He or She

[FCEGM]

God is not male, but Scripture most suitably employs male metaphors for Him, while on occasion employing female similies for Him. There is a basic distinction between the two, with “simile/comparing (mother) and metaphor/naming (father), and the meanings they convey. . .Whereas similies compare, metaphors predicate or NAME [emphasis mine], “Language for God and Feminist Language, a Literary and Rhetorical Analysis,” Roland Mushat Frye, Interpretation, A Journal of Bible and Theology.

 

[Verisimilitude]

Is there anyone who does believe that God is male? Obviously Jesus was a man; i.e., male. But does anyone believe that God has a gender?

All the best, C.

No, I think only our human limitations of communication methods make the argument at all.

 

[jman507]

Does it offend me? Why should I let it offend me? Doesn’t really hurt me. I’d might though more want to know why they say that and their intention behind it.

 

[clmowry]

Christ taught us to pray to Our Father. He called God His Father.

Somehow making a statement like She’s our Father, just seems silly.

 

[clmowry]

Christ taught us to pray to Our Father. He called God His Father.

Somehow making a statement like She’s our Father, just seems silly.

 

[Malcolm_McLean]

Hi folks,
reading over some of this, it seems to me that people are in two camps:

1. those who see God as genderless, and don’t care which pronoun is used.
2. those who feel irritated with the “political correctness” of using gender neutral or feminine pronouns, but don’t actually think of God as male.

Is there anyone who does believe that God is male? Obviously Jesus was a man; i.e., male. But does anyone believe that God has a gender?

All the best, C.

You need to use the words “sex” and “gender” accurately in these discussions. “Sex” refers to the biological mating type, with the female being the one that contributes the larger gametes - eggs rather than sperm. “Gender” refers to the grammatical class. Le porte but la table in French - doors are masculine and tables feminine.
Some feminists have tried to extend the meaning of gender to encompass all social aspects of sex, such as the work that people do.

The first question is “what does in mean to say that Jesus was God?” and the second one is “what does it mean to say that God the Father is a male?” God indisputably has masculine gender, even in the extended feminist meaning of the word, but what does it mean to attribute biological male sex to Him?

 

[Ahimsa]

First, [Pope] Benedict [XVI] tackles the question of calling God “mother.” In a nutshell, he affirms that God is beyond gender, and that Scripture often uses the image of a mother’s womb to express the intimacy of God’s love for humanity. Yet, he says, “mother” is not a title of God in the Bible, and hence the church is disqualified from using it.

Benedict notes that there were a number of mother-gods in the religious traditions of the cultures surrounding the Israelites, and speculates that perhaps it was only by excluding that sort of language in the Bible that the sovereignty and the “otherness” of God could become clear. While the pope acknowledges that theory may not be completely satisfactory, he says we’re nevertheless obliged to follow the Bible’s lead.

“Even if we can’t give absolutely cogent reasons, the language of the prayer of the entire Bible remains normative for us, in which, the great metaphors of maternal love notwithstanding, ‘mother’ is not a title of God, and is not an appellation with which one may address God. We must pray as Jesus, on the basis of the Holy Scripture, has taught us to pray, not as it might strike us or please us. Only thus do we pray in the right way.”

 

[pprimeau1976]

I have seen the desire to be politically correct go way too far. For example, I have heard the Creed said the following way:

“…was born of the Virgin Mary, and became human.”

Also, I heard the following said the other day at a funeral I was at:

“Through Christ, With Christ, In Christ…all Glory and Honory is Yours Almighty God…”

Are we so sensitive that we can’t acknowledge that Jesus Christ was a man and deserves to be referred to as “him” instead of “it”. Are we also not supposed to call the Father “Father”. It get’s ridiculous some times!

Sing Gloria Deo instead of Gloria Steinham!

 

[rayne100]

I have seen the desire to be politically correct go way too far. For example, I have heard the Creed said the following way:

“…was born of the Virgin Mary, and became human.”

Also, I heard the following said the other day at a funeral I was at:

“Through Christ, With Christ, In Christ…all Glory and Honory is Yours Almighty God…”

Are we so sensitive that we can’t acknowledge that Jesus Christ was a man and deserves to be referred to as “him” instead of “it”. Are we also not supposed to call the Father “Father”. It get’s ridiculous some times!

Sing Gloria Deo instead of Gloria Steinham!

Actually I like both versions better but not for feminist reasons. I’ll try to explain-
The first one- born of the Virgin Mary and became human…reminds me that christ was both divine and human without having to make the correlation, became man=human

the second one just makes more sense after all we ar CHRISTians, Through Christ, With Christ, In Christ… just makes sense to me.

 

[pprimeau1976]

Actually I like both versions better but not for feminist reasons. I’ll try to explain-
The first one- born of the Virgin Mary and became human…reminds me that christ was both divine and human without having to make the correlation, became man=human

the second one just makes more sense after all we ar CHRISTians, Through Christ, With Christ, In Christ… just makes sense to me.

But have we become so sensitive that the priest feels the need to change “him” to “Christ” and “Father” to “God”? And we are a Church that get’s accused for worshiping a woman!

 

[cor]

I have seen the desire to be politically correct go way too far. For example, I have heard the Creed said the following way:

“…was born of the Virgin Mary, and became human.”

Also, I heard the following said the other day at a funeral I was at:

“Through Christ, With Christ, In Christ…all Glory and Honory is Yours Almighty God…”

Are we so sensitive that we can’t acknowledge that Jesus Christ was a man and deserves to be referred to as “him” instead of “it”. Are we also not supposed to call the Father “Father”. It get’s ridiculous some times!

Sing Gloria Deo instead of Gloria Steinham!

I believe in the Latin the word used is “homo” which is translated as “man.” “Homo” can mean “man” as in “human” without respect to sex.

What do you think of women playing the role of Jesus in dramatic productions?

 

[pprimeau1976]

I believe in the Latin the word used is “homo” which is translated as “man.” “Homo” can mean “man” as in “human” without respect to sex.

What do you think of women playing the role of Jesus in dramatic productions?

It would depend on the purpose of having a woman portray Jesus. Why would the producer/director choose to have Jesus be a woman?

 

[cor]

It would depend on the purpose of having a woman portray Jesus. Why would the producer/director choose to have Jesus be a woman?

I don’t really know. I don’t think it’s that common. I’ve only heard of it happening once or twice. We all seem to be OK with women “portraying” Jesus in songs though (i.e. singing as the voice of Jesus in a song that has parts which are his words), but when it comes to more visual art forms, a lot of us seem to not like it. I wonder why that is?

 

[Erich_Liendo]

I believe the Holy Spirit is female. How else could I explain Trinitarian love? God the Father=male, Holy Spirit=female, Jesus=male…the love infused by God the Father and Holy Spirit created Jesus, much like the modern day family (husband+wife).

Why is that wrong or offensive?

Blessings,
Heather

We have to stop and think…in the Gospel it says “The Holy Spirit came upon her and she was with Child” , simply put Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit were Female, then that would condone a lesbian act; A female spirit of God impregnating Mary who we know is female. So we know that God is the Father = Male, Jesus was born a Man = Male and The love between Father and Son has no specific sex, but I would lean towards male becuse of my first thought about the Holy Spirit and Mary.

I see no issue here, God our Father is Male in his mystical gender as is the Holy Spirit and Jesus was a Man in his human form. Mary was born a woman and remains a women as our Mother for all eternity.