Can God be called She?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ronja
  • Start date Start date
  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
R

Ronja

Guest
When people ask Christians about why God is called a He, they often gets the answer that God has both male and female elements, but that he is Spirit, not a gender. If that is the case, why do we only call him by He and not She?
Both men and women are made in his image?
 
God is spirit.........We should revere Him as He has always presented Himself.

Having said this. There are times when our Father has referred to some of His favorite men in His Word with a feminine pronoun in Hebrew, that is in th eoriginal language.

Frankly, I think anyone who feels a need to genderize our Father is looking too much at the flesh and not having the Spiritual mind one should have in order to worship sHim.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 49
God created man first, then from man He created a variation.
God came to earth in the form of a man named Jesus.
Throughout the bible God is represented as a masculine notion.
Whatever God is or is not in spirit form He clearly chose to be represented in the masculine. The only reason I can see for anyone to seek to challenge this is their need, likely influenced by modern culture, to view things through a lense they prefer, rather than adapt themselves to what is. Changing God to their image, so to speak.
 
The thing is that even though people claim that gender is not important and if you do it’s to focus on the wrong thing, people get very upset when you call God anything else than a man.
The Bible was created by men in a time when women didn’t get much say in the matter. I am not saying that the Bible is not holy and not inspired by God, but to only make it from the view of half the population is strange.
Personally I believe that Adam was both male and female, made in Gods image, but then God saw that relationship was needed and split them into two people who complete each other.
The issue with calling God only a man is that women might have a hard time connecting the same way as men does. And sometimes your views of you own father might mirror what you believe of God, and therefor affect your relationship in a negative way.
And yes, Jesus came to earth as a man, but that doesn’t make God all manly. That would be a very strange though to me.
 
Subhumanoidal said:
God created man first, then from man He created a variation.
Click to expand...
To say that a woman is a variation of men is totally wrong, since even though we are same in many ways we are also totally different. Not just a variation.
 
To make our Father any gender demonstrates a total lack of understanding how we all are come the kingdom, let alone how He is.

He is Spirit and would be worshiped in spirit and truth. Have you not read what our Saivor says about how we will be come the kingdom?
 
  • Like
Reactions: blueluna5
JaumeJ said:
To make our Father any gender demonstrates a total lack of understanding how we all are come the kingdom, let alone how He is.

He is Spirit and would be worshiped in spirit and truth. Have you not read what our Saivor says about how we will be come the kingdom?
Click to expand...
I know that the gender is not the important thing and that God is spirit. But what I am trying to say is that we as humans are allowed to call him He since it is something we can understand. But then why not She? Since we are all created in his image. If gender doesn’t matter, can’t we call him what would be closest to our hearts?
 
Everything on earth is symbolic of God. So there are times where he seems more like a mother. "How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."

Yet, God is the king. Jesus came to earth as a man.
 
blueluna5 said:
Everything on earth is symbolic of God. So there are times where he seems more like a mother. "How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."

Yet, God is the king. Jesus came to earth as a man.
Click to expand...
Exactly! That is the thing though, God is both mother and father, but it’s only okay to call him father and not mother?
 
Ronja said:
When people ask Christians about why God is called a He, they often gets the answer that God has both male and female elements, but that he is Spirit, not a gender. If that is the case, why do we only call him by He and not She?
Both men and women are made in his image?
Click to expand...
God has made himself know as Father and Spirit and Light.
God is not the vessel but the contents.
God is not what is illuminated but what illuminates.

She implies a vessel, a receiver or bearer of the spirit life light and image.
More like a mirror that reflects shows and embodies your image.
The expression of your glory in what has come from you.
The art verses the artiest.

Woman a receiving vessel of physical life
The Church the receiving vessel of spiritual life.

God is Father because he is the source of life.
Jesus is Son because he is the life from withing the Father.
The Holy Spirit is the seed of that life that we receive in our vessel.

God is not male or female those are physical constructs given to us to understand in their function how Spiritual things function in Gods reality.
What is created from God is she spiritually. (easy now guys)
Like what was created from Adam was she physically

The expressed glory of something could be said to be she in function.
Man being the Glory of God you might say is how a man is she relative to God withing the context of the bride of Christ or Church.
Women being the Glory of man is how she gets her physical she-ness :D because she is the expression of the physical glory of man.
It is also why women are so much more physically/emotionally effected by the quality of the source she is connected to in life: Father, Husband, Christ. God.

It may not be perfect understanding, but its more then a platitude.
Even it it seems weirder then a platypus.

I you can accept it, Glory to God.
If not, No big deal.

Its not like it is gospel or critical to receiving the love of God in your soul.
 
Ronja said:
When people ask Christians about why God is called a He, they often gets the answer that God has both male and female elements, but that he is Spirit, not a gender. If that is the case, why do we only call him by He and not She?
Both men and women are made in his image?
Click to expand...

Regarding the Title: NO.

Regarding your comment.............the IMAGE we are made in IS NOT our physical images............BUT our eternal spirits. They are neither male, nor female......they are as the angles.........

Your comment (not saying you do) content is often used to say God is both male and female........and used to justify "alternate lifestyles." Just so you know........
 
  • Like
Reactions: tourist
Oh, I see now.........should have checked your Profile Page first

BirthdayDecember 5
Gender female
Marital Status not married

Spiritual Status unsure

Country Flag/Nationality USA
Country (Location)United States


mayhaps you are trying to discredit God?
 
God does encompass both male and female characteristics because God is all encompassing by definition.

But we call God He, because His relationship with mankind is what modeled earthly relationship (marriage, unity) of male and female. Provider vs nourisher. God is rightly called He when juxtaposed with mankind. This doesn't mean limiting His characteristics. Hope that helps.
 
Ronja said:
When people ask Christians about why God is called a He, they often gets the answer that God has both male and female elements, but that he is Spirit, not a gender. If that is the case, why do we only call him by He and not She?
Both men and women are made in his image?
Click to expand...
To answer the question, sure, why not?

God is the holy spirit and thus is neuter, or, without a gender. The spirit is not a male nor female. It is holy, sacred, and of God. God created humans in the image and likeness of holy spirit.

If someone refers to God as Goddess, I don't think they're wrong. Thankfully, God isn't petty. I don't think God will say, off to Hell with you! For that.

That is just my thoughts.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ronja
p_rehbein said:
Oh, I see now.........should have checked your Profile Page first

BirthdayDecember 5
Gender female
Marital Status not married

Spiritual Status unsure

Country Flag/Nationality USA
Country (Location)United States


mayhaps you are trying to discredit God?
Click to expand...
Are you discrediting my question from my profile status?
If you really must know, I have been Christian since birth and a very active such. But about 4 years ago I fell very ill and out of touch with God. The reason I picked unsure was that I am not as accepting of everything as I was before. But I do believe in God and Jesus.
Still think that this legit question is me trying to discredit God? Or do you need to rethink your prejudiced thoughts as soon as you hear someone is not a hardcore Christian?
 
p_rehbein said:
Regarding the Title: NO.

Regarding your comment.............the IMAGE we are made in IS NOT our physical images............BUT our eternal spirits. They are neither male, nor female......they are as the angles.........

Your comment (not saying you do) content is often used to say God is both male and female........and used to justify "alternate lifestyles." Just so you know........
Click to expand...
Alternate lifestyles?
200 years ago it would have been an absolutely Nono to Gaye a woman in power in most places of the world. And therefor even recognizing the image of God women was made from. Today is different and women and men are almost equal in many places. And of course we are questioning why the Bible is written by men, about mostly men and a God that has created all humanity, men and women both, and clearly has women/mother-like qualities, but are only allowed to be called a man.
Is it that strange that me, part of the other half of the population wonders about this? I know that it’s said that God is the man and the earth his woman.
But say that I would have a very bad relationship with my father, and everytime I call God a Father my picture of my father comes up. Would it hurt that much to, in thought of Gods motherly nature, call him Mother?
 
God is Spirit. He describes Himself in terms of being 100% 'masculine' 0% 'feminine'. Except when referring to Jesus - Who was born into the human race as a male - it is improper to refer to God as "a man" (or, obviously, "a woman").

We refer to Him as a 'He' because He does.

The word 'woman' literally means "from a man" or "out of man" (see Genesis 2:23).

A woman is not a "variation" of a man. She is a "counterpart" (a "matched fit").

Adam was not male and female. Adam was male. Eve was female.

How history has changed over time is meaningless in view of:

"God said..."

What should be closest to our hearts is to accept Him as He is - how He has presented Himself to be.

He is not 'Father' and 'Mother'. He is only 'Father' - 'mother' only exists in the realm of the human race.

(I lower-cased 'mother' on purpose to differentiate the 'God' references from the human race.)

It would be blasphemous to call Him a 'goddess'.

Do not confuse or conflate 'spiritual' and 'physical'.
 
I don't think of God as being male in a literal sense. Because He doesn't have a body. He's a spiritual being, not a physical one like we are. But then again....I could be wrong.


I lean more towards the notion that God simply has male characteristics and attributes. And this is why we refer to God as he rather than she.


Just my two cents. :)
 
Going_Nowhere said:
I don't think of God as being male in a literal sense. Because He doesn't have a body. He's a spiritual being, not a physical one like we are. But then again....I could be wrong.


I lean more towards the notion that God simply has male characteristics and attributes. And this is why we refer to God as he rather than she.


Just my two cents. :)
Click to expand...
But if he only has male attributes, where did the women attributes in humans come from?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back