Justice as Religious Practice

Sor Juana's intellectual work was always connected to justice concerns: she wrote about women's education, critiqued abuses of power, and defended the marginalized within her theological framework. This concept integrates justice work into religious identity rather than opposing them. For believers, it reframes justice advocacy as faithful practice, not as liberal drift from true religion. For doubters, it permits religious engagement through justice work even when doctrinal certainty has eroded—one can practice faith through action for the vulnerable. For leavers, it honors the possibility that religious values and commitments to justice can coexist after departure from institutional religion. In sectarian contexts, justice practice becomes a measure of authenticity: does the tradition truly care for the vulnerable, or does it use faith to justify hierarchy? Sor Juana's example shows that rigorous intellectual faith and passionate commitment to justice belong together. This framework permits religious identity exploration through the lens of justice rather than doctrine alone.