Name: JOHN MARK MATILDO Teacher: Ms. Ma.

Annabelle Bagasbas

Topic: Religion and Women GRADE / SECTION: 12- agoncillo

Traditionally, women have been equated with religion and with the role of transmitting
religious beliefs and practices to the children (Argyle 1958, 2006, p.51), Men are considered ass
the leaders of the religious organization. In short, religious leadership and power have always
been dominated by men, while women tend to become it’s major transmitters. However, it
must be born in mind that some feminist scholars of religion argue that before the birth of the
“Male god”, There was matriarchy. Under Matriarchy or the rule and dominance of women in
political and social life, religion was also dominated by women. Hence, many feminist scholars
argue for recovering the “Goddess religion” The movement emerged in the united Sates in the
late 1960s, resulting from the combination of neo-pagan ideas and practices with the spiritually
inclined portion of the women’s liberation movement. feminist writers such as Mary Daly and
Carol Christ pointed out the discriminatory biases of male-identified religions, specifically
Judeo-Christianity. For women. They advocated a women-identified spiritually that emphasizes
the principle of the hidden Sacred feminine or “The goddess”.

Goddess feminism arose out of goddess religion in the United State in the late 1960s
and was inspired by the countercultural ferment of the period. Those who embraced this
religion regard the earth as the sacred body of the goddess. The Goddess is also a metaphor for
the strength, autonomy, beauty, and inherent divinity of women. Gala, the earth Goddess, is
considered as an empowering symbol for women raised in patriarchal religions where divinity is
equated with the male God (Rountree 2006).

Today, many feminism with in mainstream religious organizations are lobbying for
equal rights with in their respective religious organizations. Among Catholic feminists, they
advocate for the ordination of women as priests. Among protestant group, however, women
have already gained strong presence as many women have already been ordained as minister.
The first women to become a bishop in the Anglican Communion was Barbara Harris, who was
ordained on february 11, 1989. The majority of Anglican provinces now permit the ordination of
women as bishop who serve in various countries.
JOHN MARK MATILDO Teacher: Ms. Ma. Annabelle Bagasbas

Topic: Religion in the Age of Globalization GRADE / SECTION: 12- Agoncillo

Secularization Thesis Reconsider

Peter L. Berger (1999) briefly summarize the thesis of secularism: “Modernization

necessarily leads to a decline of religion both in society and in the minds of individuals” (p.2).
Modernization drastically replaces traditions with science-based knowledge. And as science
dominates the entire cognitive fabric of society, it pushes the split between religion and other
institutions. Religion is reduced to just one of the many sources of ultimate meaning. Religion
declines because the previously accepted religious symbols, doctrines, and institutions lose
their prestige and significance, culminating in a society without religion. Hence, the religious
belief system weakens it’s hold on society. To have a “secular mind” means that one believes
that this world is all their reality. There is no heaven, no afterlife of any kind, and no Messiah (
Ledewitz 2009, p.1 ). This definition is well-expressed in the statement of Richard Dawkins, a
contemporary biologist who wrote several books criticizing religious.

This brings me to the aspects of humanism that resonate most harmoniously for me,
we are on our own in the universe. Humanity can expect no help from outside, so our help,
such as it is, must come from our own resources. As individuals we should make the most of the
short time we have, for it is a privilege to be here. We should seize the opportunity presented
by our good fortune on fill our brief minds, before we die, with understanding of why, and
where, we exist.

(Source: Free Inquiry 18, no 1 (Winter 1997:18,)

Or, in the statement of Edward Wilson, a pioneer in the study of sociology, who himself grew
up as a believer:

I was raised as South Baptist in a religious environment that favored a literal

interpretation of the bible. But it happened that I also became fascinated by natural history at
an early age, and, as a biology concentration at the University of Alabama, discovered
evolution...I realized that something was terribly wrong in this dissonance. The God depicted
in holy scripture id variously benevolent, didactic, loving, and vengeful, but never tricky.
Name: JOHN MARK MATILDO Teacher: Ms. Ma. Annabelle
Bagasbas
Topic: Religion and the Search for Ultimate Meaning GRADE / SECTION: 12-
agoncillo

As time passed, I learned that scientific materialism explains vastly more of the
tangible world, physical and biological, in precise and useful detail, than the Iron-Age
theology and mysticism bequeathed us by the modern great religions ever dreamed. It
offers an epic view of the origin and meaning of humanity far greater, and I believe more
noble, than conceived by all the prophets of old combined. Its discoveries suggest that,
like it or not, we are alone. We must measure and judge ourselves, and we will decide
our own destiny.
(Source: Free Inquiry 18, no. 1 (Winter 1997):18.)

With secularization, religious beliefs cannot compete with the intellectual

credibility of both natural and social science. Religious beliefs are made relative to one's
private belief. It is sufficient to claim a religious belief as 'true for me' for it to be
recognized as in some way valid. Yet scientific statements are considered "truths." The
notion that the laws of gravity are a matter of private opinion, and therefore might be
believed or not, rather than scientifically accepted public truth, is dismissed as nonsense
in secular society (P.8).(http://www.ihumanism.org/2005/01/the-10-points-of-humanism-
a-definition.html,retrieved November 26, 2005). (http://www.ihumanism.
org/2005/01/the-10-points-of-humanism-a-definition.html, retrieved November 26, 201