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I don't think that anyone who believes in God conceives of him as having a sexual nature, either male or female, so why do we always refer to God as a male? If either gender were appropriate I would think that the female gender would be more descriptive of a being that "gave birth" so to speak to the entire universe and all living things including human beings. I suspect that the answer is because the concept of a God was developed in a male dominated society and the greatness and all knowing nature of a powerful God couldn't be bestowed upon a simple woman. Still, wouldn't it make more sense to refer to God in a non gender manner?
I am sorry that I always reference this book, but it does such a wonderful job of explaining things and it also gives biblical references which I could not do.
So, from Did Adam and Eve have Belly Buttons?:
"...God is a pure spirit and not literally male, we speak of God in masculine terms because God's relation to us is like that of a father (CCC 239). This does not mean men are better than women, only that some aspects of "maleness" better express some aspects of God's relationship to us than "femaleness." Both men and women are made in God's image (Gn 1:27). One reason the Chruch calls God "Father" is Jesus. Our relation to God is a sharing in Jesus' relation to God. He knew and revealed God as Father (Mt 11:27; CCC 240). In fact, He said, "When you pray, say 'Father'"(Lk 11:2).
Quote:
Originally Posted by MontanaGuy
...and the greatness and all knowing nature of a powerful God couldn't be bestowed upon a simple woman.
I believe christianity along with most other religions were made up by men for the comfort of men...patriarchal attempts at controlling their women...so of course the figures you are supposed to worship would be male.
"...God is a pure spirit and not literally male, we speak of God in masculine terms because God's relation to us is like that of a father (CCC 239). This does not mean men are better than women, only that some aspects of "maleness" better express some aspects of God's relationship to us than "femaleness." Both men and women are made in God's image (Gn 1:27). One reason the Chruch calls God "Father" is Jesus. Our relation to God is a sharing in Jesus' relation to God. He knew and revealed God as Father (Mt 11:27; CCC 240). In fact, He said, "When you pray, say 'Father'"(Lk 11:2).
I believe christianity along with most other religions were made up by men for the comfort of men...patriarchal attempts at controlling their women...so of course the figures you are supposed to worship would be male.
Agreed, 100%. When speaking of the Christian-Judeo-Islamic God, I refer to "he," but when speaking of possible deities in general I always (unless I forget!) write s/he.
Well, in Christianity it is pretty widely believed that God is a male, in Mormon Christianity we believe that God is a male but that he has a wife who is equally as supreme, he just doesn't talk about her because we already take his name in vain and he doesn't want such disrespect on his wife (I don't think that's the best way that our beliefs could be described, but that's the best I could do) Jews on the other hand, many don't believe that God has a specific gender, if you look into the Hebrew language, you will notice that there is no neuter gender, that is what some Jewish scholars say is the reason God is referred to as male, they would have to describe him as male or female and since the concept was born into a patriarchle society God was referred to as a male. And in English we don't really have much of a neuter gender form either, I believe God is a male, but even if he had no gender, I think it would be much more respectful to refer to God as He rather than It.
Hey, you're on the ball today. I think that anyone who believes in the virgin birth would not consider God to have acted in a sexual manner, afterall, she's a virgin, right? It would have to be considered a miraculous event that God caused to happen that had nothing to do with sex or gender.
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