Pointing toward independence for women

"The image of Mary as Virgin ... has an (unintended) aspect of pointing toward independence for women. This aspect of the symbol is of course generally unnoticed by theologians. Gordon Kaufman, for example, noting (rightly) that the church is responsible for many confused and even absurd opinions on Christological questions, then goes on to say that the doctrine of the virgin birth is "one of the earliest, and most unfortunate, of these confusions." He adds that the doctrine is an attempt to understand the theological fact that for faith Jesus Christ is Son of God. One significant point about this interpretation is the fact that, typically, even a progressive Christian theologian finds the virgin birth doctrine more absurd than the idea that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. What is more interesting and more to the point here is the fact that he sees the virgin birth doctrine as significant only in relation to Christ. The prophetic aspect of the virgin symbol is precisely what he does not see."  ~Mary Daly 

Painting by Elisabeth Slettnes