Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics

In this chapter, hooks tackles “the sexism of male-dominated religions” (105), while explaining possible ways feminists can “re-envision spirituality” (106). The basis of fundamentalist Christianity is patriarchal in nature, simply because of its focus on creation and its tendency to “condone sexism and male domination” (106), while “[i]n Hinduism, Buddhism, Voudoun, and diverse spiritual traditions women found images of female deities that allowed for a return to a vision of a goddess-centered spirituality” (106).

In addition to these alternative faiths that open up a divine hierarchy to women deities, hooks presents an interpretation of “the liberation of exploited and oppressed groups as essential acts of faith” (107), acts of faith that support feminism. Because this liberation of oppressed women can be interpreted as an act of faith, therefore, “[s]truggles to end patriarchy are divinely ordained” (107). Feminist Christians who embraced this interpretation “began to offer new and creation-centered critiques and interpretations of the Bible, of Christian beliefs” (107), but most Christians remained unconvinced. hooks points out that until everyone understands that a conflict between feminism and Christianity is not necessary, “organized patriarchal religion will always undermine feminist gains” (108).

Whether feminist spiritual practice is therapeutically valuable or not, hooks reminds the reader that any process of “spiritual soul searching” (108) is private, and therefore, the public is unaware of the level of feminist engagement with spiritual questions.