Freethought & Rationalism Archive

cyris8400 · 09-09-2006, 09:48 AM

Do Christian's ever/normally refer to their god as "She?"

Bizarre question, I know, but I was discussing, ghosts, gods, and the supernatural with a Catholic friend of mine yesterday. I offhandedly mentioned that if God did exist, it would probably be genderless. He said that by the same logic that ships and other things are referred to as females, so is God (despite "her" being the Holy Father). He backed this notion up with various in-depth conservations on the matter that he's had with priests and relatives of his that are very religious and/or are also priests.

Amaleq13 · 09-09-2006, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyris8400

Do Christian's ever/normally refer to their god as "She?"

"normally"? No.

"ever"? Given your Catholic friend's statement, yes.

demoninho · 09-09-2006, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyris8400

Do Christian's ever/normally refer to their god as "She?"

Bizarre question, I know, but I was discussing, ghosts, gods, and the supernatural with a Catholic friend of mine yesterday. I offhandedly mentioned that if God did exist, it would probably be genderless. He said that by the same logic that ships and other things are referred to as females, so is God (despite "her" being the Holy Father). He backed this notion up with various in-depth conservations on the matter that he's had with priests and relatives of his that are very religious and/or are also priests.

I think the closest you will get is this part from Genesis:
1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

(someone more knowledgable may come along bit I believe this passage speaks of gods and created they them not created he them in the original)

ceres · 09-09-2006, 12:05 PM

Hmmm you know its been a while since I've read about this issue, but if my memory serves correctly there are 6 different words for God in the Old Testament.... YHWH, Elohim, all that jazz... and some of them are actually more female than male. It was the translators that chose He... let's face it, they were men. :P The Jewish God is officially "gender neutral" and Holy Father is a descriptive term for the type of role God is to play and not a statement that God is a man.......... something like that.....

Faldage · 09-09-2006, 02:56 PM

Gender wasn't always conflated with sex. Back in the day the word wif, from which we get our modern word wife, was neuter. The word wifmann, from which we get the word woman, was masculine. The word god was masculine.

WishboneDawn · 09-09-2006, 05:55 PM

Read the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia's book of Common Prayer. Lots of native imagery and lots of feminine imagery.

cyris8400 · 09-10-2006, 12:56 PM

Okay. How about this: Aren't there a great many Bible verses referring to God (not Jesus) as being male, and none about God being female?

mountainman · 09-11-2006, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyris8400

Okay. How about this: Aren't there a great many Bible verses referring to God (not Jesus) as being male, and none about God being female?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_and...God_and_gender

ceres · 09-12-2006, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyris8400

Okay. How about this: Aren't there a great many Bible verses referring to God (not Jesus) as being male, and none about God being female?

IN ENGLISH. So that would be a.... No.

09-09-2006, 09:48 AM	#1
cyris8400 Regular Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 134	God as "She?" Do Christian's ever/normally refer to their god as "She?" Bizarre question, I know, but I was discussing, ghosts, gods, and the supernatural with a Catholic friend of mine yesterday. I offhandedly mentioned that if God did exist, it would probably be genderless. He said that by the same logic that ships and other things are referred to as females, so is God (despite "her" being the Holy Father). He backed this notion up with various in-depth conservations on the matter that he's had with priests and relatives of his that are very religious and/or are also priests.

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09-09-2006, 12:05 PM	#4
ceres Regular Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 330	Hmmm you know its been a while since I've read about this issue, but if my memory serves correctly there are 6 different words for God in the Old Testament.... YHWH, Elohim, all that jazz... and some of them are actually more female than male. It was the translators that chose He... let's face it, they were men. :P The Jewish God is officially "gender neutral" and Holy Father is a descriptive term for the type of role God is to play and not a statement that God is a man.......... something like that.....

09-09-2006, 02:56 PM	#5
Faldage Regular Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Newfield, NY, USA Posts: 161	Gender wasn't always conflated with sex. Back in the day the word wif, from which we get our modern word wife, was neuter. The word wifmann, from which we get the word woman, was masculine. The word god was masculine.

09-09-2006, 05:55 PM	#6
WishboneDawn Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 4,287	Read the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia's book of Common Prayer. Lots of native imagery and lots of feminine imagery.

09-10-2006, 12:56 PM	#7
cyris8400 Regular Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 134	Okay. How about this: Aren't there a great many Bible verses referring to God (not Jesus) as being male, and none about God being female?

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