Could God be Non-Binary?

[Secret Chief]

Apparently this was a discussion topic today in the high school that I work in. Aha, I thought, there's a notion for the denizens of RF to mull over...

 

[Rival]

I believe God has no sex at all so would be beyond the sex binary, so to speak. God is spirit not body so there is no sex whether it be mental or physical.

 

[Secret Chief]

I believe God has no sex at all so would be beyond the sex binary, so to speak. God is spirit not body so there is no sex whether it be mental or physical.

Sex? Or do you mean gender?

 

[Rival]

Sex? Or do you mean gender?

Sex. Sex can be psychological (what many call 'gender') and it can also be biological. Having no need for this, God has no sex.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I believe God has no sex at all so would be beyond the sex binary, so to speak. God is spirit not body so there is no sex whether it be mental or physical.

This is close to the most widely accepted belief in Islam, too. Allah is supposed to be unlike anything else:

Yusuf Ali

(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).

Ash-Shura-11, Surah The Consultations Verse-11 / The Noble Quran (Read Quran in English, Listen Quran)

 

[RestlessSoul]

Think I read recently, that the Anglican church is considering referring to God in gender-neutral terms. Would that be what inspired the high school discussion referred to in the OP? Looks like the good old CoE is leading the way again, as they have over women priests. Rome will catch up in about 100 years, I expect.

 

[Harel13]

I never get these "could" questions. In speculation, practically anything "could be".

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Sex. Sex can be psychological (what many call 'gender') and it can also be biological. Having no need for this, God has no sex.

In your practice do you strive to use non-gendered language when talking about God or the divine in general then?

It's pretty rare to come across that in monotheism. Which almost always either uses male pronouns and male gendered language, or gendered language that changes with the behavior or role (e.g. creation is feminine, leadership is masculine.)

By the same token I don't see many religions that would ascribe to a non-binary God unless you have something like agendered or omnigendered as non-binary, not being the two binary choices.

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

A few of my deities certainly are; Loki, Skaði, Njörð, and possibly even Óðinn.

 

[Viker]

I believe divinity has no gender and only manifests itself how an individual would be most comfortable with. Even if they appear to have a gender it is for that reason or something that is wished to convey.

But God/Gods got no boy or girl parts. I guess that means non-binary.

With my pantheon, in short, Corniger represents masculinity and Lucifer represents feminity (this is not fixed or always set in stone). Then, The Many to the One or Plures represents no gender. This is likely for balance.

 

[Aštra’el]

Tiamat is female. Ištar is female. Ereškigal. Athena. Aphrodite. Hecate. Anat. All are female.

Marduk is male. Enlil is male. Enki. Anu. Zeus. Poseidon. Hades. Ares. All are male.

This handsome gentleman:

…is a dude.

 

[sun rise]

This thread reminded me of this Hafiz poem that Dan Ladinsky "rendered" into English:

Once a young woman asked me,

”How does it feel to be a man?”
And I replied,

”My dear,
I am not so sure.”

Then she said,
”Well, aren’t you a man?”

And this time I replied,

”I view gender
As a beautiful animal
That people often take for a walk on a leash
And might enter in some odd contest
To try to win strange prizes.

My dear,
A better question for Hafiz
Would have been,

’How does it feel to be a heart?’

For all I know is Love,
And I find my heart Infinite
And Everywhere!”

 

[Debater Slayer]

In your practice do you strive to use non-gendered language when talking about God or the divine in general then?

It's pretty rare to come across that in monotheism. Which almost always either uses male pronouns and male gendered language, or gendered language that changes with the behavior or role (e.g. creation is feminine, leadership is masculine.)

When I was trying to get answers to this question as a Muslim, the response I most often encountered was, "God is unlike anything else, but He referred to Himself as 'He' in scriptures, so we must do that too."

Of course, I merely think that Abrahamic religions refer to God as a he because of their cultural, social, and historical context. They were products of their time, and the respective cultures in which they originated were far more willing to ascribe leadership and power to the masculine than the feminine. But now the practice of referring to God as "he" has persisted beyond its cultural context as a result of strong traditionalism.

 

[Rival]

In your practice do you strive to use non-gendered language when talking about God or the divine in general then?

It's pretty rare to come across that in monotheism. Which almost always either uses male pronouns and male gendered language, or gendered language that changes with the behavior or role (e.g. creation is feminine, leadership is masculine.)

By the same token I don't see many religions that would ascribe to a non-binary God unless you have something like agendered or omnigendered as non-binary, not being the two binary choices.

I call God 'He' because I better relate to masculinity (and had a so-so relationship with my mom, growing up, which has likely influenced this). I'm also attracted to power and see that in the masculine archetype. I also have a belief in traditional roles so this also influences my thinking. And basically what DS said.

But consider Church of England Considers Gender-Neutral Language for God - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

 

[Shadow Wolf]

How would a function and feature of sexually reproducing beings be something a god is bound to when most life on this planet is neither male nor female and entirely without concepts of gender?

 

[ADigitalArtist]

When I was trying to get answers to this question as a Muslim, the response I most often encountered was, "God is unlike anything else, but He referred to Himself as 'He' in scriptures, so we must do that too."

Of course, I merely think that Abrahamic religions refer to God as a he because of their cultural, social, and historical context. They were products of their time, and the respective cultures in which they originated were far more willing to ascribe leadership and power to the masculine than the feminine. But now the practice of referring to God as "he" has persisted beyond its cultural context as a result of strong traditionalism.

Yeah I can't help but side-eye statements like "God is neither male nor female, he just is" as pretty incoherent. I understand how they might get there but it seems self-defeating.

I call God 'He' because I better relate to masculinity (and had a so-so relationship with my mom, growing up, which has likely influenced this). I'm also attracted to power and see that in the masculine archetype. I also have a belief in traditional roles so this also influences my thinking. And basically what DS said.

But consider Church of England Considers Gender-Neutral Language for God - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

So do you feel like you're projecting a male gender on a God which doesn't identify as such? Or do you think God accepts all gendered language so long as the intimacy and respect is there?

Yeah, it's rare, but it does happen to try and use gender neutrality with God in monotheism.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Yeah I can't help but side-eye statements like "God is neither male nor female, he just is" as pretty incoherent. I understand how they might get there but it seems self-defeating

I think strict traditionalism that maintains practices beyond their historical and cultural context is indeed self-defeating, and it can be deeply harmful in some cases. Then again, that kind of inconsistent belief (in my opinion) was one of the reasons I moved on from Abrahamic religions.

 

[Heyo]

Apparently this was a discussion topic today in the high school that I work in. Aha, I thought, there's a notion for the denizens of RF to mull over...

I habitually refer to god(s) as "it" because they have no gender (or all of them). I use the preferred pronouns of named gods, YHVH and Zeus are male, Athena and Ishtar are female.

 

[Rival]

So do you feel like you're projecting a male gender on a God which doesn't identify as such? Or do you think God accepts all gendered language so long as the intimacy and respect is there?

I would say it's both. We are human and are inevitably going to use human terms to call God by. In English the only neutral alternative is 'it', which sounds demeaning and distanced. We can't use 'they' because this could easily be confused for polytheism and would pose huge doctrinal problems, and for linguists like me it would elicit a cringe.

There are many verses where God is archetyped as a female in the Bible, Female Images of God in the Bible - Women's Ordination Conference (womensordination.org). We discussed this concept in my Theology course last semester.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I would say it's both. We are human and are inevitably going to use human terms to call God by. In English the only neutral alternative is 'it', which sounds demeaning and distanced. We can't use 'they' because this could easily be confused for polytheism and would pose huge doctrinal problems, and for linguists like me it would elicit a cringe.

There are many verses where God is archetyped as a female in the Bible, Female Images of God in the Bible - Women's Ordination Conference (womensordination.org). We discussed this concept in my Theology course last semester.

The time period where 'they' was considered a plural exclusive term is much shorter than the time they was used as a singular pronoun. (Also older than singular 'you.')

Do you think, in time and as common use changes, 'they' could start to be in the picture again?