Geraldine Sharp
Geraldine was awarded her Ph.D. in July 1998 after conducting a ground-breaking thesis on patriarchy in the Catholic Church. During the research phase of her Ph.D., Geraldine was invited to present a paper at an international Sociology of Religion conference in Canada. After presenting that paper, delegates overwhelmed her stating that the work was the missing link in theories of male superiority. You can read that paper here. And from that initial research came her book Woman - The Failed Male ISBN 978099558750, which is available from her own website (https://www.honora-publishing.org) and all good high-street and online bookshops. Geraldine currently mentors a number of Ph.D. Post-Grad's.
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This Ph.D. thesis explores the sexual theology and contemporary teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and considers their implications for women and priests. It examines the salience and relevance of traditional teaching in the everyday lives of priests and women. It questions the link between a traditionally formed priesthood and the customary beliefs and practices of 'ordinary' English Catholics.
Feminist scholarship has produced powerful insights into the ways in which organised religion has subordinated women through patriarchal structures and organisation, although there has been little exploration of the gendered nature of Catholic sexual theology. This thesis suggests that the negative construction of women's bodies in sexual theology, underpins the continued subordination of women in the Catholic Church. It argues that religious inscriptions on women's bodies are central to the continued control of women in a patriarchal Church.
This thesis uses patriarchy, sexual theology, and power and authority, as the main themes of discussion. An examination of the discourses of traditional sexual theology and contemporary teaching reveals that patriarchal inscriptions on women's bodies are central to each of these themes and they are mutually supportive and sustaining.
Sociological research has demonstrated a disjuncture between contemporary teaching and the beliefs and practices of 'ordinary' English Catholics. This thesis adds a gender dimension by suggesting that the English parish is a place of contradictions in which differing attitudes towards women are a significant factor. It also examines the links between contemporary teaching and the beliefs and practices of English Catholic priests and women. The evidence suggests that traditional sexual theology has little relevance in the everyday lives of English Catholic priests and women. There is a lack of ‘fit’ between the traditional teaching of the Church and social experience. Nevertheless patriarchal ideas and beliefs continue to exist and have value, both in contemporary teaching and in the day-to-day life of the parish, and contribute to the contradictions and conflict of contemporary parish life.
The discourses of English Catholic the priests and women in this study suggest, that both have been affected not only by the dominant discourse of the Church , but also by the critical discourses of the surrounding world. Views of women are emerging, which are in contrast to the negative view of women in Catholic sexual theology. The discourses of women and priests have much in common with each other but little in common with either traditional sexual theology or the teaching of the current pope. Together these discourses represent a significant point of resistance to the negative view of women in Catholic sexual theology and to traditional power and authority in the Catholic Church.
A 'customary Priesthood' with an affinity to the 'customary Catholicism' of English Catholics appears to be emerging. This calls to question the legitimacy of traditional teaching and papal authority...
see. also https://core.ac.uk/display/29816530
see also https://core.ac.uk/display/29816530
see also https://core.ac.uk/display/29816530
see also https://core.ac.uk/display/29816530
Conference Presentations
Copyright ©1996-2021 Geraldine Sharp - All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical review
Books
Summary: Why are men superior? Why do men talk of their ‘seed’? Why do women continue to be oppressed? This book provides the answers. It is an original, ground-breaking piece of work and exposes the missing link in theories of male superiority. From the Ancient World to modern times, the possession of semen has provided ‘proof’ for the superiority of the male. Woman was a ‘mistake of nature’, a ‘misbegotten man’, and a ‘failed male’. Christianity absorbed these ideas into its sexual theology and the influence of Christian thought in the western world, especially on matters of sexuality, cannot be denied. The ancient ‘truths’ about woman as a failed male and man as superior, continue to exist and have meaning. The three main world religions are complicit in this. In light of current knowledge, to continue with this discredited theology of semen, is to sacrifice ‘truth’ to the ideology of patriarchy.
Aims of the book:
• To challenge the continued notion of male superiority
• To demonstrate the connections between sexual theology, and violence and control of women and their bodies.
• To disseminate this evidence about the role of semen in notions of male superiority worldwide.
• To demand that the three main world religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam review and revise their sexual theology.
• To highlight the fact that the efforts of international organisations such as the UN and WHO are thwarted by the persistence of religious beliefs concerning women.
Patriarchy continues to exist at the macro and micro levels. In some countries it is more evident than in others, but, patriarchal ideas and structures organise and control the lives of many women worldwide. Unless and until the three main world religions acknowledge that mistakes have been made in the past and are open to change, equality and partnership between women and men will continue to be unachievable.
Stranger and domestic violence, rape, trafficking, access to contraception and abortion, ‘honour’ rapes and killings, child marriage, arranged marriage, inequality of employment, education, freedom…the list is endless… all are justified by male superiority and woman socially constructed as inferior to man, useful only to service man sexually and materially.
The United Nations and the World Health Organisation have initiatives to redress many of these issues, but these are undermined by local ‘traditions’, and ‘cultures’ that are merely expressions of patriarchy, justified by a belief in male superiority. In this the three main world religions are culpable. Their male-centric focus based on beliefs about male superiority, reinforces erroneous ideas about man and about woman. They must review and revise their sexual theologies based as they are on fantasies surround semen.
This Ph.D. thesis explores the sexual theology and contemporary teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and considers their implications for women and priests. It examines the salience and relevance of traditional teaching in the everyday lives of priests and women. It questions the link between a traditionally formed priesthood and the customary beliefs and practices of 'ordinary' English Catholics.
Feminist scholarship has produced powerful insights into the ways in which organised religion has subordinated women through patriarchal structures and organisation, although there has been little exploration of the gendered nature of Catholic sexual theology. This thesis suggests that the negative construction of women's bodies in sexual theology, underpins the continued subordination of women in the Catholic Church. It argues that religious inscriptions on women's bodies are central to the continued control of women in a patriarchal Church.
This thesis uses patriarchy, sexual theology, and power and authority, as the main themes of discussion. An examination of the discourses of traditional sexual theology and contemporary teaching reveals that patriarchal inscriptions on women's bodies are central to each of these themes and they are mutually supportive and sustaining.
Sociological research has demonstrated a disjuncture between contemporary teaching and the beliefs and practices of 'ordinary' English Catholics. This thesis adds a gender dimension by suggesting that the English parish is a place of contradictions in which differing attitudes towards women are a significant factor. It also examines the links between contemporary teaching and the beliefs and practices of English Catholic priests and women. The evidence suggests that traditional sexual theology has little relevance in the everyday lives of English Catholic priests and women. There is a lack of ‘fit’ between the traditional teaching of the Church and social experience. Nevertheless patriarchal ideas and beliefs continue to exist and have value, both in contemporary teaching and in the day-to-day life of the parish, and contribute to the contradictions and conflict of contemporary parish life.
The discourses of English Catholic the priests and women in this study suggest, that both have been affected not only by the dominant discourse of the Church , but also by the critical discourses of the surrounding world. Views of women are emerging, which are in contrast to the negative view of women in Catholic sexual theology. The discourses of women and priests have much in common with each other but little in common with either traditional sexual theology or the teaching of the current pope. Together these discourses represent a significant point of resistance to the negative view of women in Catholic sexual theology and to traditional power and authority in the Catholic Church.
A 'customary Priesthood' with an affinity to the 'customary Catholicism' of English Catholics appears to be emerging. This calls to question the legitimacy of traditional teaching and papal authority...
see. also https://core.ac.uk/display/29816530
see also https://core.ac.uk/display/29816530
see also https://core.ac.uk/display/29816530
see also https://core.ac.uk/display/29816530
Copyright ©1996-2021 Geraldine Sharp - All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical review
Summary: Why are men superior? Why do men talk of their ‘seed’? Why do women continue to be oppressed? This book provides the answers. It is an original, ground-breaking piece of work and exposes the missing link in theories of male superiority. From the Ancient World to modern times, the possession of semen has provided ‘proof’ for the superiority of the male. Woman was a ‘mistake of nature’, a ‘misbegotten man’, and a ‘failed male’. Christianity absorbed these ideas into its sexual theology and the influence of Christian thought in the western world, especially on matters of sexuality, cannot be denied. The ancient ‘truths’ about woman as a failed male and man as superior, continue to exist and have meaning. The three main world religions are complicit in this. In light of current knowledge, to continue with this discredited theology of semen, is to sacrifice ‘truth’ to the ideology of patriarchy.
Aims of the book:
• To challenge the continued notion of male superiority
• To demonstrate the connections between sexual theology, and violence and control of women and their bodies.
• To disseminate this evidence about the role of semen in notions of male superiority worldwide.
• To demand that the three main world religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam review and revise their sexual theology.
• To highlight the fact that the efforts of international organisations such as the UN and WHO are thwarted by the persistence of religious beliefs concerning women.
Patriarchy continues to exist at the macro and micro levels. In some countries it is more evident than in others, but, patriarchal ideas and structures organise and control the lives of many women worldwide. Unless and until the three main world religions acknowledge that mistakes have been made in the past and are open to change, equality and partnership between women and men will continue to be unachievable.
Stranger and domestic violence, rape, trafficking, access to contraception and abortion, ‘honour’ rapes and killings, child marriage, arranged marriage, inequality of employment, education, freedom…the list is endless… all are justified by male superiority and woman socially constructed as inferior to man, useful only to service man sexually and materially.
The United Nations and the World Health Organisation have initiatives to redress many of these issues, but these are undermined by local ‘traditions’, and ‘cultures’ that are merely expressions of patriarchy, justified by a belief in male superiority. In this the three main world religions are culpable. Their male-centric focus based on beliefs about male superiority, reinforces erroneous ideas about man and about woman. They must review and revise their sexual theologies based as they are on fantasies surround semen.