Although Paul stated that “In Christ there is neither…male nor female,” it is evident that Jesus was a masculine symbol for God. Moreover, the fact that God incarnate was a male serves to perpetuate male domination. I really like Mary Daly’s analysis of the problem of Christolatry. She concedes that Jesus was not a woman, but additionally notes that Jesus was neither black nor elderly. If women cannot be priests, then why can people who “do not belong to the same ethnic group or age group as Jesus” be ordained?
Furthermore, although the Virgin Mary is a symbol used by the Catholic Church, one of the most oppressive Christian denominations, Mary Daly argues that this symbol may actually help the feminist cause. She notes that the doctrine of Immaculate Conception teaches that the Virgin Mary was conceived without the burden of “original sin.” Therefore, Mary Daly reasons that a women free from the “original sin” is no longer in need of the male Savior. This is closely related to the quote by Elizabeth Cady Stanton which commenced this chapter. However, I was a bit confused by her argument since she seemed to be presenting contradictory evidence.
Finally, I did not know what to make of the concluding section of this chapter in which Mary Daly compares the feminist movement (what she coined the “Second Coming of women”) to the Antichrist. I believe she is saying that since no male symbol can break down the barriers of patriarchy, women must save humanity from this oppressive institution.