• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Is God male or female?

Katzpur

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
Godwilling said:
I have no reason to think either way because I have come across no evidence either way.
Click to expand...
That's an interesting perspective. I think there's plenty of evidence that men have male genitalia, but each to his own.

My question is, why the insistence on using the pronoun "He" and common discomfort amongst Christians, Muslims, and Jews with the pronoun She when referring to God?
Click to expand...
I guess I'm just confused. I'm a Christian and I'm not the slightest bit uncomfortable referring to God as "He."
 
Sleeppy

Sleeppy

Fatalist. Christian. Pacifist.
This is a silly question.. if you really think about it. God is spirit. God is neither male nor female, having neither genitals. He is however the source for attributes that may be exclusive to either, spiritually. I suppose the most obvious female attribute are submission and servitude. The most obvious male attributes are dominion and decision.
 
Sleeppy

Sleeppy

Fatalist. Christian. Pacifist.
God is explicitly called He to underline His 'Godship'.. His ultimate control over all things.
 
Breathe

Breathe

Hostis humani generis
Godwilling said:
The word "esquisto" in Portuguese has the same Latin root as the Spanish word "exquisito" and the English word "exquisite". The first means "weird", the second "delicious" and the third "of special beauty" or "of special refinement".

If asked what does "exquisite mean?", I presume you would not ask, "in what language?" and offer the various spellings and meanings in other languages.
Click to expand...
That's not how it really works with religions, though. Religious ideas come from other religions, so the point of whether God is "he" or "she" in English means little in comparison to what the original people who conceived and refined the religion believed God to be.


English has words such as "Sun" and "Earth" which are used for only one object each. Do you not think it prudent to assign one such words with a unique meaning in English to express a proper pronoun for God if indeed God is neither He, She, or It?
Click to expand...
Problem here is using a term for a very specific, concrete object is different from the creation of a pronoun that refers to a less concrete idea: the use of "Sun" is different from the creation of "Xom" to refer to God, for example. Generally the idea of creating a pronoun is disliked as it appears unnatural. This is why I personally don't like the Spivak pronouns some use as they look unnatural. In some languages, there isn't this problem, as there are pronouns for "unknown gender" things, which are not objects. In English, we only have "he", for masculine (and it's traditionally used as the default gender in things, is it not?), "she", for feminine, and "it" for objects. We don't really have much choice in terminology.

As to whether God, which transcends language, has human parts? What a strange idea for those who see God without a physical body.
 
Katzpur

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
Sleeppy said:
This is a silly question.. if you really think about it. God is spirit.
Click to expand...
All a spirit is is a life force. If you think a little deeper about it, you'd have to concede that a life force can exist within a body or outside of it.
 
waitasec

waitasec

Veteran Member
wonder why jesus wasn't a female?
could it be that god was subjected to mans idea of what god was so god just went with that idea in order to be more acceptable?
:shrug:
 
Sleeppy

Sleeppy

Fatalist. Christian. Pacifist.
waitasec said:
that's it? no reasonable explanation to qualify your reply?


that is weak.
Click to expand...

You're attacking anything of Christian nature, for whatever reason(s). It obviously had something to do with an experience you had or continue to have. So, you look at it with the offensive mindset.


You could probably report this post.
 
waitasec

waitasec

Veteran Member
Sleeppy said:
You're attacking anything of Christian nature, for whatever reason(s). It obviously had something to do with an experience you had or continue to have. So, you look at it with the offensive mindset.


You could probably report this post.
Click to expand...
right, i am not attacking you or judging you or even trying to dissect you as you are doing to me. i am challenging the christian dogma...why do you have a problem with that?
 
Sleeppy

Sleeppy

Fatalist. Christian. Pacifist.
waitasec said:
right, i am not attacking you or judging you or even trying to dissect you as you are doing to me. i am challenging the christian dogma...why do you have a problem with that?
Click to expand...

I don't see what you're trying to accomplish. Or how you're trying to accomplish it. I've seen people trying to do it by science and logic.. but your previous post had neither (that it stated). Not that it matters. I've heard just about every argument against Christians. It's boring and a waste of time - for me at least.
 
waitasec

waitasec

Veteran Member
Sleeppy said:
I don't see what you're trying to accomplish. Or how you're trying to accomplish it. I've seen people trying to do it by science and logic.. but your previous post had neither (that it stated). Not that it matters. I've heard just about every argument against Christians. It's boring and a waste of time - for me at least.
Click to expand...

do you understand what having a discourse with someone who has a different POV entails?

if you are so bored with it then why are you in the debating section...?
go hide in the DIR...where you can feel safe and secure.:rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top