‘Blessed is she who has believed

that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!’

Luke 1:45

Faith.  For such a small word it has a very big meaning to everyone.  Having faith is trusting in something that you may or may not be able to see.  For those who have a religion they choose to follow and practice, faith means a whole lot.  Faith is what keeps them going, what keeps them happy in hard times, what makes the joyful times seem even more so, and what helps them believe things will eventually work out in the end.  Faith, in terms of religion, can have both good and bad connotations.  Those who believe in a religion find solace in the community that share the same ideals.  Those who don’t believe can sometimes scorn those who do have faith, for a myriad of reasons.

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Feminism.  A word with many meanings and even more connotations.  Being a feminist means to believe in the equality between sexes, that everyone should have the same opportunities and treatment, no matter what a person’s gender/sex may be.  Many women, like myself, wear the title of feminist with pride.  To others, it's an ugly word, almost as bad as a curse word in some conversations.  Society has warped the idea of feminism and what those people fight for, but still those who believe will continue to fight.

What’s the point of these two words?  They can’t be related, can they?  Well, actually, they can.  It’s sometimes hard to believe, but there are feminists who are people of faith, much like myself.  Now, I was a feminist before I chose to follow my religion, but that doesn’t mean I completely gave up that fight because I chose to believe.  It’s hard, and it’s a constant struggle, but I’ve learned to balance both in my life.  In this society, it always seems like you have to be one or the other, which is a very black and white way to look at things.  It also hurts those who want to help bring the sides together because they can easily work hand in hand; it’s just hard to manage.  

How do you balance being a feminist and a person of faith?  It’s not easy, but it can be done with some practice and support.  I won’t presume to know every person’s beliefs and what religion they choose to follow; there are so many in the world.  But I will give my advice based off my own belief in Christianity and my fight to be a feminist as well.

The first part of being a feminist and a person of faith is that it seems that the different opinions on everything decide who you are.  Are you pro-life or pro-choice?  Do you support marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights?  Women and men are made differently, so they shouldn’t be equal, should they?  There are so many more questions that come with these titles.

If you’re anything like me, you get tired of answering these questions and explaining your choices to everyone.  Why does my faith mean I can’t support equality and the rights for everyone?  Why does me being a feminist mean my faith and beliefs are now invalid?  That’s not how this works.  You and I choose what we believe because it's what we think is right, and that’s all that matters.  My parents, friends, family, or church don’t choose my beliefs for me.  That’s the biggest thing to remember: you choose what to believe in, and no one else.  Much like your faith, you believe because you want to.  

It's easier to balance life and beliefs when you have a support group.  It could be friends, family, community groups, or even fellow believers from the Internet.  The great thing about having people who support you is that they don’t entirely have to believe everything you do.  I have a friend who's a Christian and a feminist as well.  While I am strongly pro-choice, she is strongly pro-life, but that has never interfered with our friendship.  We've both talked about each other's point of view and beliefs, but still support one another.  They're never easy conversations, but it's our friendship that keeps them together and prevents them from becoming yelling matches.  We both know we'll never truly see eye-to-eye on these matters, but that's our choice.  The biggest thing is to remember that we have our beliefs, whether we don’t always agree or do.

My own twin sister is agnostic, but has never once condemned me because of my religious endeavors.  She’ll tease me on the occasion, but she also comes to me when she wants to know about something from the Bible or whatnot.  Sometimes, people who aren’t religious want answers, but they don’t know where to go.  The older generation can be tricky because of the way they grew up and how they view things, but sometimes the younger generations are more… free in their thinking.  When my sister comes to me about something she saw on Facebook or the Internet, I try my best to give her an honest and unbiased answer.  I’ll explain what the Bible says, what other believe, and then how I see things.  She’s more willing to look at faith and religion when the person talking isn’t being a jerk about it.

I don’t share the same views as all my friends, but they still support what I believe in.  I know it can be scary showing someone a part of you, like being a feminist or person or faith.  But if they're a true friend and really love you, they'll always support you, not because of your beliefs, but because it’s you.

‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.’

Proverbs 17:17

The best way I’ve learned to balance both my faith and beliefs in feminism is to never stop fighting.  Sounds kind of counterproductive, doesn’t it?  You’re trying to balance everything, so how does fighting help you do that?  It’s kind of easy, honestly.  The more you keep fighting, the easier your beliefs seem to meld together, because you begin to understand why they work.  I’m pro-choice and a Christian because I believe if we had better access to birth control and better sex education, there would be less of a need for abortions.  Until then, I will choose to support women who make that choice for themselves.  I support marriage equality because it's all about love, and one of my religion’s sole bases is love.  

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Faith and feminism don’t have to be two separate entities. 

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The beliefs and faith you have are what define you, not anyone else.  Every time you speak, you speak the truth and for those who don’t have a voice.  Whenever you see a malicious post or comment or hear negative words being spoken, explain why it’s wrong and/or harmful.  Make your voice heard: tell others about your beliefs and how that interacts with your faith.  Go to pride events, march with women, talk to your youth group or Bible study, donate to the causes you believe in, and make yourself seen.  It’s not always an easy path, and there'll always be someone who wants to disagree and fight, but don’t sink to that level.  Keep your head held high, and walk with grace and pride.  You are the change in the world, and change will happen, as long as we keep working.

Starting to get the idea?  I continue to fight because it makes me balanced, and it'll help you as well.  

Faith and feminism don’t have to be two separate entities.  There’s nowhere saying they can’t walk hand in hand. The people who juggle both faith and feminism are the ones who can make a difference.  We as a whole just have to make ourselves heard, and fight on with everyone else.  It sounds hard and scary, but find those who believe like you, and you will have a large family that'll always support you.  Our fight is never over, and there’s always work and change to be done, but if we stand tall together, we will be that change.

‘Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.’

1 Corinthians 16:13

 

Deanne Swaringen is born in raised in the quaint state of Missouri, in the small cornfield filled town of Winfield. She is a senior at the University of Central Missouri where she is studying Digital Media Production (Digital Cinema) and Theatre. She has a love for horror movies and hopes to direct one someday!

 

Comments (4)

  1. AJ Redwine

Thank you for your post, Deanne. It's nice to know that there are other women who share the believe that you can be a feminist and a woman of faith.

 
  1. Angelina Eimannsberger

Beautiful post Deanne! Thanks for sharing!

 
  1. Tracey Swaringen

I think it was a well written article merging two difficult topics

 
  1. Meagan Hooper

Really smart post, Deanne.

 
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