Omnipresence in the Feminist Philosophy of Religion

The problem of omnipresence is among feminist theology’s major concerns. Two of the main monotheistic religions on which feminist thought has focused, namely Christianity and Judaism, are deeply prejudiced by misogyny. Being qualified as a male entity, the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition is judged to be an oppressive entity. Therefore, some feminists have proposed an omnipresent God, understood as on a continuum with the world and an alternative to a transcendent and omnipotent entity. The first part of this chapter explores the feminist critique of the androcentric and cultural biases of the traditional notion of God and focuses on some feminist revisions of the concept of divine omnipresence and transcendence. The second part explores Mary Daly’s notion of Quintessence and her proposal to project a divine feminine as opposed to the God-Father.