Does anyone have a problem with IT?

[Buttons*]

It kept them busy and out of trouble.

Well "it" only knows what the forms were thinking about all this

 

[rojse]

I think that the lack of a genderless third person phrase for English is quite poor for the major world language.

 

[Rolling_Stone]

I agree with rojse, but is God's relationship with us father-like or mother-like?

 

[Master Vigil]

I am quite convinced that "god", "tao", whatever... is without gender. I am also quite convinced that it has no human characteristics. So no matter what "it" is, it will not be "disappointed" with anything being that disappointed is a human characteristic.

 

[Buttons*]

I agree with rojse, but is God's relationship with us father-like or mother-like?

what about genderless parent? I dont see the One as a parent figure.... but if you want to see it that way.....

 

[Buttons*]

I think that the lack of a genderless third person phrase for English is quite poor for the major world language.

Are there genderless third persons in other languages?

I think most translate as "It"

 

[Buttons*]

I am quite convinced that "god", "tao", whatever... is without gender. I am also quite convinced that it has no human characteristics. So no matter what "it" is, it will not be "disappointed" with anything being that disappointed is a human characteristic.

I'm inclined to agree with you. I'd like to clarify though... The green bit confuses me a little.

Do you mean to say that either way, it doesn't have the capacity to care about what it's called?

 

[Mike182]

my specific ones have set genders... well, most of them are set

 

[Rolling_Stone]

what about genderless parent? I dont see the One as a parent figure.... but if you want to see it that way.....

Last time I checked "relationship" is not "gender."

Bill Cosby has story that illustrates what I mean. He describes a father and all the sacrifices he would make in working with his son at playing football. When he gets to the pros and the camera panned in on him, he would wave and say, "Hi, Mom!"

 

[rojse]

Are there genderless third persons in other languages?

I think most translate as "It"

There are languages that make a clear differentiation between objects, where "it" is an appropriate word, and animals or people, where "it" is not so appropriate..

The English language does not make a clear differentiation, or if it had, the usage has long changed.

For example, the artificially constructed language Esperanto has words for he and she, but also has the word "ĝi" which means "it" and "tiu" for a pan-gender word, when the gender is not known, for example, a baby.

 

[Master Vigil]

I'm inclined to agree with you. I'd like to clarify though... The green bit confuses me a little.

Do you mean to say that either way, it doesn't have the capacity to care about what it's called?

Not necessarily that it doesn't have the "capacity", just that it has no need for that capacity being that it isn't human.