Does God Really Have a Gender/Sex?

[Satan's Right Hand Man]

It sounds like a stupid question. I've sincerely asked this question to Christians who come up to me in real life, and they insist that God is male and the "Father." And they insist that God can't be a "mother," or female.

I've learned in basic junior high science class that to be male usually you need a Y + X Chromosome. To be a female usually you need a X + X chromosome. The first point is it seems that gender/sex differentiation is associated with biological components we call "chromosomes."

So my question is:

Being that God is a spirit person, or non-physical, or non-biological, does God have chromosomes? How is a spirit being to have a sex or gender? In all sincerity, if we say that God is a man and the father, does that mean he has male genitalia and vestigial nipples? And what good are those for? Conversely, if we say that such and such spirit or deity is a "Goddess," does that mean this Goddess has breasts, mammary glands, a uterus, fallopian tubes, and the rest of the stuff?

How does God have his gender? What gives a spirit thing sex or gender, and why would spirit beings need gender? To reproduce? To have sex? For cosmetic purposes?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

They don't, really. Non-physical beings have no need for gender or sex. They're pure energy. It's pretty bad when the monotheistic religions view "God" in male imagery only because it promotes patriarchy and suppression of the sacred in females. Polytheism is better because the deities are envisioned as being males, females, androgynes, etc. There's more diversity. We all need divinities we can relate with. Patriarchal religions really offer nothing for women. This is why you see the Goddess Movement and other women's spirituality movements as with much of Wicca and neo-Paganism. They're trying to redress the dreadful lack of spirituality that speaks to women and empowers them.

As for me, I primarily worship Satan and Lilith. I choose to visualize Satan/Lucifer in male terms, but He does have feminine aspects. I view Lilith as His Bride and that creates a balance between the Masculine and Feminine Adversarial currents. Some chose to envision Satan and Lucifer as female or even as an androgyne as with Baphomet. Some see Lilith as a manifestation of Satan. There are many different views of it, but all are more woman-friendly. Plus, Satanists generally view men and women as equals and we're generally LGBT friendly.

Visualizing deities as male or female or androgynous helps us to understand them more. It's hard for us to comprehend not having a physical body and so not having a physical sex.

 

[Pegg]

It sounds like a stupid question. I've sincerely asked this question to Christians who come up to me in real life, and they insist that God is male and the "Father." And they insist that God can't be a "mother," or female.

I've learned in basic junior high science class that to be male usually you need a Y + X Chromosome. To be a female usually you need a X + X chromosome. The first point is it seems that gender/sex differentiation is associated with biological components we call "chromosomes."

So my question is:

Being that God is a spirit person, or non-physical, or non-biological, does God have chromosomes? How is a spirit being to have a sex or gender? In all sincerity, if we say that God is a man and the father, does that mean he has male genitalia and vestigial nipples? And what good are those for? Conversely, if we say that such and such spirit or deity is a "Goddess," does that mean this Goddess has breasts, mammary glands, a uterus, fallopian tubes, and the rest of the stuff?

How does God have his gender? What gives a spirit thing sex or gender, and why would spirit beings need gender? To reproduce? To have sex? For cosmetic purposes?

God does not have physical biological features because he is a spirit. We can't assume to know exactly what spirit is made of....but it certainly isnt made of anything physical. The word spirit literally means 'breath' or 'wind'...its an unseen force and not made of anything phsical.

The scriptures tell us that God created man in his image and likeness. But as God has no physical likeness, we understand this to mean that mankind was created with Gods mental qualities. The qualities that allow us to think and reason and love and determine good from bad.

Women are men with feminine qualities. So we are 'females' meaning feminine males.

Both the man and woman was said to be created in Gods image. So we can conclude that God has both masculine and feminine qualities. The male qualities would be his dominant qualities, and the female would be his sub-dominant qualities. And when you put a man and woman together, you have the complete picture of what God is like.....and thats why the scriptures tell us that a man and woman joined in marriage become 'one flesh'

 

[Whiterain]

The Chief God is male, with dignity, and his Wife, a female Godess. The wife was pushed out over the eons and God was changed, used and changed over the eons into the great genderless ectoplasm.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Women are men with feminine qualities. So we are 'females' meaning feminine males.

WTF! :areyoucra

The male qualities would be his dominant qualities, and the female would be his sub-dominant qualities.

 

[Father Heathen]

It makes no sense that an eternal, infinite, supreme cosmic being would need dangly bits like organic lifeforms that reproduce sexually.

 

[Satan's Right Hand Man]

God does not have physical biological features because he is a spirit.

The scriptures tell us that God created man in his image and likeness. But as God has no physical likeness, we understand this to mean that mankind was created with Gods mental qualities.

Both the man and woman was said to be created in Gods image. So we can conclude that God has both masculine and feminine qualities.

If I was a jehovah witness and I attended your Kingdom Hall, and at Kingdom Hall I insisted on referring to God as the "heavenly mother," and by the pronoun "she," and I prayed to God as a female, would your fellow JW's accept me or believe me to be an apostate?

What exactly does it mean to be "masculine" and "feminine?"

On earth, most times hormones played a big part in a person's masculinity and femininity. Also society and culture influences what is deemed to be "masculine" or "feminine" bahaviour and demeanor.

What is God's gender roles - his masculinity and femininity - rooted in?

 

[Satan's Right Hand Man]

A minor contention I have with Christians equivocating this issue is that in the past, the Trinity did have a female in it. In what was called "Gnosicism" the Holy Spirit was a female/mother named Sophia: Sophia (Gnosticism) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the old days, the Trinity was God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Mother (Sophia).

If God's gender/sex is not important - not an important doctrine in Chistianity - why did the Church annihilate these Gnostics for simply believing that one part of the Trinity was female?

 

[psychoslice]

There is no he or she god, there is just what IS, call it the Cosmos, God, whatever, to believe in a literal god as a father or mother is childish, and is more for the immature in spirit, which can be a good thing at first, but we have to move onward and mature in spirit, then the big daddy or mummy is dropped.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

There is no he or she god, there is just what IS, call it the Cosmos, God, whatever, to believe in a literal god as a father or mother is childish, and is more for the immature in spirit, which can be a good thing at first, but we have to move onward and mature in spirit, then the big daddy or mummy is dropped.

I agree. I do believe there is a Cosmic Spirit, I guess you could call it. But I don't bother with tying it to any religion or imagery. I guess the closest to it would be the Great Spirit of many Native American tribes or maybe Brahman. But I don't think it consciously bothers with us little primate species on this tiny speck of dust, so praying to it and worshiping it seems a bit pointless. It's too big for us, really. We're just part of an evolutionary cosmic dance in a gigantic mystery. So that's my pantheism. I think that if there are any deities that answer prayers and communicate with humans, they aren't cosmic, but are local to our planet or a group of people.

 

[psychoslice]

I agree. I do believe there is a Cosmic Spirit, I guess you could call it. But I don't bother with tying it to any religion or imagery. I guess the closest to it would be the Great Spirit of many Native American tribes or maybe Brahman. But I don't think it consciously bothers with us little primate species on this tiny speck of dust, so praying to it and worshiping it seems a bit pointless. It's too big for us, really. So that's my pantheism. I think that if there are any deities that answer prayers and communicate with humans, they aren't cosmic, but are local to our planet or a group of people.

Yes that is a nice way of seeing it......for myself i see all as One in Consciousness, we are also part of that Consciousness, not as the mind body organism, even though that is also part of what IS. Its when we see past the mind body that we realize that we are truly One, when we pray we are praying to our SELF, that is why when one is truly Enlightened all praying is finished, all is now seen as it should be, perfect, and that includes all what we believe to be good or bad.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Yes that is a nice way of seeing it......for myself i see all as One in Consciousness, we are also part of that Consciousness, not as the mind body organism, even though that is also part of what IS. Its when we see past the mind body that we realize that we are truly One, when we pray we are praying to our SELF, that is why when one is truly Enlightened all praying is finished, all is now seen as it should be, perfect, and that includes all what we believe to be good or bad.

Yeah, I pretty much see the cosmos and everything in it as God manifest or the Mind of God. Even the Gods that do exist (in the polytheistic sense) are born from the universe just as we are. I don't claim to know their exact nature but I do think they exist. They're probably interdimensional beings, I suppose. This would make sense if we're living in a multiverse as physics is pointing to.

 

[Pegg]

If I was a jehovah witness and I attended your Kingdom Hall, and at Kingdom Hall I insisted on referring to God as the "heavenly mother," and by the pronoun "she," and I prayed to God as a female, would your fellow JW's accept me or believe me to be an apostate?

you would be directed to Jesus words at Matthew 6:9*“YOU must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.

Jesus clearly saw God in his masculine role as the head over all. God cannot submit to anyone because there is noone above him to submit to. So he is the Almighty head over all and leader above all others. That is a masculine role.

What exactly does it mean to be "masculine" and "feminine?"

The World Book Encyclopedia states: “Most men and women differ from each other not only in anatomy, but in behavior and interests as well. Some of these differences are biologically determined. .*.*. But many nonanatomical differences appear to be based on sex roles that are learned by every individual. People are born male or female, but they learn to be masculine or feminine.”

In the beginning, God assigned the masculine and femine roles when he decreed that Adam would be the head of his family and take a leading role in subduing the earth and looking after his family.
Eve was assigned the role of a 'complement' to her husband and she would support him and assist him.

So from that, we can conclude that a masculine role is a leader who directs, guides and oversees things while femininity would be a supportive and submissive role. With the support of a woman, a man can accomplish much.

On earth, most times hormones played a big part in a person's masculinity and femininity. Also society and culture influences what is deemed to be "masculine" or "feminine" bahaviour and demeanor.

What is God's gender roles - his masculinity and femininity - rooted in?

The scriptures dont elaborate on every possible aspect of masculinity and femininity. There is room for variety. But for a man to be masculine and a woman feminine, they need to fill the roles God assigned to them.
A man and woman were made to complement each other physically and emotionally through those designated roles and qualities.

But its just unfortunate that views on sex have become twisted and distorted. Many think that masculinity must be harsh and dominating and tough. And they think femininity is all about physical and sexual attractiveness.

True femininity is about submissiveness while masculinity is about being a leader.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Wow, Pegg, just wow. You really think a woman's lot in life is to be submissive and let a man rule over her? Don't you think women are capable of much more than that? Is that what you teach your daughters, if you have any? "Oh, honey. Forget about becoming a doctor or a scientist or an astronaut or the President or a CEO. You have to find a man to take care of you and to raise his kids." :areyoucra

 

[Pegg]

Wow, Pegg, just wow. You really think a woman's lot in life is to be submissive and let a man rule over her? Don't you think women are capable of much more than that? Is that what you teach your daughters, if you have any? "Oh, honey. Forget about becoming a doctor or a scientist or an astronaut or the President or a CEO. You have to find a man to take care of you and to raise his kids." :areyoucra

femininity does not mean a woman has to stay home and look after the kids.

The bibles description of a 'capable wife' shows that women are quite adapt at taking on many roles.

Provers 31:10*A capable wife who can find? Her value is far more than that of corals. 11*In her the heart of her owner has put trust, and there is no gain lacking. 12*She has rewarded him with good, and not bad, all the days of her life. 13*She has sought wool and linen, and she works at whatever is the delight of her hands. 14*She has proved to be like the ships of a merchant. From far away she brings in her food. 15*She also gets up while it is still night, and gives food to her household and the prescribed portion to her young women. 16*She has considered a field and proceeded to obtain it; from the fruitage of her hands she has planted a vineyard. 17*She has girded her hips with strength, and she invigorates her arms. 18*She has sensed that her trading is good; her lamp does not go out at night. 19*Her hands she has thrust out to the distaff, and her own hands take hold of the spindle. 20*Her palm she has stretched out to the afflicted one, and her hands she has thrust out to the poor one. 21*She does not fear for her household because of the snow, for all her household are clothed with double garments. 22*Coverlets she has made for herself. Her clothing is of linen and wool dyed reddish purple. 23*Her owner is someone known in the gates, when he sits down with the older men of the land. 24*She has made even undergarments and proceeded to sell [them], and belts she has given to the tradesmen. 25*Strength and splendor are her clothing, and she laughs at a future day. 26*Her mouth she has opened in wisdom, and the law of loving-kindness is upon her tongue. 27*She is watching over the goings-on of her household, and the bread of laziness she does not eat. 28*Her sons have risen up and proceeded to pronounce her happy; her owner [rises up], and he praises her. 29*There are many daughters that have shown capableness, but you—you have ascended above them all. 30*Charm may be false, and prettiness may be vain; [but] the woman that fears Jehovah is the one that procures praise for herself. 31*GIVE her of the fruitage of her hands, and let her works praise her even in the gates.


Femininity does not mean someone who sits at home waiting for orders. Femininity is purely the fact that she is a complement and support to her husband. It doesnt mean she can't do anything without him.

 

[Me Myself]

God has every gender and sex available and beyond

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

femininity does not mean a woman has to stay home and look after the kids.

The bibles description of a 'capable wife' shows that women are quite adapt at taking on many roles.

Provers 31:10*A capable wife who can find? Her value is far more than that of corals. 11*In her the heart of her owner has put trust, and there is no gain lacking. 12*She has rewarded him with good, and not bad, all the days of her life. 13*She has sought wool and linen, and she works at whatever is the delight of her hands. 14*She has proved to be like the ships of a merchant. From far away she brings in her food. 15*She also gets up while it is still night, and gives food to her household and the prescribed portion to her young women. 16*She has considered a field and proceeded to obtain it; from the fruitage of her hands she has planted a vineyard. 17*She has girded her hips with strength, and she invigorates her arms. 18*She has sensed that her trading is good; her lamp does not go out at night. 19*Her hands she has thrust out to the distaff, and her own hands take hold of the spindle. 20*Her palm she has stretched out to the afflicted one, and her hands she has thrust out to the poor one. 21*She does not fear for her household because of the snow, for all her household are clothed with double garments. 22*Coverlets she has made for herself. Her clothing is of linen and wool dyed reddish purple. 23*Her owner is someone known in the gates, when he sits down with the older men of the land. 24*She has made even undergarments and proceeded to sell [them], and belts she has given to the tradesmen. 25*Strength and splendor are her clothing, and she laughs at a future day. 26*Her mouth she has opened in wisdom, and the law of loving-kindness is upon her tongue. 27*She is watching over the goings-on of her household, and the bread of laziness she does not eat. 28*Her sons have risen up and proceeded to pronounce her happy; her owner [rises up], and he praises her. 29*There are many daughters that have shown capableness, but you—you have ascended above them all. 30*Charm may be false, and prettiness may be vain; [but] the woman that fears Jehovah is the one that procures praise for herself. 31*GIVE her of the fruitage of her hands, and let her works praise her even in the gates.


Femininity does not mean someone who sits at home waiting for orders. Femininity is purely the fact that she is a complement and support to her husband. It doesnt mean she can't do anything without him.

That passage is rather vague. In those days, women lived with their husband and kids and did work around the home or farm. What does it mean to women today? Can she have a job? Can she go off to college and pursue a career?

 

[Satan's Right Hand Man]

you would be directed to Jesus words at Matthew 6:9*“YOU must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.

That was predictable. Apparently in Christianity doctrine/dogma trumps reality/realism.

All this talk you gave on how God has no gender and stuff. But according to scripture - doctrine/dogma - God is still male. "Our Father."

I would agree with a previous comment made: I'm disappointed in your medieval views on women, being submissive...

In ancient times before patriarchal religions there was a mother goddess who was worshiped and many tribes/cultures of humans were matriarchal where the female - mothers and grandmothers - were the leaders in the home and in society. Some culture on earth are still matriarchal where the man plays a lesser role.

 

[Satan's Right Hand Man]

God has every gender and sex available and beyond

That wouldn't be something I'd be proud of. Some species of fungus have this characteristic. Some slime molds have up to 10,000 sexes/genders: RYviewpoint: A Species with 10,000 Sexes???

 

[Pegg]

That passage is rather vague. In those days, women lived with their husband and kids and did work around the home or farm. What does it mean to women today? Can she have a job? Can she go off to college and pursue a career?

that passages states "whatever she delights to do with her hands"

so yes, of course wives can go to work and school

I study part-time, work 3 days a week, look after 4 kids and carry out a christian ministry with several bible students who I visit weekly.

So yes, whatever she delights to do she can do.



Let me ask you this. If you found a lovely lady and decided to marry, do you think you'd be happier if she was a supportive productive wife or someone who fought your decisions and tried to do everything herself?