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Is God male or female?

G

Godwilling

Organic, kinetic learner
Odion said:
Many don't like the term It though, since it's seen as being something one uses when refers to objects. I suppose that's why some people have taken to using gender-neutral pronouns to describe God? :)
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There is a difference between "It" and "it" as there is a difference between "He" and "he". If God is genderless and therefore "It", then that pronoun can be respected in it's capitalized form as much as "He" or "Him".

A patriarchical men-centred set of beliefs does not need to become the standard for addressing God, unless we assume that men own the idea and image of God.
 
Breathe

Breathe

Hostis humani generis
Godwilling said:
A patriarchical men-centred set of beliefs does not need to become the standard for addressing God, unless we assume that men own the idea and image of God.
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Weren't men in the past considered the 'default' when it comes to things? "All man" would mean "All people" and so on. Do you think it could have come from this?

Not to mention that the Abrahamic concepts of God were usually seen in masculine ways. Even religions which do not have a gender of God use he when using English--even I do (despite not believing in a masculine God, and venerating female manifestations of God like Durga :D), but I'm kind of switching towards It more within the last few weeks. I prefer It to "Hir" at least. :p
 
G

Godwilling

Organic, kinetic learner
Odion said:
Weren't men in the past considered the 'default' when it comes to things? "All man" would mean "All people" and so on. Do you think it could have come from this?

Not to mention that the Abrahamic concepts of God were usually seen in masculine ways. Even religions which do not have a gender of God use he when using English--even I do (despite not believing in a masculine God, and venerating female manifestations of God like Durga :D), but I'm kind of switching towards It more within the last few weeks. I prefer It to "Hir" at least. :p
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It sounds logical if indeed God is genderless. On the other hand, if God has a gender, who is his/her opposite gender counterpart?
 
Katzpur

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
Godwilling said:
That idea appears revolutionary for a Christian. Is this your own belief, or do other Mormons share that belief?
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It's typically shared by Mormons. FYI, whenever I post anything about my beliefs, I will specify that it's my personal belief, if that's the case. Otherwise, you can safely assume that it's LDS doctrine.
 
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N

not yet now

Member
in terms of the holy trinity
i would think
in terms of proverbs 25
where it says the glory of god is to conceal a thing
but perhaps this aspect is not so concealed
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD THE MOTHER..
and would be the same as wisdom in proverbs being a she

Pro 8:1 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
Pro 8:2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
Pro 8:3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
Pro 8:4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.
Pro 8:5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

Pro 8:23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
Pro 8:24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
Pro 8:25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
Pro 8:26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
Pro 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

thus god the father and god the son and god the mother work in harmony
god the father as that which instructs the son
and if the son is faithful to his maker
he maintains a pure heart
as the heart is the record of the soul's activities
and if its activities are faithful in its use of free will
by maintaining proper nurturing attunement to the whole of being
where one knows the key of
doing
nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
IN THAT ONE KNOWS WHAT COUNTS IS SEEING THE BEST POTENTIAL
IS SEEING THE BEST POTENTIAL HAPPENS
WHEN OTHERS ARE DRAWN INTO A COOPERATIVE SPIRIT OF ACTIVITY
THAT BENEFITS ALL
tho initially those who have a corrupted heart that is of this world
might scorn this truth that would expose their lies to self and others....

thus u c
the son is the individual active conscious choices a soul makes
which results in its overall record and nature
that can either be purely nurturing
that is to say a record of following the principles of god the father
think symbolically if u will
as the eternal unchanging divine principles of all life

such a state of soul or subconscious mind or heart of a soul
that is say
manifesting the will of the creator
in a truly perfect nurturing way for both the individual and the whole
would be as god the mother
the holy spirit....

now then refer to the material of edgar cayce
for how jesus thru such as reincarnation
is what the bible says he is
tho percentage wise few christians well grasp some aspects of this
 
outhouse

outhouse

Atheistically
Hold on there cowboy :)

ever think the ancient hebrews made god up to answer questions they did not know?

why did he die? god did it
why did it flood? god did it
when you die where do you go? god puts you somewhere
why does the earth shake? god is angry
why does the mountain rumble? god is angry

and on and on and on and on
 
Levite

Levite

Higher and Higher
Godwilling said:
I don't know Hebrew, and I trust that you do. Thank you for the explanation. It provides insight and logic to an ilogical practice of assuming that God is a man like creature.

In that case, since English does have a non-gender pronoun, "it", the neutral pronoun would be more appropriate when referring to God, albeit capitalized.
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In theory, I think you're completely correct.

But in practice, I think most people simply are uncomfortable using "it," because in common English usage, "it" only refers to inanimate objects, a category into which most people who profess a belief in God would not wish to place God.

A somewhat more practical alternative might be to encourage frequent alteration of pronouns when speaking of God. Although I certainly admit that that does not solve the problem, it only slightly ameliorates it. But there you are.
 
Breathe

Breathe

Hostis humani generis
Godwilling said:
It sounds logical if indeed God is genderless. On the other hand, if God has a gender, who is his/her opposite gender counterpart?
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I don't believe God has a gender, and many of those who use He STILL don't believe God has a gender anyway - gendered gods are, to me, anthromorphised personifications of the aspects of the Divine.
 
Terrywoodenpic

Terrywoodenpic

Oldest Heretic
Levite said:
In theory, I think you're completely correct.

But in practice, I think most people simply are uncomfortable using "it," because in common English usage, "it" only refers to inanimate objects, a category into which most people who profess a belief in God would not wish to place God.

A somewhat more practical alternative might be to encourage frequent alteration of pronouns when speaking of God. Although I certainly admit that that does not solve the problem, it only slightly ameliorates it. But there you are.
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That is certainly a strange fact...
but it is a modern one....
Up to the 70's People had no problem when using the masculine when talking about things that were either gender neutral or were collectives of male or female.

The post of "Chairman" is one of the most common areas of dispute. Chairperson is Horrible but politically correct. Chair woman or Lady are used but equally weird.

When mentioning God, in English, it is not necessary to use a pronoun at all.
How people visualise God is their own affair.
 
I

Intrigued

Member
My 2 sense is that God doesn't have a gender, why would he have one? Why would he limit himself to the quality's of just one sex.
 
Levite

Levite

Higher and Higher
Terrywoodenpic said:
When mentioning God, in English, it is not necessary to use a pronoun at all. How people visualise God is their own affair.
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I agree it's their own affair, though I have worked for a long time, professionally, to try and broaden the minds of laypeople regarding increasing their options for God-language in English. But in the end people will use what is comfortable to them. And whatever my personal feelings on the subject are, it is true that most people I have worked with have chosen to retain a gendered pronoun-- usually, though hardly exclusively, the male one.

There is a school of thought that argues that one can solve the problem by avoiding pronouns altogether. Which, again in theory, is perfectly reasonable. In practice, it makes for heavy-handed and dysphonic sentences like "We choose to believe that God will and does reveal Godself on God's terms, in such time and under such conditions as God feels that humanity is prepared to encounter God with some echo of truth to God's godhead." And in my experience, people tend not to be inspired by such sentences; or even necessarily inspired to read further.
 
G

Gaura Priya

IRL
We could use Spivak Pronouns!!

God is so wonderful to me. Ey is the All Knowing, the All Merciful and Compassionate. Eir Scriptures and Eir Words inspire me so much. Ey is full in Emself, and without Em, nothing would come to be.
 
R

Ronald

Well-Known Member
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

IMHO, this says as the image of God is male and female.

Let the argument continue.:bow:
 
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