Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation [Paperback]

Mary Daly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0807015032 | ISBN-13: 978-0807015032 | Edition: Revised

'Certainly one of the most promising theological statements of our time.' --The Christian Century

'Not for the timid, this brilliant book calls for nothing short of the overthrow of patriarchy itself.' --The Village Voice

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mary Daly is the passionately acclaimed, sometimes denounced, and always controversial radical feminist "philosopher, theologian, mythologist, explorer, pirate, warrior, witch, fairy and leprechaun" (The New York Times Book Review), whose writing is "alive with creative energy, impelled by an urgency of vision and infused with the 'outlandish reality that is present in everyday occurrences'" (Mary Jo Weaver, The New York Times Book Review). Her "feminist fire and brimstone . . . shocks and angers us to a new edge of feminism" (Valerie Miner, San Francisco Chronicle). Daly is professor of theology at Boston College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; Revised edition (June 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807015032
• ISBN-13: 978-0807015032
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Daly is Out of This World!, August 21, 2001

By 

"radicalfeminist" (Indiana, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation (Paperback)

It's amazing to me just how many readers don't get Mary Daly! That someone compared her to Hustler Magazine is too funny! Oh, I bet Professor Daly would love that! For those of you who didn't know, Daly has several doctorates (in philosophy and theology) from Fribourg University in Switzerland; she has published many phenomenal, intellectually stimulating, truly groundbreaking books; she's an amazing linguist with a dictionary of terms all her own; and she was a tenured professor at Boston College for many years. That the average reader from Philly hasn't a clue what she's saying is hardly surprising. Daly is a philosopher, a theologian, a scholar, writing for an intellectual feminist audience. Her ideas are not more of the usual male-defined babble, (which is why some readers may get "kicked out of school" for citing her as a reference) but rather radical, eye-opening, amazing challenges to the status quo. Of course, she's not for everyone (truly their loss). However, I've found her philosophy and her books to be quite enlightening, and I am most grateful for and encouraged by all that I have learned from her. Yes, Mary Daly is out of this world! (And with the Bush Administration at the helm, that's probably about the best place to be!)

56 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Almost Got Me Kicked Out Of College!, January 19, 2000

By 

Christine A. Lehman "stoogeswoman" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation (Paperback)

Some rebellious soul at my extremely fundamentalist college's library managed to procure a copy of this book when it first came out (1979 or 1980, I believe), and when I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. After I'd finished it, I began a little civil disobedience - putting up signs in the commissary to the effect that God was a sexist, the Rapture was a myth, etc. When the administration got wind of it, they called me into the Dean's office and I proudly told them I had come to realize Christianity was a sexist myth used mainly to keep women in their place. I (naively) showed him the book that had brought about this realization, Mary Daly's "Beyond God the Father," and the poor guy almost had a heart attack right there in the office. The end result was, I was "allowed" to stay (though I was forbidden to post any more subversive signs) and the library was warned not to purchase any more books by that author. Fortunately, they ignored that directive, and I ignored mine, and as a result, had a much more exciting time in college than I'd ever dreamed. What a great book!

37 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars it depends on what you're looking for, June 15, 2000

By 

matt - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation (Paperback)

This book, along with many of the attempts to disuade seekers from using traditional language when referring to God, is very useful if you want to understand what Daly's view of religion is but not so useful if you want to read an accurate book on the subject which isn't so slanted. A great place to start is "God or Goddess," by Hauke. "Speaking the Christian God" by Kimel is very useful. For a true historical look at the place of women in the clergy of the Christian tradition, Hauke's "Women in the priesthood?" is exhaustive. Not to be too timid here, I would recommend "Ungodly Rage" by Donna Steichen.