Before I dive into this post, please know that I'm not trying to sound defensive. I enjoy discussing like this with people like you who are interested in being respectful and not blasting me with anger and false accusations like other people I have encountered in these forums. These discussions sharpen my beliefs, and while you have no hope of changing my mind, I find this sometime enjoyable and helps me research and sharpen my faith. Thank you for not being like BigBadWlf who is so blinded by anger that he thinks everyone is racist, discriminatory, and endorsing slavery and rape.
Thank you. Your courtesy is appreciated. I am enjoying our discussion too.
Well, it's obviously important to you for some reason to use the feminine pronoun. What point are you trying to make with it?
Well, I use it for several reasons, and only one of them is a point-making one. One reason is that I simply feel more comfortable with the feminine pronoun; I find it easier to empathise with believers if I think of God in the feminine, and of course, as a woman, I find "her" easier to relate to and identify with than "him".
Another reason: I simply don't see a reason to use "he" rather than "she". Either is theologically sound. Since I don't believe in Yahweh or any other gods, I don't feel much of a drive to refer to gods in any particularly gendered way unless their mythology really demands it. Perhaps you feel "she" doesn't suit Yahweh in particular (as opposed to anygod); but since Christian theology has a history of invoking the eternity and transcendence of God, I think you must take the rough (me calling God "she") with the smooth (Aquinas).
My point-making reason: I think it would be nice to recognise and redress the sad imbalance and injustice that has been caused by centuries of unbridled patriarchy, much of which has been fuelled and perpetuated by religions. Using the feminine for God sometimes helps people to remember that she is not, indeed, a man in the sky. But that is not my main reason for using the feminine pronoun. Mostly I just prefer it for aesthetic and sympathetic reasons.
And the purpose of gender is procreation. God is eternal; always was, and always will be. No need for procreation, so no need for sexual organs. Plus, He is a spiritual being, not possessing a physical body.
This is very true. My conclusion is that God is neither a he nor a she, so the pronouns are equally appropriate. (She's supposed to be a personal god, so I don't think "it" would be quite right.)
My calling God a He is to be consistant with Scripture, which always uses the pronoun "He." Also, when God was made manifest on earth as Jesus Christ, it was the male that was used. I feel that insisting on using "she" and leaving it uncapitalized is a significant denial of Scripture, placing own opinions above God. I don't think it's important to classify God as a male, but I think it's more imporant to just be consistant with Scripture and respect it.
That is your concern as a Christian, but not mine as a non-Christian.
You may call God whatever you like, of course.
Jesus was of course a man, but he wouldn't have got very far as a woman, so I don't find it very surprising that God picked him rather than a woman to be her advocate. But of course, you must remember that as a non-Christian, it's not at all surprising that a deeply patriarchal society gave birth to yet another a male religious leader.
As for capitalising, I have never felt an obligation to capitalise God's pronouns - I feel it would be a peculiar (and maybe even a somewhat derisive) concession to make to a being in which I do not believe.
I know you're not asking for my blessing. We all have different visuals for God in our mind; it's not always the old man with white hair and beard in a white robe.
I think God is offended at your denial of the Scriptures more than using the feminine. That's a more important issue. The word chosen, "she," reflects a deep rooted rebellion that I frankly don't understand. I noticed that the word "she" is popping up more than I and other people use "He." It seems perhaps you are using it as much as possible to make a point? Interesting debate.
Perhaps you notice the pronoun more because it is unfamiliar. I am not deliberately trying to use it more often.
I think it's slightly arrogant and highly Christocentric to see my use of the feminine pronoun as a rebellion. I do not limit my use to Yahweh. I tend to refer to anyone's god, unless his mythology explicitly demands otherwise, as "she". The ideas of God which seemed most appealing and convincing to me when I was younger were always feminine ideas. In some religions, that fits in very well. What you regard as a rebellion is compliance as far as others are concerned. You would do well to remember that Christianity is not the only game in town.
Because He is God. He does not have to answer to His creation. He can if he wants to, but that is up to Him, not us.
I confess, I do not like the sound of her one bit.
