Feminism, Perennial Philosophy, and Faith: Bridging the Gap

The word "feminism" has had positive associations since the beginning of the

movement for women's rights in the 19th century. People usually comprehend it as the

teaching that men and women should be equal in all aspects of life. Women should have

equal access to education, labor market, advance in career; they should have equal rights

as citizens. All women should have the right to vote and to be elected as members of a

certain legislative, executive, or judicial body in a given country. They should not be

discriminated against only because of their gender.

No doubt, this is a global movement. Feminists are everywhere, in all parts of our

planet. In spite of the fact that there can be some regional differences, and that in some

places feminism is barely allowed (in Iran or Saudi Arabia it is hard for it to thrive), the

central ideas of feminism are similar.

This is the romantic story of classical feminism under the form of a movement for

women's rights. Recently, feminism has taken a radical turn. It has been directed against

Christianity (it has been saying that Christianity suppresses women), against patriotism,

against the traditional family, and generally, against our way of living nowadays. In this

sense, feminism has become a revolutionary theory and agenda. It aims at transforming

our society through a "feminist revolution." This is called radical feminism!