Religion and the Origin of American Feminism

摘要

Religion played a significant role in the development of feminist thought and paved the way for the creation of feminist movement in America. First of all, church organizations, of which women constituted a large part, provided an important arena for large numbers of women to be involved in public life, and thereby helped them forge a collective identity. Besides, some alternative religious experiments and denominations, especially Spiritualism and Quakerism, which held quite liberal views towards gender, provided women with the much-needed speaking and organizing skills, as well as political principles. Last but not least, some conservative churches' attack and criticism of women activists for their going beyond the "woman's sphere", quite ironically, further precipitated the growth of women's political consciousness.