Does God have a gender?

Anything to do with gender and the status of women and men.

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MagsJ
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by MagsJ »

Gary Childress wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 9:32 pm I was just joking about the mini-me stuff. I'm pretty certain I'm too old and not psychologically all together enough to have a kid.
You’ve just described, oh I dunno, 50% of parents, these days. :D
Iwannaplato
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Re: Does God have a gender?

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Lacewing wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 6:29 pm
Iwannaplato wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 2:17 pm IOW for them sex and gender are aligned, it's just their soul didn't match their birth body
Interesting.

Some people may think souls are male and female? That doesn't seem logical to me... just as a gender for a god doesn't make sense. The gendered human body is just a vehicle. If I were embodied into a car, would I feel more like a Camero than a Toyota? I'm not sure that earthly identities extend beyond the earthly realm.
I understand. There are different takes on this. But part of my reaction here is that the Left has two opposed philosophies here and I am not sure they want to look at this. (I pretty much have always been on the Left, so this isn't sniping from the Right). And, I think, they take one stand when it comes to transissues and another when it comes to religions/spiritualities. Of course, this is a generality. But there is a tendency on the Left to be anti-spiritual, even if they may defend the right to practice (especially non-dominant) religions.
Belinda
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Belinda »

It seems to be traditional for the masculine gender to be bossy and that is why God is taken to be masculine.
Iwannaplato
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Iwannaplato »

Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 12:19 am It seems to be traditional for the masculine gender to be bossy and that is why God is taken to be masculine.
Traditional in the large dominating religions. Less so in other religions. Certainly more complicated in pagan and indigenous religions.
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MagsJ
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by MagsJ »

Iwannaplato wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 12:22 am
Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 12:19 am It seems to be traditional for the masculine gender to be bossy and that is why God is taken to be masculine.
Traditional in the large dominating religions. Less so in other religions. Certainly more complicated in pagan and indigenous religions.
Yes.. coz pagan and indigenous religions/belief-systems, denote their deities/ancestral-worship with the nomenclature of God or Goddess, to differentiate said deity/ancestor. It ain’t rocket-science!

Waiter.. Iwannaplato, of whatever he’s having..
Iwannaplato
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Iwannaplato »

MagsJ wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 5:14 am
Iwannaplato wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 12:22 am
Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 12:19 am It seems to be traditional for the masculine gender to be bossy and that is why God is taken to be masculine.
Traditional in the large dominating religions. Less so in other religions. Certainly more complicated in pagan and indigenous religions.
Yes.. coz pagan and indigenous religions/belief-systems, denote their deities/ancestral-worship with the nomenclature of God or Goddess, to differentiate said deity/ancestor. It ain’t rocket-science!
I'm not sure what you mean here. Also are you saying I shouldn't have just reminded people that we not just look at those religions with male deities? Or were you agreeing with me here?
Waiter.. Iwannaplato, of whatever he’s having..
I'm not sure what you mean here either.
Belinda
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Belinda »

Iwannaplato wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 12:22 am
Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 12:19 am It seems to be traditional for the masculine gender to be bossy and that is why God is taken to be masculine.
Traditional in the large dominating religions. Less so in other religions. Certainly more complicated in pagan and indigenous religions.
Women have, in past times at least , been incommoded by pregnancy and lactation so they have been dependent on men, men naturally have taken advantage of women's dependency and made them into chattels.
Is there any pagan or indigenous religion that is not politicised? Hinduism in India for instance divides people into rigid social classes.
pagans can’t be broadly categorized, politically speaking. Despite the population being “women-dominated” and some pagan religions being goddess-centered, they “hold no distinctive views on women in the workforce,” Marchetti said, and men actually hold a disproportionate number of positions of authority within pagan organizations.
(Marchetti) https://religionnews.com/2021/05/26/pag ... you-think/
Iwannaplato
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Iwannaplato »

Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 1:49 pm Women have, in past times at least , been incommoded by pregnancy and lactation so they have been dependent on men, men naturally have taken advantage of women's dependency and made them into chattels.
I figure physical strength has been a core factor.
Is there any pagan or indigenous religion that is not politicised?
Well, there are paganisms and indigenous religions where it would be strange to simply say God is male, period. They are often female deities, sometimes as equal counterparts. Pretty much anything can be somehow connected to politics or considered political.Hinduism in India for instance divides people into rigid social classes. As far as Hinduism, I'd consider that one of the large dominating religions. That said, again it would be misleading to describe Hinduism as considering the deity masculine, period.
pagans can’t be broadly categorized, politically speaking. Despite the population being “women-dominated” and some pagan religions being goddess-centered, they “hold no distinctive views on women in the workforce,” Marchetti said, and men actually hold a disproportionate number of positions of authority within pagan organizations.
(Marchetti) https://religionnews.com/2021/05/26/pag ... you-think/
[/quote]OK, it seems like you are saying that pagan religions are not free from sexism or something like that. I didn't say they were.
Belinda
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Belinda »

Iwannaplato wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 2:34 pm
Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 1:49 pm Women have, in past times at least , been incommoded by pregnancy and lactation so they have been dependent on men, men naturally have taken advantage of women's dependency and made them into chattels.
I figure physical strength has been a core factor.
Is there any pagan or indigenous religion that is not politicised?
Well, there are paganisms and indigenous religions where it would be strange to simply say God is male, period. They are often female deities, sometimes as equal counterparts. Pretty much anything can be somehow connected to politics or considered political.Hinduism in India for instance divides people into rigid social classes. As far as Hinduism, I'd consider that one of the large dominating religions. That said, again it would be misleading to describe Hinduism as considering the deity masculine, period.
pagans can’t be broadly categorized, politically speaking. Despite the population being “women-dominated” and some pagan religions being goddess-centered, they “hold no distinctive views on women in the workforce,” Marchetti said, and men actually hold a disproportionate number of positions of authority within pagan organizations.
(Marchetti) https://religionnews.com/2021/05/26/pag ... you-think/
OK, it seems like you are saying that pagan religions are not free from sexism or something like that. I didn't say they were.
[/quote]

God's gender is a feminist issue. Personally I don't mind calling God 'He' as I think of God as a social construct. But a lot of people think God really exists apart from social construct, so it does matter for women that Almighty is feminine gender.
Gary Childress
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Gary Childress »

Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 12:19 am It seems to be traditional for the masculine gender to be bossy and that is why God is taken to be masculine.
Men can be passive too and women can be bossy.
Iwannaplato
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Iwannaplato »

Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 3:50 pm God's gender is a feminist issue. Personally I don't mind calling God 'He' as I think of God as a social construct. But a lot of people think God really exists apart from social construct, so it does matter for women that Almighty is feminine gender.
Of course. It matters to me and I'm a man. I can only imagine it would be even more important to women. I don't think I've said anything against God having a female gender or that people shouldn't care about the issue. I mentioned indigenous religions many perhaps most have female goddesses often as partners or counterparts to a male God or gods.
Last edited by Iwannaplato on Sat Mar 04, 2023 11:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Flannel Jesus
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Flannel Jesus »

Fun fact: it's doctrine in the Mormon church that God is the Heavenly Father who has a spouse, Heavenly Mother. Fun fact #2: it's very, very discouraged to talk about Heavenly Mother.
Belinda
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Belinda »

Iwannaplato wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 10:57 pm
Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 3:50 pm God's gender is a feminist issue. Personally I don't mind calling God 'He' as I think of God as a social construct. But a lot of people think God really exists apart from social construct, so it does matter for women that Almighty is feminine gender.
Of course. It matters to me and I'm a man. I can only imagine it would be even more important to women. I don't think I've said anything against God having a female gender or that people shouldn't care about the issue. I mentioned indigenous religions many perhaps most have female goddesses often as partners or counterparts to a male God or gods.
Yes, I know pagans have female counterparts to the male god, and that is a point worth making. Even Xianity has the Virgin Mary. But my point is religions become politics and males are predominantly the bosses even in paganism, which is exceptionally female-friendly.
Gary Childress
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Gary Childress »

Belinda wrote: Sun Mar 05, 2023 1:30 am
Iwannaplato wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 10:57 pm
Belinda wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 3:50 pm God's gender is a feminist issue. Personally I don't mind calling God 'He' as I think of God as a social construct. But a lot of people think God really exists apart from social construct, so it does matter for women that Almighty is feminine gender.
Of course. It matters to me and I'm a man. I can only imagine it would be even more important to women. I don't think I've said anything against God having a female gender or that people shouldn't care about the issue. I mentioned indigenous religions many perhaps most have female goddesses often as partners or counterparts to a male God or gods.
Yes, I know pagans have female counterparts to the male god, and that is a point worth making. Even Xianity has the Virgin Mary. But my point is religions become politics and males are predominantly the bosses even in paganism, which is exceptionally female-friendly.
I think many developed nations have come a long way in acknowledging the ability of women to do most tasks as equally or, in some cases, perhaps even better than men do. There are females present in politics now. There are females in the military. I myself have spent most of my work life responding to the dictates of female bosses in the work place. There are lots of females in academics now. You gals seem to me to be doing pretty well. But if you don't value men, then what's the point?
Belinda
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Re: Does God have a gender?

Post by Belinda »

Gary Childress wrote: Sun Mar 05, 2023 5:24 pm
Belinda wrote: Sun Mar 05, 2023 1:30 am
Iwannaplato wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 10:57 pm
Of course. It matters to me and I'm a man. I can only imagine it would be even more important to women. I don't think I've said anything against God having a female gender or that people shouldn't care about the issue. I mentioned indigenous religions many perhaps most have female goddesses often as partners or counterparts to a male God or gods.
Yes, I know pagans have female counterparts to the male god, and that is a point worth making. Even Xianity has the Virgin Mary. But my point is religions become politics and males are predominantly the bosses even in paganism, which is exceptionally female-friendly.
I think many developed nations have come a long way in acknowledging the ability of women to do most tasks as equally or, in some cases, perhaps even better than men do. There are females present in politics now. There are females in the military. I myself have spent most of my work life responding to the dictates of female bosses in the work place. There are lots of females in academics now. You gals seem to me to be doing pretty well. But if you don't value men, then what's the point?
That is true, and the less conservative religious sects are occasionally calling God "she" and "it".
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