No, you can't call God mother!

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gnosisofthomas said:
It isn’t as if God has a gender, so any language we use to refer to Him or describe Him puts limitations on Him that don’t actually exist. Gnostics have always considered the Holy Spirit feminine, and She is sometimes referred to as “Mother” in the scriptures. I don’t really see a problem here. 🤷
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Please show me one place where God is referred to as Mother in the Bible.
 
ProdglArchitect said:
Please show me one place where God is referred to as Mother in the Bible.
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I’m Gnostic, so that’s irrelevant… I was referring to Gnostic scripture. Although the fact is that in Greek “Spirit” is feminine, so the proper pronoun for the Holy Spirit would be “Her”.
 
gnosisofthomas said:
I’m Gnostic, so that’s irrelevant… I was referring to Gnostic scripture. Although the fact is that in Greek “Spirit” is feminine, so the proper pronoun for the Holy Spirit would be “Her”.
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You can’t look at Greek for the gender since it’s a proper noun. You have to look at the original Hebrew. I’ll admit I don’t know which side it falls on, but honestly, that’s largely irrelevant to the discussion.

Even as a Gnostic, you do accept the Bible, right? If so, then how do you discount that ever instance in which God is directly addressed or referred to, the masculine form is used?
 
ProdglArchitect said:
You can’t look at Greek for the gender since it’s a proper noun. You have to look at the original Hebrew. I’ll admit I don’t know which side it falls on, but honestly, that’s largely irrelevant to the discussion.

Even as a Gnostic, you do accept the Bible, right? If so, then how do you discount that ever instance in which God is directly addressed or referred to, the masculine form is used?
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Do you think the preference for calling G-d He instead of She has NOTHING to do with the patriarchal culture which forms the context in which the writers of the Bible lived?
 
meltzerboy said:
Do you think the preference for calling G-d He instead of She has NOTHING to do with the patriarchal culture which forms the context in which the writers of the Bible lived?
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If I were basing it purely on the Torah / OT, then I could see that argument holding some weight. Even still, if the Torah really was inspired by God, and especially considering that God was taking this opportunity to inform the Jewish people about his nature, then it seems logical to conclude that he would make his preference known to the writer.

In addition to that, when I factor in that Christ called God Father, there is really no other legitimate option for Christians.
 
ProdglArchitect said:
You can’t look at Greek for the gender since it’s a proper noun. You have to look at the original Hebrew. I’ll admit I don’t know which side it falls on, but honestly, that’s largely irrelevant to the discussion.

Even as a Gnostic, you do accept the Bible, right? If so, then how do you discount that ever instance in which God is directly addressed or referred to, the masculine form is used?
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The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, so Greek is very relevant here. In Hebrew, the word for spirit – ‘ruach’ – is also feminine.

I don’t accept a canonized Bible, but I do utilize the books in it along with Gnostic scriptures. Since Gnostic scriptures represent the Gnostic tradition, the language in there is very relevant to me as well. The Gospel of Philip, for example, states: “Some say, ‘Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.’ They are in error. They do not know what they are saying. When did a woman ever conceive by a woman? Mary is the virgin whom no power defiled.”

The Gospel of the Egyptians states: “Three powers came forth from him; they are the Father, the Mother, and the Son, from the living silence, what came forth from the incorruptible Father. These came forth from the silence of the unknown Father.”

The Gospel of the Hebrews: “Even so did my Mother, the Holy Spirit, take me by one of my hairs and carry me away to Mt. Tabor.”

In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus says, “My mother gave me a body, but my true Mother (the Holy Spirit) gave me life.”

I think it’s also worthwhile to note that many saints, including Hildegard von Bingen and Julian of Norwich, referred to God as Mother.
 
gnosisofthomas said:
The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, so Greek is very relevant here. In Hebrew, the word for spirit – ‘ruach’ – is also feminine.

I don’t accept a canonized Bible, but I do utilize the books in it along with Gnostic scriptures. Since Gnostic scriptures represent the Gnostic tradition, the language in there is very relevant to me as well. The Gospel of Philip, for example, states: “Some say, ‘Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.’ They are in error. They do not know what they are saying. When did a woman ever conceive by a woman? Mary is the virgin whom no power defiled.”

The Gospel of the Egyptians states: “Three powers came forth from him; they are the Father, the Mother, and the Son, from the living silence, what came forth from the incorruptible Father. These came forth from the silence of the unknown Father.”

The Gospel of the Hebrews: “Even so did my Mother, the Holy Spirit, take me by one of my hairs and carry me away to Mt. Tabor.”

In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus says, “My mother gave me a body, but my true Mother (the Holy Spirit) gave me life.”

I think it’s also worthwhile to note that many saints, including Hildegard von Bingen and Julian of Norwich, referred to God as Mother.
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Well, given that you reject the Bible, and believe in writings that I cannot accept as valid, we really don’t have any common grounds from which we can talk. You refer to the Egyptians, Hebrew and Thomas; I refer to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
 
ProdglArchitect said:
Well, given that you reject the Bible, and believe in writings that I cannot accept as valid, we really don’t have any common grounds from which we can talk. You refer to the Egyptians, Hebrew and Thomas; I refer to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
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For the record, I don’t reject those Gospels. I just don’t consider the Bible (or any scriptures) authoritative.
 
gnosisofthomas said:
For the record, I don’t reject those Gospels. I just don’t consider the Bible (or any scriptures) authoritative.
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So, if you don’t view any scripture as authoritative, why do you accept that those gnostic ones refer to God maternally, but reject the fact that the rest of them all use masculine terms?
 
gnosisofthomas said:
It isn’t as if God has a gender, so any language we use to refer to Him or describe Him puts limitations on Him that don’t actually exist. Gnostics have always considered the Holy Spirit feminine, and She is sometimes referred to as “Mother” in the scriptures. I don’t really see a problem here. 🤷
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I don’t know what scriptures you’re reading…I have a Douay Reams, New Amer. Stand., & New International version…they all use masculine gender for Father, Son & Holy Spirit!
 
God transcends our understanding. We picture things by using our limited language abilities. What ever pronoun is used it still only aids our limited ability to understand the nature of the Almighty. Jesus incarnate as a man is one part of the Trinity which is one God. The Holy Spirit is the love that flows between father and son and would defy gender put the three persons together in one God. What ever the nature of God we don’t understand it. We shouldn’t seek to because we can’t but it must be more a single human gender
 
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger, had a famous section in one of his theological books which essentially spelled out God throughout the OT undeniably is presented as a Masculine Persona, the Son was Incarnated as Male, that Son ALWAYS referred to the Father as Father (and only ONCE refered to himself in a CLEAR METAPHOR as a mother hen–so if you want to use that you have to think of God as a chicken:rolleyes:) and yes even the Holy Spirit has a definite masculine persona (Initiator, mover and shaker, Persuerer)

The Shekinah is more an issue of Hebrew gender nouns that any basis for systemic feminist re-imaginings
 
ProdglArchitect said:
So, if you don’t view any scripture as authoritative, why do you accept that those gnostic ones refer to God maternally, but reject the fact that the rest of them all use masculine terms?
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I don’t reject the masculine terms, I was merely pointing out that the Holy Spirit is considered feminine, which may not be clear in English, but it is in Greek and Hebrew. Gnostics refer to God as the Unknown Father, among various other titles. He’s also referred to as Patermater, and various androgynous terms. The point is, whether you use “he”, “she”, “Mother”, “Father” isn’t all that important – what is important is to remember that God is none of those labels because He’s ineffable.
 
JimmyG88 said:
God transcends our understanding. We picture things by using our limited language abilities. What ever pronoun is used it still only aids our limited ability to understand the nature of the Almighty. Jesus incarnate as a man is one part of the Trinity which is one God. The Holy Spirit is the love that flows between father and son and would defy gender put the three persons together in one God. What ever the nature of God we don’t understand it. We shouldn’t seek to because we can’t but it must be more a single human gender
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Beautifully put! 🙂
 
gnosisofthomas said:
I don’t reject the masculine terms, I was merely pointing out that the Holy Spirit is considered feminine, which may not be clear in English, but it is in Greek and Hebrew. Gnostics refer to God as the Unknown Father, among various other titles. He’s also referred to as Patermater, and various androgynous terms. The point is, whether you use “he”, “she”, “Mother”, “Father” isn’t all that important – what is important is to remember that God is none of those labels because He’s ineffable.
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Read, John 16 :5 - 15. Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit and constantly says “HE”.

So the idiots on here will be saying satan is a woman! :eek:
 
gnosisofthomas said:
The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, so Greek is very relevant here. In Hebrew, the word for spirit – ‘ruach’ – is also feminine.

I don’t accept a canonized Bible…
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John 14: [8] Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father, and it is enough for us. [9] Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you; and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou, shew us the Father?
 
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truetofaith:
I was always taught to believe in God and angels as genderless. We can’t dare believe that the creator is in thrall to out human gender stereotypes. To comprehend the nature of the infinite isn’t possible for us
 
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