fund. Currently the members of the Alliance Education Fund are providing over 90 scholarships to women and girls in East Africa where, as in many third world countries educational opportunities are dedicated to boys. It is the general belief that education of girls is a waste of money and household labor.

The Alliance Education Fund's primary partnership is with the Mercy Home Orphanage. The money raised for Mercy Home pays for their tuition, uniforms (a prerequisite for attending school), books, and other fees. Without this help there would be no chance for these girls to get the education they need to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. Della spoke of some of the problems sending girls to school. "When the young girls are menstruating they must stay home because they don't have access to sanitary napkins," said Della, "They must sit on a piece of cloth, if one is available, and miss up to a week of school every month so they are always behind in their studies." In response the Alliance provides pads to all of their students who need them.

Basic rights for women and girls are of major importance to the entire world. In 2008 Archbishop Desmond Tutu came to the same conclusion when he stated, "Women and girls around the world face great challenges. They bear an unjust burden and this must change for the benefit of all humanity. We must act with common purpose and speak with one voice to change global policies and global wills so that gender justice and an end to poverty can be achieved." The Alliance of Faith & Feminism affirms all who, like Desmond Tutu, unite the values of their faith with the feminist vision of justice and equality.

Education is the only answer, not just for the women and girls in third world countries but for the population of the world. If there is any doubt that this organization is not needed let us examine some of the practices that are allowed to flourish. Practices that not only deprive women of their means to feed and clothe themselves and their families but inhumane actions that most people in the USA have no knowledge of.

A prime example of this is Kenya, as in many African countries, women have little or no rights and are treated like cattle. The practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is wide spread. FGM is the removal of all or part of the female genital. The purpose for this is to prove virginity thus increasing her value and by removing any pleasure from the sex act she will remain faithful to her husband. Often it is done without any anesthesia and in unsanitary conditions. Amnesty international estimates that over 130 million women worldwide have been affected by some form of FGM, and over 2 million procedures are still being performed every year. In the United States Federal Law prohibiting FGM was not enacted until 1996.

Girls in Kenya and other African countries are often forced to marry as early as eight years old and if her husband dies she is inherited by the man's brother or other relative. In Kenya women do not own the property they work which places them in a place of dependency and economic hardship. Another atrocity on the rise is the burning alive of people who are accused of witchcraft. According to an article from the BBC the lynching and burning of witches is on the rise. The article states that those accused of Witchcraft are being burned on mere allegation.

The only way out is education and awareness. A study by the United Nations came to the conclusion that the only way to end global poverty is investing in the education of women and girls.

With the belief that education and awareness is the solution, The Alliance of Faith and Feminism was born. They believe that your faith, whatever you profess it to be, is a source of power to transform a world stricken with inequities.

Alliance board member, Dawn Temple MSW, describes herself as a Unitarian Universalist at heart. Ms. Temple, who lives in Harrisburg Pa, has been on the board of the Alliance of Fath & Feminism since its inception in 2006. She grew up in Florida in a fundamentalist Christian home and was sent off to a Christian school in North Carolina. She settled in Pennsylvania in 1985 and she has been on a winding path of spirituality ever since. "After college I began an inclusive approach to spirituality," said Ms. Temple," I was seeking to incorporate my Native American heritage with my inquiries into feminist spiritualities, including Wicca. Over time I have come to claim a pluralistic approach to spirituality and moral living."

The Alliance is only in its third year of existence and already a useful and comprehensive body of information has been collected and made available to colleges, universities or anyone who is interested in the fate of women and girls and ultimately the planet.

"The resources we make available are provided by our members who submit articles, recommend books and identify other organizations speak to the intersection of faith and feminism," Della added.

Ms. Temple explained why she has hope for the Alliance of Faith & Feminism. "My attraction to the Alliance of Faith & Feminism stems from my advocacy for spiritual exploration and freedom from religious rigidity, " she said," the informational and educational work of the Alliance is a valuable resource for all who are seekers-in-faith and proponents of human justice. For me, our motto says it all, 'Building Collaboration through understanding."

What can an online resource do to change the world and make it a better place for women and thus all of us? This is especially challenging when there is so much political and social turmoil to overcome. But as the Taoists say, every thousand mile journey starts with one step."

www.faithfeminism.org.