The Gender of God

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ManRay

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From what I’ve read in the bible God is often referred to as both genders. This may have been discussed before, but I am curious as to why many Christians refer to God in the masculine? There seems to be a psychological/philosophical undercurrent regarding the tone of masculinity throughout the church, and was curious as to how the church approaches this. Is this simply an anthropomorphic tendency of man, or is there more to it? God created man in his own image. We take man to be the catchall for man, and woman obviously, but how does that jive with Eve coming from Adam? Also the church only allows women to progress so far. In a world where people are considered equal in matters of intellect, vocation, etc…why wouldn’t some of these ideas have been readily apparent thousands of years ago in regards to scripture, and why did it take secular positioning for it to reach fruition currently, for example a woman’s right to vote??
 
It has to do with the reality that God is the pursuer, and we are the pursued. God proposes, we say yes or no. God is the groom, we are the bride.

Note that the Catholic (and Orthodox) Churches consider a female, Mary, as the most perfect human ever created, and the very Queen of Heaven (over all other creatures, human and angels).
 
ManRay said:
I have no idea what this means. Is God stalking people?
I thought he created us?
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God reveals himself to us, and at the same time grants us the grace to receive that revelation. We do not reveal ourselves to him - the artwork does not reveal itself to the artist.

Why would you use a term like “stalking”? Are you interested in understanding, or in cracking wise?
 
ManRay said:
From what I’ve read in the bible God is often referred to as both genders. This may have been discussed before, but I am curious as to why many Christians refer to God in the masculine? There seems to be a psychological/philosophical undercurrent regarding the tone of masculinity throughout the church, and was curious as to how the church approaches this. Is this simply an anthropomorphic tendency of man, or is there more to it? God created man in his own image. We take man to be the catchall for man, and woman obviously, but how does that jive with Eve coming from Adam? Also the church only allows women to progress so far. In a world where people are considered equal in matters of intellect, vocation, etc…why wouldn’t some of these ideas have been readily apparent thousands of years ago in regards to scripture, and why did it take secular positioning for it to reach fruition currently, for example a woman’s right to vote??
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Just curious, have there been women who have created societies and structured law…? I don’t recall reading this in secular history books but I could be wrong.

I do recall women as being gatherers, nurturers, etc… So if God is the creator, then that’s probably why He is considered as masculine.
 
God the Father is a Spirit; so is God the Holy Spirit.

God the Son came to us as a human male and He is quite definitely masculine. . .plus, He (the Son) revealed the Father to us specifically AS ‘The Father", not "the Father and Mother’ or the "Doesn’t have a gender’.
 
That’s right, so where in the bible is God referred to as being “feminine”…?:confused:
 
ManRay said:
From what I’ve read in the bible God is often referred to as both genders. This may have been discussed before, but I am curious as to why many Christians refer to God in the masculine? There seems to be a psychological/philosophical undercurrent regarding the tone of masculinity throughout the church, and was curious as to how the church approaches this. Is this simply an anthropomorphic tendency of man, or is there more to it? God created man in his own image. We take man to be the catchall for man, and woman obviously, but how does that jive with Eve coming from Adam? Also the church only allows women to progress so far. In a world where people are considered equal in matters of intellect, vocation, etc…why wouldn’t some of these ideas have been readily apparent thousands of years ago in regards to scripture, and why did it take secular positioning for it to reach fruition currently, for example a woman’s right to vote??
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Where did you read in the Bible that God is refered to as both genders?
 
snarflemike said:
God reveals himself to us, and at the same time grants us the grace to receive that revelation. We do not reveal ourselves to him - the artwork does not reveal itself to the artist.

Why would you use a term like “stalking”? Are you interested in understanding, or in cracking wise?
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Because you used the word “pursued”, and now you are using the word “reveal”. So god created us, and then wants to reveal itself to us. Notice how you are using the word “him”…this is what I am talking about. Is this anthropomorphism or did someone decide that god is a he, even though it is referred to a mother, and a midwife in the bible. It seems to me that god would simply have to be that thing which is beyond male or female. God wasn’t birthed, it was the first - no parents correct? All of the attributes you are talking about are products of creation. God could not be the creator and the product I would think.
 
ManRay said:
Because you used the word “pursued”, and now you are using the word “reveal”. So god created us, and then wants to reveal itself to us. Notice how you are using the word “him”…this is what I am talking about. Is this anthropomorphism or did someone decide that god is a he, even though it is referred to a mother, and a midwife in the bible. It seems to me that god would simply have to be that thing which is beyond male or female. God wasn’t birthed, it was the first - no parents correct? All of the attributes you are talking about are products of creation. God could not be the creator and the product I would think.
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Persuing is not stalking. If the word bothers you, try “courting”. God both reveals himself to us and courts us and gives us the grace to accept. What he does not do is force us, rob us of our free will.

Of course God is neither male nor female, but he reveals himself as male because he created male and female to mirror in some fashion his relationship to us. Everything in the universe is in some fashion a mirror of divine reality. The reality existed before the mirrors were created to hint at the reality.
 
ManRay said:
Because you used the word “pursued”, and now you are using the word “reveal”. So god created us, and then wants to reveal itself to us. Notice how you are using the word “him”…this is what I am talking about. Is this anthropomorphism or did someone decide that god is a he, even though it is referred to a mother, and a midwife in the bible. It seems to me that god would simply have to be that thing which is beyond male or female. God wasn’t birthed, it was the first - no parents correct? All of the attributes you are talking about are products of creation. God could not be the creator and the product I would think.
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Show us the verse where God is referred to as mother/midwife. You have yet to do so.

We refer to God as He because the entire Bible refers to him as He.
 
When I use the word refer…I’m trying to show how scripture also uses feminine attributes such as Isaiah 49:14 -But Zion said,* the Lord* has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me. :15 Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee.

God is also given non human attributes in the bible ( I believe it’s feathers, or wings or something) which makes sense because I would say that God is nonhuman?? Physical attributes such as sexual organs, etc… are what defines gender for us - people. Does god have sexual organs? Why? That makes no sense.
 
ManRay said:
When I use the word refer…I’m trying to show how scripture also uses feminine attributes such as Isaiah 49:14 -But Zion said,* the Lord* has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me. :15 Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee.

God is also given non human attributes in the bible ( I believe it’s feathers, or wings or something) which makes sense because I would say that God is nonhuman?? Physical attributes such as sexual organs, etc… are what defines gender for us - people. Does god have sexual organs? Why? That makes no sense.
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God is referred to multiple times as “he” in chapter 49. We also must note that the passage you are quoting is giving an example, but in no way suggests that God himself is woman. “Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee.”
 
ManRay said:
From what I’ve read in the bible God is often referred to as both genders. This may have been discussed before, but I am curious as to why many Christians refer to God in the masculine? There seems to be a psychological/philosophical undercurrent regarding the tone of masculinity throughout the church, and was curious as to how the church approaches this. Is this simply an anthropomorphic tendency of man, or is there more to it? God created man in his own image. We take man to be the catchall for man, and woman obviously, but how does that jive with Eve coming from Adam? Also the church only allows women to progress so far. In a world where people are considered equal in matters of intellect, vocation, etc…why wouldn’t some of these ideas have been readily apparent thousands of years ago in regards to scripture, and why did it take secular positioning for it to reach fruition currently, for example a woman’s right to vote??
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Jesus is, of course, masculine. Jesus refers to His “Father” in heaven. He said to Philip, “Who sees Me, sees the Father.” Also, the third person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is the Spouse of Mary. Of course we refer to God as He.
 
Your question has been answered. Jesus is male & refers to God the FATHER as male.

I am a women & have no problem with this! Perhaps it bothers you because you think that God is favoring Men over Women. That is the broken thinking of mankind. God created & LOVES US ALL EQUALLY! He simply has different tasks for us to carry out. Men can become priests. Women can have babies. Each offers different blessings to the world. Both are wonderful. The Catholic Church, & her scriptures teach us that all Men/Women are equal in dignity whether rich or poor, slave or free. Only mankind thinks/fears that being different means being inferior.
 
This is exactly what I am talking about. I must have not been clear. God is mostly referred in the masculine, although we can argue about Isaiah, or whether or not god is also referred to having feathers or wings. I’m just showing small instances where there is either a feminine reference or something non human. But yes you are correct, God is mostly referred to in the masculine. Which leads me to the point of what we as human beings know, and how we know someone is either male or female. Male and females possess certain HUMAN attributes. This is because we were birthed from another human, and so on. This is a biological reality. We are the PRODUCT of creation. I would liken it to the same as when referring to a boat or ship in the feminine. This is anthropomorphism on a smaller scale.
How could it be possible to refer to god as having a particular sex when that would limit god to our understanding of gender as it relates to the human species? Does god have Chromosomes?
 
ManRay said:
This is exactly what I am talking about. I must have not been clear. God is mostly referred in the masculine, although we can argue about Isaiah, or whether or not god is also referred to having feathers or wings. I’m just showing small instances where there is either a feminine reference or something non human. But yes you are correct, God is mostly referred to in the masculine. Which leads me to the point of what we as human beings know, and how we know someone is either male or female. Male and females possess certain HUMAN attributes. This is because we were birthed from another human, and so on. This is a biological reality. We are the PRODUCT of creation. I would liken it to the same as when referring to a boat or ship in the feminine. This is anthropomorphism on a smaller scale.
How could it be possible to refer to god as having a particular sex when that would limit god to our understanding of gender as it relates to the human species? Does god have Chromosomes?
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God the Son did/does.
 
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