So Week 20 has finally arrived! I cannot believe I have my last ever lecture and seminar this week! This week is a bit different to my usual last week of term when I am usually trying to get all my essays tied up and finished for the deadlines. This week I only have one essay due as my mini dissertation and dissertation are due after the Easter break. That doesn’t mean I’m not trying to finish them, but it is just not quite as frantic.

I’ve done my Christianity essay which answers the question, is the Christian Church an institution for women who refuse to submit to male authority and who seek a career on equal terms with men? Although it is similar to my dissertation, I have approached it differently and I obviously don’t have as many words to give as much of an in-depth discussion. I have assessed the biblical representation of women which provide a foundation for the Christian teachings. I then move onto Christian theologians who are predominantly male and examine their views on women. I then examine the feminist theologians’ arguments who largely argue that Christianity can provide women a religion where they don’t have to submit to male authority but that it needs a revision of its ideology. However other feminists reject Christianity altogether as irrevocably patriarchal and oppressive. This is because of the consistent masculine language and the prohibition of women from ordination. It has been really interesting assessing the justifications for the oppression of women in the Christian church and the feminist reinterpretation of them. One of the key parts of my degree has been assessing religion in the modern world and the religion/gender debate seems to be one of the most prevalent debates. It has provided much discussion both within the church and external to it and is very relevant to today.

My mini dissertation is about the secularisation and sacralisation debate which is also highly relevant today. Many people believe society to be declining in religious significance. However the New Age spiritualities are increasing in significance and this suggests that modern society is just as religious as it ever was. Berger’s works are particularly interesting on this debate as he changed his thesis from the secularisation of the 1960’s to the desecularisation of the 1990’s.

Looking at these issues of religion helps me to understand the society I live in and the societies throughout the world and the place of religion within them. When someone asks me why I’m doing religious studies when it is so irrelevant today, I say it is as relevant as ever. It is unusual for religion to not be in the news. Being able to understand these issues in more depth is invaluable not only to my degree, but to my own understanding.

Now that my coursework is nearly done, I am looking forward to a bit of a break before I start my revision. I still cannot believe that this will be my last exam period. Let’s hope it’s a good one!