Thealogy
Encyclopedia
Thealogy, a neologism coined by Isaac Bonewits
in 1974, is a discourse
that reflects upon the meaning of Goddess
and Her relationship to life forms. It is a discourse that critically engages the beliefs, wisdom, practices, questions, and values of the Goddess community, both past and present. The term suggests a feminist approach to theism
and the context of God and gender within Neopaganism
. "Thealogy" increasingly appeared in feminist literature associated with the Neopagan Goddess movement during the 1980s to 1990s, perhaps coined independently of Bonewits, as Naomi Goldenberg is often credited with first using the term in 1979 in her book Changing of the Gods.
Thealogy could be described as religiously pluralistic, as thealogians come from various religious backgrounds that are often hybrid in nature. In addition to Neopagans, they are also Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Quakers, etc. or define themselves as Spiritual Feminists. As such, the term thealogy has also been used by feminists within mainstream monotheistic
religions describe in more detail the feminine aspect of a monotheistic deity or trinity, such as God/dess Herself, or the Heavenly Mother of the Latter Day Saint movement
.
, aka "C. Taliesin Edwards". "The Druid Chronicles (Evolved)" represented a three-year project starting in 1974 and finished (published) in 1976. The article referred to within "The Druid Chronicles (Evolved)" is dated to the summer of 1976. Moreover, this is almost certainly not the first usage; the context of "thealogian" appears in a work by C. Taliesin Edwards, "Essays towards a Metathealogy of the Goddess" [stress added]. There is, however, a possibility that Bonewits altered the name of the work to fit with his terminology. Kelley himself had related to Bonewits that he couldn't remember which of the two of them said "thealogy" to the other first. In the 1979 "The Changing of the Gods", Naomi Goldenberg introduces the term as a future possibility with respect to a distinct discourse, highlighting the masculine nature of theology.
Also in 1979, in the first revised edition of "Real Magic", Bonewits defined "thealogy" in his Glossary as "Intellectual speculations concerning the nature of the Goddess and Her relations to the world in general and humans in particular; rational explanations of religious doctrines, practices and beliefs, which may or may not bear any connection to any religion as actually conceived and practiced by the majority of its members." Also in the same glossary, he defined "theology" with nearly identical words, changing the feminine pronouns with masculine pronouns appropriately.
In 1989 Ursula King notes thealogy's growing usage as a fundamental departure from traditional male-oriented theology, characterized by its privileging of symbols over rational explanation. She chronicles that:
Carol Christ
used the term more substantially in "Laughter of Aphrodite" (1987), acknowledging that those who create thealogy cannot avoid being influenced by the categories and questions posed in Christian and Jewish theologies (Christ 1987, p. xii). In "Rebirth of the Goddess", Christ establishes some guidelines for method, suggesting that thealogy begins rooted in women's experience (Christ 1997, pp. 31-49). She then sets out to develop a systematic thealogy of the Goddess, the first to do so.
In 1993, Charlotte Caron's definition of thealogy as "reflection on the divine in feminine and feminist terms" appeared in "To Make and Make Again" (Russell & Clarkson 1996). By this time, the concept had gained considerable status among Goddess adherents. Mainstream religious studies scholars and theologians have contested the legitimacy of such a discourse.
In 2000, Melissa Raphael wrote the text "Introducing Thealogy: Discourse on the Goddess". Written for an academic audience, it purports to introduce the main elements of thealogy within the context of Goddess feminism. She situates thealogy as a discourse that can be engaged with by Goddess feminists—those who are feminist adherents of the Goddess who may have left their church, synagogue, or mosque, or those who may still belong to their originally established religion (Melissa Raphael 2000, p. 16)
In 2007, Paul Reid-Bowen wrote the text "Goddess as Nature: Towards a Philosophical Thealogy", which can be regarded as another systematic approach to thealogy, but which integrates philosophical discourse.
In 2010, Angela Hope formed the "Institute for Thealogy & Deasophy"
In the past decade, other thealogians like Patricia 'Iolana and D'vorah Grenn have generated discourses that bridge thealogy with other academic disciplines. 'Iolana's Jungian
thealogy bridges analytical psychology with thealogy, and Grenn's metaformic thealogy is a bridge between matriarchal studies and thealogy.
Isaac Bonewits
Phillip Emmons Isaac Bonewits was an influential American Druid who published a number of books on the subject of Neopaganism and magic. He was also a liturgist, singer and songwriter, and founded the Druidic organisation Ár nDraíocht Féin, as well as the Neopagan civil rights group, the Aquarian...
in 1974, is a discourse
Discourse
Discourse generally refers to "written or spoken communication". The following are three more specific definitions:...
that reflects upon the meaning of Goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
and Her relationship to life forms. It is a discourse that critically engages the beliefs, wisdom, practices, questions, and values of the Goddess community, both past and present. The term suggests a feminist approach to theism
Theism
Theism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....
and the context of God and gender within Neopaganism
Neopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
. "Thealogy" increasingly appeared in feminist literature associated with the Neopagan Goddess movement during the 1980s to 1990s, perhaps coined independently of Bonewits, as Naomi Goldenberg is often credited with first using the term in 1979 in her book Changing of the Gods.
Thealogy could be described as religiously pluralistic, as thealogians come from various religious backgrounds that are often hybrid in nature. In addition to Neopagans, they are also Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Quakers, etc. or define themselves as Spiritual Feminists. As such, the term thealogy has also been used by feminists within mainstream monotheistic
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
religions describe in more detail the feminine aspect of a monotheistic deity or trinity, such as God/dess Herself, or the Heavenly Mother of the Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
.
Terminology
In "The Druid Chronicles (Evolved)", privately published in 1976, Isaac Bonewits used "thealogian" to refer to Wiccan author Aidan KellyAidan Kelly
Aidan Kelly is an American academic, poet and influential figure in the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Having developed his own branch of the faith, the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn, during the 1960s, he was also initiated into other traditions, including Gardnerianism and Feri, in...
, aka "C. Taliesin Edwards". "The Druid Chronicles (Evolved)" represented a three-year project starting in 1974 and finished (published) in 1976. The article referred to within "The Druid Chronicles (Evolved)" is dated to the summer of 1976. Moreover, this is almost certainly not the first usage; the context of "thealogian" appears in a work by C. Taliesin Edwards, "Essays towards a Metathealogy of the Goddess" [stress added]. There is, however, a possibility that Bonewits altered the name of the work to fit with his terminology. Kelley himself had related to Bonewits that he couldn't remember which of the two of them said "thealogy" to the other first. In the 1979 "The Changing of the Gods", Naomi Goldenberg introduces the term as a future possibility with respect to a distinct discourse, highlighting the masculine nature of theology.
Also in 1979, in the first revised edition of "Real Magic", Bonewits defined "thealogy" in his Glossary as "Intellectual speculations concerning the nature of the Goddess and Her relations to the world in general and humans in particular; rational explanations of religious doctrines, practices and beliefs, which may or may not bear any connection to any religion as actually conceived and practiced by the majority of its members." Also in the same glossary, he defined "theology" with nearly identical words, changing the feminine pronouns with masculine pronouns appropriately.
In 1989 Ursula King notes thealogy's growing usage as a fundamental departure from traditional male-oriented theology, characterized by its privileging of symbols over rational explanation. She chronicles that:
- most writing on the Goddess, when not historical, is either inspirational or devotional, and a systematically ordered body of thought, even with reference to symbols, is only slowly coming into existence(King 1989, pp. 126-127).
Carol Christ
Carol P. Christ
Carol Patrice Christ is a teacher and author and holds a Ph.D. from Yale University.-Biography:She is the author of the widely reprinted essay "Why Women Need the Goddess,", which argues in favor of the concept of there having been an ancient religion of a supreme Goddess. Christ has written five...
used the term more substantially in "Laughter of Aphrodite" (1987), acknowledging that those who create thealogy cannot avoid being influenced by the categories and questions posed in Christian and Jewish theologies (Christ 1987, p. xii). In "Rebirth of the Goddess", Christ establishes some guidelines for method, suggesting that thealogy begins rooted in women's experience (Christ 1997, pp. 31-49). She then sets out to develop a systematic thealogy of the Goddess, the first to do so.
In 1993, Charlotte Caron's definition of thealogy as "reflection on the divine in feminine and feminist terms" appeared in "To Make and Make Again" (Russell & Clarkson 1996). By this time, the concept had gained considerable status among Goddess adherents. Mainstream religious studies scholars and theologians have contested the legitimacy of such a discourse.
In 2000, Melissa Raphael wrote the text "Introducing Thealogy: Discourse on the Goddess". Written for an academic audience, it purports to introduce the main elements of thealogy within the context of Goddess feminism. She situates thealogy as a discourse that can be engaged with by Goddess feminists—those who are feminist adherents of the Goddess who may have left their church, synagogue, or mosque, or those who may still belong to their originally established religion (Melissa Raphael 2000, p. 16)
In 2007, Paul Reid-Bowen wrote the text "Goddess as Nature: Towards a Philosophical Thealogy", which can be regarded as another systematic approach to thealogy, but which integrates philosophical discourse.
In 2010, Angela Hope formed the "Institute for Thealogy & Deasophy"
In the past decade, other thealogians like Patricia 'Iolana and D'vorah Grenn have generated discourses that bridge thealogy with other academic disciplines. 'Iolana's Jungian
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
thealogy bridges analytical psychology with thealogy, and Grenn's metaformic thealogy is a bridge between matriarchal studies and thealogy.
Interpretations
- Bonewits implies that thealogy is the Goddess-focused variant of a thealogy/polytheology cluster viewable as subsets of the broader field of the philosophy of religionPhilosophy of religionPhilosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious language and texts, and the relationship of religion and science...
. - Christ and Reid-Bowen focus thealogy specifically on post-Christian GoddessGoddessA goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
spirituality and as a discourse systematically conceivable with specific thealogical methods. - Caron defines a broader field of a female worldview of the sacredSacredHoliness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
that also incorporates non-feminist approaches to thealogy. - Raphael focuses on thealogy as an embodied discourse that may or may not be approached systematically; she situates thealogy closely with the views and beliefs held by Goddess feminists.
- Goldenberg's neologism as a political stance that marks the androcentrismAndrocentrismAndrocentrism is the practice, conscious or otherwise, of placing male human beings or the masculine point of view at the center of one's view of the world and its culture and history...
of historical theologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
that summons her reader to think about the possibilities of a discourse about the Divine that is post-patriarchal. - Hope's rendering situates thealogy as rooted in feminist epistemology and ontology. Similar to Raphael, she locates thealogy as a discourse involving more than just Neopagans, and including those who have not left their established religion. Thealogy is referred to as its own unique discourse separate from theology, rather than a sub-field within theology. In line with Christ and Reid-Bowen, thealogy can be conceived of in a systematic fashion with specific methods, while deasophy, a concept coined by Max Dashu, which addresses the wisdom of the Goddess tradition, may not necessarily be systematically ordered.
Further reading
- Introducing thealogy: discourse on the goddess, Melissa Raphael
- Isaac Bonewits "The Second Epistle of Isaac" in "the Druid Chronicles (Evolved)" Berkeley Drunemeton Press, 1976.
- Isaac Bonewits "Real Magic" Creative Arts Book Co., 1979
- Charlotte Caron "To Make and Make Again: Feminist Ritual Thealogy" NY Crossroad 1993
- Carol Christ "Rebirth of the Goddess:Finding meaning in feminist spirituality" Routledge 1997
- Naomi Goldenberg "The Changing of the Gods" 1979. Beacon PressBeacon PressBeacon Press is an American non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.Beacon Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses....
, ISBN 0-8070-1111-8 - Ursula King "Women and Spirituality" Macmillan 1989
- Melissa Raphael "Thealogy & Embodiment" 1997 Sheffield Academic Press
- Melissa Raphael "Introducing Thealogy: Discourse on the Goddess" 1999 Sheffield Academic Press
- Letty M. Russell & J Shannon Clarkson "Dictionary of Feminist Theologies" Mowbray 1996.
- Angela Hope, "What is Goddess Thealogy & Deasophy: Toward a Definition" www.I4TD.org
- D'vorah Grenn, "Connecting with Deity through a Metaformic Thealogy" Metaformia: A Journal of Menstruation and Culture, 2005
- Patricia 'Iolana, "Divine Immanence: Deepening Our Understanding of Women's Experience of God through Literature, Thealogy, and Analytical Psychology" Psychoanalysis, Society, and Culture: A Post Graduate Conference, Middlesex University, 2010.
See also
- God and genderGod and genderThe gender of God can be viewed as a literal or as an allegorical aspect of a deity. In polytheistic religions, the gods are more likely to have literal sexual genders which would enable them to interact with each other, and even with humans, in a sexual way...
- Goddess movementGoddess movementThe Goddess movement is an overall trend in religious or spiritual beliefs or practices which emerged out of second-wave feminism, predominantly in North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s...
- Goddess worshipGoddess worshipGoddess worship may be*the cult of any goddess in polytheistic religions*worship of a Great Goddess on a henotheistic or monotheistic or duotheistic basis**Hindu Shaktism**the neopagan Goddess movement**Wicca**Dianic Wicca...
- Matriarchal religionMatriarchal religionThe concept of a Matriarchal religion is a concept forwarded in second-wave feminism since the 1970s, based on the notion of a historical matriarchy first developed in the 19th century by J. J...
- MatriarchyMatriarchyA matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
- Mother goddessMother goddessMother goddess is a term used to refer to a goddess who represents motherhood, fertility, creation or embodies the bounty of the Earth. When equated with the Earth or the natural world such goddesses are sometimes referred to as Mother Earth or as the Earth Mother.Many different goddesses have...