QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES
RELS-161
CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS IN RELIGION AND CULTURE
FINAL EXAMINATION
24 April 1998
PROFS. ELLEN GOLDBERG
&
WILLIAM CLOSSON JAMES
INSTRUCTIONS:
B (12.5%), C (15%), and D (10%).
NOTE: PART A IS WORTH 12.5 MARKS
AND PART B 12.5 MARKS.
PART A: Answer Question 1. or 2. for 12.5 marks.
1. With reference to at least three contemporary eco-movements, and two Asian religious traditions, discuss how the practice of non-violence can be used to promote a positive eco-ethic. Explain how this practice of non-violence pertains, or does not pertain, to women in these religious traditions.
2. Compare and contrast the ecological practices celebrated in at least three tribal religions, with those of at least two eco-visionaries discussed in Kinsley's Ecology and Religion. In what way does Wicca, or other feminist spirituality movements, follow some of these practices? Explain what significance this has for women and religion.
PART B: Answer Question 1. or 2. for 12.5 marks.
1. The "process of individuation" from mother has been cited by Valerie Saiving as leading to "differences between men and women." In making this claim, Saiving replicates essentialist, or 'biology is destiny,' arguments, while at the same time arguing for the re-evaluation of Christian theology because of those differences. What is your position on this from the perspective of Saiving, and at least two other Christian feminist theologians discussed in Womanspirit Rising and/or Feminism and Religion? Also, explain how the idea of 'biological determinism' has defined women as being 'closer to nature.'
2. Mary Daly states that "if God is male, then male is God." Discuss this statement in light of the efforts of at least three Christian feminist theologians, by tracing their specific arguments and platforms for reform. In what ways are these arguments echoed in the agendas of at least three Christian eco-theologians and their reforms for Christianity's views of nature?
BEGIN A NEW ANSWER BOOKLET HERE
NOTE: PART C IS WORTH 15 MARKS
AND PART D 10 MARKS.
PART C: Answer Question 1. or 2. for 15 marks.
1. How does suffering relate to religious faith in each of the following three books: Joy Kogawa, Obasan, Elie Wiesel, Night, and Philip Hallie, Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed? As carefully as you can indicate how each author regards suffering in relation to religion within their respective books, and then indicate what their solution to this problem is.
2. How does the vantage point of the child on the horrors of racism and war shape the books by Joy Kogawa, Elie Wiesel, and Philip Hallie? That is, what role does the viewpoint of the child play in the way each book is written? And, what is the significance of children, especially from a religious perspective, within the stories these authors are telling?
PART D: Answer Question 1. or 2. for 10 marks.
1. Mark Kingwell, in Dreams of Millennium, writes about what he terms "millennial anxiety." What is millennial anxiety, and what does Kingwell think we can do about it? Does this same anxiety appear in the stories by Douglas Coupland in Life After God? And what does he seem to think we can do about it? Explain.
2. Take a specific theme common to the writing of both Mark Kingwell and Douglas Coupland (e.g., the role of technology or the nature of the human body or the place of computers or the possibility of nuclear Armageddon or something else). Indicate how each author sees this motif in the context of the contemporary situation and suggest how each one might relate it to the future of religion.
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