NationStates Jolt Archive

Alright, let's settle this! What's God's gender?

Alright, let's settle this! What's God's gender?

Zero.

Null.

Nil.

Nada.

Empty set.

i was going to combine "male" and "female" until i realised that female is them combined anyway

so i dont know

although if he created Adam in his image then he must be male

not that i actually believe he exists anyway....

*reaches down gods pants*

OMG theres nothing there!

I vote both.

Because that'd just be funny :D

I always considered God above such distinctions. Although I suppose I do say "He". Hmm. Quite the pickle.

Quite the pickle.

I hope that wasn't a pun.

I think existence is a prerequisite for gender.

I say God is neither. He isn't a physical being, so he can't really have a gender. Since God is more or less the sum of all creation, he is both male and female, yet also neither because those are physical attributes. Kind of strange.

I hope that wasn't a pun.

No, and you've got a dirty mind for thinking it was. :D

I think existence is a prerequisite for gender.

I don't think so. Harry Potter doesn't exist, but she's a female.

in the poll, trannie would mean he crossdresses. which totally explains the robes.


did you mean hermaphrodite?

I don't think so. Harry Potter doesn't exist, but she's a female.

Harry Potter was given its gender by its creator/author. This god thingie apparently wasn't, if people can argue about it.

I say God is neither. He isn't a physical being, so he can't really have a gender. Since God is more or less the sum of all creation, he is both male and female, yet also neither because those are physical attributes. Kind of strange.


By that token, doesn't it also make him part squirrel?

*reaches down gods pants*

OMG theres nothing there!

On behalf of god, I am herby serving you with a complaint for sexual harassment.

You, by your own admission, groped god on Friday, April 8, 2005. god found it pleasant but it was nonconsensual and traumatic nonetheless. that god's omniscience told god it was going to happen in advance only magnified the horror as god has had to live with knowledge this incident both before and after it occurred.

We anticpate some trouble proving jurisdiction and standing, so we'd be willing to settle for attorney's fees and some groveling. ;)

in the poll, trannie would mean he crossdresses. which totally explains the robes.


did you mean hermaphrodite?

Transsexuals are not crossdressers, those are transvestites. I did mean hermaphrodite, though.

I always get them all mixed up...

I don't think so. Harry Potter doesn't exist, but she's a female.

Excuse me, young man, come over here for a short chat.

I won't run through all the birds and the bees, but you seem confused.

Harry Potter is male. In scientific terms, he has a dingaling.

Well the Bible refers to God as He/Him, so I'll stick with "Male".

Although... I've never seen God naked, so I cannot answer with 100% confidence.

hehe

Excuse me, young man, come over here for a short chat.

I won't run through all the birds and the bees, but you seem confused.

Harry Potter is male. In scientific terms, he has a dingaling.

Harry Potter has a WAND!

Transsexuals are not crossdressers, those are transvestites. I did mean hermaphrodite, though.

I always get them all mixed up...
me too. watch out you dont get them mixed up too often , though. your date that went well might end up in a tragic misshap :D

G-d's gender is whatever it wants it to be.... we shall call G-d's gender... "cat" named after cats...because cats and cute and furry...and so is.. ummm... ehh...

G-d can make his own gender up, hows that. -.-

Well the Bible refers to God as He/Him, so I'll stick with "Male".

Depends entirely on what version you use.

Excuse me, young man, come over here for a short chat.

I won't run through all the birds and the bees, but you seem confused.

Harry Potter is male. In scientific terms, he has a dingaling.

I read the books and they didn't mention that once! So until I see contradicting evidence otherwise, I conclude Harry has two X chromasomes. This is borne out by the fact that in Book IV, Harry has Ron's baby and begins breastfeeding.

Alright, let's settle this! What's God's gender?
Do you honestly believe that a poll on the Nation states forum will settle once and for all the gender of god? :p

I can see God going "Well, I was male but the NS folks say I have neither, so off with it!" ;)

I read the books and they didn't mention that once! So until I see contradicting evidence otherwise, I conclude Harry has two X chromasomes. This is borne out by the fact that in Book IV, Harry has Ron's baby and begins breastfeeding.

I forgot about that part.

But I thought Ron had a lesbian thing going with Hermione. Was Harry a surrogate mother?

Another good question is....is G-d circumsized? -.^

Do you honestly believe that a poll on the Nation states forum will settle once and for all the gender of god?

Of course! Don't you believe in Democracy? What are you, some kind of terrorist? :p

although if he created Adam in his image then he must be male


From Genesis 1: "Then 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 birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Note it doesn't say: "Let us create Adam in our image." Man refers to the human race. Us being created in the "image of "God" refers not to physical characteristics, but personal ones. Ie., the attributes of personality, mind, creativity, capacity for love and express emotions, the existence of will, conscience, imagination, memory and moral responsibility, and capacity for worship.

God did not have a physical form. Thats why it was until John chapter 1 that "...the Word was made flesh," (refering to the birth of Christ.)

Responding to the Jews notion of having to worship God in a certain physical place (a mountaintop or the temple), Jesus said in John chapter 4, "God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Hope that helps. ;)

Do you honestly believe that a poll on the Nation states forum will settle once and for all the gender of god? :p

I can see God going "Well, I was male but the NS folks say I have neither, so off with it!" ;)

Of course.

Everything we say here at NS changes the universe.

Like how we settled the gun debate and abortion.

Think of us like butterflies and hurricanes -- the Chaos Factor. There is plenty o' chaos here.

I read the books and they didn't mention that once! So until I see contradicting evidence otherwise, I conclude Harry has two X chromasomes. This is borne out by the fact that in Book IV, Harry has Ron's baby and begins breastfeeding.
I'll go with the fact that Harry is shown as a male on every book cover and movie out there that has been approved by JK Rowlings. If Harry was female, don'T you think she would have said something before?

pff. All this nonsense about "non-physical forms" and hemaphrodites. I think it should be pretty obvious to everyone that God is a Girl. End of story.

On behalf of god, I am herby serving you with a complaint for sexual harassment.

You, by your own admission, groped god on Friday, April 8, 2005. god found it pleasant but it was nonconsensual and traumatic nonetheless. that god's omniscience told god it was going to happen in advance only magnified the horror as god has had to live with knowledge this incident both before and after it occurred.

We anticpate some trouble proving jurisdiction and standing, so we'd be willing to settle for attorney's fees and some groveling. ;)


God is gunna lose this case. I got myself Satan as my lawyer. Satan has already informed me that God is not a human being and therefore cannot file sexual harrasment. Being without sex, as well, it seems that God cannot be sexually harassed.

From Genesis 1: "Then 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 birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
see, i always was told he created Adam, then created Eve from Adam

not that i care, 'god' doesnt exist as far as im concerned

God's definitely a woman. Only a girl would get jealous and demand constant attention. Only a girl would be too insecure to show her face. Also, only a girl would PMS then destroy the world over and over, every few thousand years.

I'll go with the fact that Harry is shown as a male on every book cover and movie out there
No, Harry is a butch.

:D

In all seriousness, the 'both' option makes far more sense than either male or female. And it has the beauty that when a man and woman get married, they are uniting to form an image, if you will, of God.

Of course, all these lofty ideals lose their beauty (for me) when you realize just what qualifies as marriage and how married people tend to actually look (not very Godly, not even when boffing :p).

So then I'd say the neither option makes the most sense for me.

see, i always was told he created Adam, then created Eve from Adam

not that i care, 'god' doesnt exist as far as im concerned


actually the name would be "G-d", not "god"

god just refers to any god

Ie.

That god sure is sexy....

compared to.

That G-d sure is sexy....


so just for future reference, if your talking about the Semetic G-d...you should always capitalize the "G", and if your at least respectful to other religions, maybe you'll also put a hypen "-" where the "o" is supposed to be? =\

God has no physical presense. He (and I use "He" because It sounds demeaning, and She sounds Paegen) is an energy force, who can alter events and physical matter.

I'll go with the fact that Harry is shown as a male on every book cover and movie out there that has been approved by JK Rowlings. If Harry was female, don'T you think she would have said something before?

Typical male conspiracy.

You think that is the real JK Rowlings. :rolleyes:

If you really studied the Harry Potter books every day and prayed to Dumbledore, you'd understand. As is, you're on your way to Azkaban. Straighten up and fly right. :D

I answered "Both" because that's how I prefer to see the Divine, and I do think it is more a matter of individual preference than "reality" - whatever that is. I realize that "Neither" is probably more correct, technically - but that makes it difficult to imagine. Dividing the Divine into two entities, male and female, brings it more down to earth for me. And isn't that why Christianity came up with the idea that Jesus was God incarnate - to bring God down to earth for them so they could relate to him better? Anyway, that's how I see it.

actually the name would be "G-d", not "god"

god just refers to any god

Ie.

That god sure is sexy....

compared to.

That G-d sure is sexy....


so just for future reference, if your talking about the Semetic G-d...you should always capitalize the "G", and if your at least respectful to other religions, maybe you'll also put a hypen "-" where the "o" is supposed to be? =\
why put a hyphen?

it says "God" in the church i had to go to when i was younger, not "G-d", and thats good enough for me

so just for future reference, if your talking about the Semetic G-d...you should always capitalize the "G", and if your at least respectful to other religions, maybe you'll also put a hypen "-" where the "o" is supposed to be? =\

Why?

actually the name would be "G-d", not "god"

god just refers to any god

Ie.

That god sure is sexy....

compared to.

That G-d sure is sexy....


so just for future reference, if your talking about the Semetic G-d...you should always capitalize the "G", and if your at least respectful to other religions, maybe you'll also put a hypen "-" where the "o" is supposed to be? =\
I never understood the rationale behing G-d. Care to explain to me why G-d would be acceptable and God wouldn't?

Typical male conspiracy.

You think that is the real JK Rowlings. :rolleyes:

If you really studied the Harry Potter books every day and prayed to Dumbledore, you'd understand. As is, you're on your way to Azkaban. Straighten up and fly right. :D
Sorry!

But who are you? A He-who-must-not-be-named acolyte?

If so, why would I listen to you?

eh?

god=any generic god, so you could be talking about shiva, african gods, greek gods, etc.

G-d= The famous Western World G-d, you know in Judaism, Christianity and Islam...and their subsects.

as for the hyphen thing, that's just if you want to be at the very least respectful the the religion. =\

EDIT: I don't have time for a mini rant, on why G-d would be acceptable... i g2g right now, if this thread is still up, and your still interested, and wanna hear it from my mouth, i will either TG, or post here...whatever you guys want.

bye.

God is gunna lose this case. I got myself Satan as my lawyer. Satan has already informed me that God is not a human being and therefore cannot file sexual harrasment. Being without sex, as well, it seems that God cannot be sexually harassed.

Satan has a conflict of interest. He is a partner in my firm. We represent Microsoft on a regular basis. So, he is disqualified. You will still have to pay Satan's fees, given the wording of his in-blood contracts.

As I said, our case is not iron tight. That's why we have made a generous settlement offer.

But if you want to take a chance with a jury .... God makes a pretty good impression with juries, you know. God cleans up nice.

eh?

god=any generic god, so you could be talking about shiva, african gods, greek gods, etc.

G-d= The famous Western World G-d, you know in Judaism, Christianity and Islam...and their subsects.

Why should that god be treated differently?

god=any generic god, so you could be talking about shiva, african gods, greek gods, etc.

G-d= The famous Western World G-d, you know in Judaism, Christianity and Islam...and their subsects.

as for the hyphen thing, that's just if you want to be at the very least respectful the the religion. =\


Respect? as a follower (sometimes worshipper) of non-Judaic Deities, I am offended that you deem the "G-d" YHWH the only one worthy of capitalization. Where's your respect for the other Gods? :rolleyes:

I voted female just 'cuz it will probably tick ppl off. Hmmm... I probably shoulda voted both. :p

Alright, let's settle this! What's God's gender?

One more thing - according to Genesis, God's image is both male and female, which kind of fits in with what I posted a couple of minutes ago.

as for the hyphen thing, that's just if you want to be at the very least respectful the the religion. =\
so a church that has "God is Love" on a plaque at the front is being disrespectful?

learn something new everyday....

how would you pronounce "G-d" then?

Depends entirely on what version you use.

There's a "version" of the Holy Bible that refers to God as a female?

hmmm... when did that happen?

Is it called the NOW Version?

The Bible says "HE". What is the debate about when it is written there for all to see?

Neutral. God, if he exists, is not a creature. He is a power. Like ^2 is a power. And ^3. And don't forget ^32767.

God is gunna lose this case. I got myself Satan as my lawyer. Satan has already informed me that God is not a human being and therefore cannot file sexual harrasment. Being without sex, as well, it seems that God cannot be sexually harassed.

lol

God is judge and jury... he can't lose any case. ever.

Satan has a conflict of interest. He is a partner in my firm. We represent Microsoft on a regular basis. So, he is disqualified. You will still have to pay Satan's fees, given the wording of his in-blood contracts.

As I said, our case is not iron tight. That's why we have made a generous settlement offer.

But if you want to take a chance with a jury .... God makes a pretty good impression with juries, you know. God cleans up nice.


Then Satan will have to take the fall for those costs, for agreeing to take the case in th3 first place.

God just called me and said that S/he/it is willing to drop the charges if I promise to fondle the Almighty again.

lol

God is judge and jury... he can't lose any case. ever.
Yes, God is everywhere. He's in each and everyone of us.
Therefore, he sexually harrassed himself. He must throw the case on that technicality. Therefore God would loose... and yet win too.

The Bible says "HE". What is the debate about when it is written there for all to see?

Actually it says that God is neither a man or a son of man. It also says that both male and female humans were created in God's image - therefore, God's image, at least, must be both male and female. Do you need references?

There's a "version" of the Holy Bible that refers to God as a female?

hmmm... when did that happen?

Is it called the NOW Version?

No.

There are many versions of the Bible as you must be aware.

Is yours in Greek or Hebrew? How to you translate the references to God?

Actually it says that God is neither a man or a son of man. It also says that both male and female humans were created in God's image - therefore, God's image, at least, must be both male and female. Do you need references?

God created "man" in his own image. You can interpret that in males or "man" as a species. However whenever he is described it is always as He,
capital H.

Then Satan will have to take the fall for those costs, for agreeing to take the case in th3 first place.

God just called me and said that S/he/it is willing to drop the charges if I promise to fondle the Almighty again.

Curses, foiled again!

Damn clients.

Being an attorney would be so much easier if it weren't for the clients.

Jesus Himself referr3ed to God as "the Father" and "my Father" and "our Father" (etc.)

the prayer is not, "Our Mother, who art in heaven..." nor is it "Our benefactral Person, who art in heaven"

It is "Our Father..."

Jesus referred to God as a male. that is plenty of reason to continue to do so for me.

Jesus Himself referr3ed to God as "the Father" and "my Father" and "our Father" (etc.)

the prayer is not, "Our Mother, who art in heaven..." nor is it "Our benefactral Person, who art in heaven"

It is "Our Father..."

Jesus referred to God as a male. that is plenty of reason to continue to do so for me.

There you go. God is Jesus's Father, Jesus, Son. Where is debate? Just like there is no way that Jesus had blond hair and blue eyes. People must be delusional...

Jesus Himself referr3ed to God as "the Father" and "my Father" and "our Father" (etc.)

the prayer is not, "Our Mother, who art in heaven..." nor is it "Our benefactral Person, who art in heaven"

It is "Our Father..."

Jesus referred to God as a male. that is plenty of reason to continue to do so for me.

There you go. God is Jesus's Father, Jesus, Son. Where is debate? Just like there is no way that Jesus had blond hair and blue eyes. People must be delusional...

God being all and nothing would lose and win teh case at teh same time anyway

God created "man" in his own image. You can interpret that in males or "man" as a species. However whenever he is described it is always as He,
capital H.

Except where God refers to "itself" as "us":

Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:


So who was "he" talking to? Here are a few more passages for you to consider:

Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 5:1,2: This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Numbers 23:19: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

There seems to be a number of clues that at least initially, God was a "they".

Jesus Himself referr3ed to God as "the Father" and "my Father" and "our Father" (etc.)

the prayer is not, "Our Mother, who art in heaven..." nor is it "Our benefactral Person, who art in heaven"

It is "Our Father..."

Jesus referred to God as a male. that is plenty of reason to continue to do so for me.

Jesus spoke the words "the Father," "my Father," and "our Father," really?

When did Jesus speak English?

I'll get back to you with some sources, but you appear to fairly ignorant of your own religion.

Jesus spoke the words "the Father," "my Father," and "our Father," really?

When did Jesus speak English?

I'll get back to you with some sources, but you appear to fairly ignorant of your own religion.

So... you doubt the translation of the NIV, NASB, KJV, etc.?

I am ignorant of the bible and Christianity... lol

try again

why don't you try your luck with Zondervan... see if they'll bite and change God to a sexless automaton.. I doubt it.

Jesus Himself referr3ed to God as "the Father" and "my Father" and "our Father" (etc.)

the prayer is not, "Our Mother, who art in heaven..." nor is it "Our benefactral Person, who art in heaven"

It is "Our Father..."

Jesus referred to God as a male. that is plenty of reason to continue to do so for me.

Yeah, except for that part on the cross when God the Father had forsaken him and he turned to God the Mother and said, "Behold thy son." Okay, I know I'm changing things a bit, and mixing together the synoptic gospels with John's gospel, but those words given in John's gospel are at least somewhat suggestive, are they not (if one is looking for hidden messages, anyway - which John seemed to be pretty good at inserting into his gospel)?

Yeah, except for that part on the cross when God the Father had forsaken him and he turned to God the Mother and said, "Behold thy son." Okay, I know I'm changing things a bit, and mixing together the synoptic gospels with John's gospel, but those words given in John's gospel are at least somewhat suggestive, are they not (if one is looking for hidden messages, anyway - which John seemed to be pretty good at inserting into his gospel)?

Jesus was talking to9 Mary, his earthly mother.

Mary is not God.

I didn't read all posts but:
God the Father
He's(notice the capital H) male.

And as a side note, Mary is the mother of god, but not to be worshipped, rather, honored.

I think he's a boy. In the Bible it always says," And then HE spake" and crap. So obviously, he's a male. Unless, the Bible's writers changed it to make it seem that males are more dominant... But I think he's a boy for the most part.

God is the heavenly FATHER. you never say "Heavenly Mother".

I thought I heard that in the bibles original language God was refered to in a sort of dualistic way. as good/evil - male/female

God is the heavenly FATHER. you never say "Heavenly Mother".
Except, of course, in pagan belief systems. Which are unrelated to the "God" the creator of this forum most likely meant.

I'm sorry to say that the bible means squat when it comes to determining God's sex. First of all, it has been translated and changed so many times that it can very well be "mother" for a time and was changed.

Especially since some language have a sex for things (French for example). So a "it" can easilly be changed to a "he".

Second, Jesus used the customs of his time. One of these custom was that it was a patriarchal society. So he would have had a difficult time telling people that God is not a man. It's much easier to say "Our Father..." than "Our divine being..."

God Is always portrayed as a dude with a white beard whos face is always covered or in bruce almighty, morgan freeman who in my opinion played his part very well but anyways I think he's a man :confused:

God Is always portrayed as a dude with a white beard whos face is always covered or in bruce almighty, morgan freeman who in my opinion played his part very well but anyways I think he's a man :confused:
What about the movie Dogma?

none of the above?

there is no god. The Invisible Cloud Being is a construct for people that need a moral crutch.

flame away.

Ahhh... if only we had control of what happens to us when we die. that would be GREAT!

<sigh>

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that God is not male, but that his role in our world makes the term "Father" more appropriate than "Mother", although both terms remain informative:

In no way is God in man's image. He is neither man nor woman. God is pure spirit in which there is no place for the differences between the sexes. But the respective "perfections" of man and woman reflect something of the infinite perfection of God: those of a mother (Isaiah 49:14-15, 66:13; Psalm 131:2-3) and those of a father (Job 31:18; Jer 3:4-20) and husband (Jer 3:6-19)."
By calling God "Father," the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that He is at the same time goodness and loving care for all His children. God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood (Isaiah 66:13; Psalm 131:2), which emphasizes God's immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws on the human experience of parents.... (CCC 239)


Click on the clickies and let the knowledge pour in:
God and gender (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_and_gender)
God's gender (http://www.the-tidings.com/2002/0517/rolheiser.htm)
God's Gender (http://www.thirdmill.org/answers/answer.asp/file/99978.qna/category/th/page/questions/site/iiim)
Bible Translation and the Gender of God (http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jul1989/v46-2-tabletalk.htm)
Gender and God (http://www.prayerbook.ca/library/machray/issue1/machray1e.htm)

God she's black!

Its as anatomically impared as a Ken Doll.

*snicker*

God is referred to as "He"....so God is male. I would think that would make it all clear, I mean, it's in the Bible, and that's the highest authority on Christianity. Actually, I'd say that God is either male or neither, since it never once refers to God as "Her".

I like the Idea where God is part squirrel.

I like the Idea where God is part squirrel.
Well, isn't He kinda part everthing? Since He kinda made everything? Maybe...

Neither...

The generally refference as "He" is a construct from the language itself.

To relate back into the ancient language, nothing was gender neutral. Everything was in possession of a feminine or masculine construct.

Lords, Kings and such, relating into the ancient concept of male dominance, were always reffered to as "He"... Even amongst the Egyptians, when a Female Pharoah has ascended to the throne, they were called "He" within the ancient texts.

Femininity was applied to ownership, as such, in the context that females were pretty much considered property in ancient cultures. As such, it carries over to present, everytime we reffer to a peice of property as a person, it is attributed as female... "She's a good ship...." etc.

God is "He" because He is in a Lordship position.

Also, in reply to "and God created them in His image" arguments, women are not radically different looking than men, only they have certain "assets" that men don't, as well as a slightly different bone structure.

P.S.: by "radically" I mean scales, extra limbs, etc.

Father,Son,Holy Ghost(Spirit)
*Nods Head*

Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

What is image? Is image to be mirrored? I don't think so... but now I am going to give to completely contradictory arguments...

Argument #1: Image is personality. Image is divine. Image is internal characteristics. Image is mindset. Image is intelligence. Image is you. Gender cannot be determined from this argument.

Argument #2: God is male. In fact, God was probably the first human-looking thing. It is possible to be fully human (as God was in this argument) and fully divine, as Jesus was. Fully human, fully divine. Since image is exact replica, God must be male.

I like argument #1 much better.

1)
On the use of hyphens:

The ACTUAL name of the Hebrew God was given to them by God as "YAHWEH". The Jews, out of deep humilty and respect for the name of their God, never wrote the vowels, but instead wrote YHWH. Some tranlations insert the hyphens for emphasis (Y-H-W-H). This is the first time I've seen G-D used. It's the same principle I guess, but since "GOD" is not the actual name of God, it doesnt need the same level of respect.

2)
True, there are alot of translations of the Bible, but they are all based on the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.

3)
On God being a "they".
Christian theology came up with the word Trinity to describe this. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They all part of the triune God. God the Son (Jesus) wasnt revealed until Christ was born, although there are MANY prophesies about Him in the Old Testament (Torah), which his life, death, and ressurection fulfilled.

4)Although Jesus was indeed a male, the terms Father and Son are used for relational purposes. Although God is spirit, he is our Father (teaches us, protects us, provides for us etc..) Having a feminine role would just not have made sense in Israel's patriarchal society.

Tekania has some good thoughts:

Neither...

The generally refference as "He" is a construct from the language itself.

To relate back into the ancient language, nothing was gender neutral. Everything was in possession of a feminine or masculine construct.

Lords, Kings and such, relating into the ancient concept of male dominance, were always reffered to as "He"... Even amongst the Egyptians, when a Female Pharoah has ascended to the throne, they were called "He" within the ancient texts.

Femininity was applied to ownership, as such, in the context that females were pretty much considered property in ancient cultures. As such, it carries over to present, everytime we reffer to a peice of property as a person, it is attributed as female... "She's a good ship...." etc.

God is "He" because He is in a Lordship position.

So:
God the Father is spirit, not male. (He's not even human, but his relationship to his children is that of a father.

God the Son (Jesus) was male. He was God made flesh. John chapter 1. He lived, died for our sins, and was resurrected. He now sits on the right hand of God, and intercedes as a priest for our sins, to those who confess and accept Him as their savior.

God the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus was talking to9 Mary, his earthly mother.

Mary is not God.

It appears that you missed my point. Of course, I'm not surprised.

Alright, let's settle this! What's God's gender?

WHAT!!! :eek: A god is omnipresent it is neither male nor female. It can assume any form it choses. And I doubt that the higher being would appreciate us lowly human being deciding its gender. You take your destiny into your own hands by doing so. :rolleyes:

WHAT!!! :eek: A god is omnipresent it is neither male nor female. It can assume any form it choses. And I doubt that the higher being would appreciate us lowly human being deciding its gender. You take your destiny into your own hands by doing so. :rolleyes:

Frankly, a higher being shouldn't care about the stupid musings of lowly beings about it's gender. Particularly when said higher being leaves it in such doubt... and apparently gives us these brains with which to do the musings.

In other words I'm not gonna stop making threads like these out of fear of damnation or some such. That kind of absolute close mindedness on religion shoulda died with the Inquisition.

I find this pretty easy to answer... from what I remember "god" made us in its image.. male and female he made us.. so God is a hermaphrodite 8)

none of the above?

there is no god. The Invisible Cloud Being is a construct for people that need a moral crutch.

flame away.

I have to agree there. God is a moral crutch for people that have the inability to judge themselves.

Frankly, a higher being shouldn't care about the stupid musings of lowly beings about it's gender. Particularly when said higher being leaves it in such doubt... and apparently gives us these brains with which to do the musings.

In other words I'm not gonna stop making threads like these out of fear of damnation or some such. That kind of absolute close mindedness on religion shoulda died with the Inquisition.

Oops(Taking tongue in cheek out) Apparently you have a limited sense of humor. :( I meant no harm.

I honestly do not believe any kind of god exists. Humans create their own destiny and use religion as a crutch to fall back on for their so called "sins".

WHAT!!! :eek: A god is omnipresent it is neither male nor female. It can assume any form it choses. And I doubt that the higher being would appreciate us lowly human being deciding its gender. You take your destiny into your own hands by doing so. :rolleyes:

HE. HIM. This is what is used to describe God. Enough said.

the only reason that the even is gender is because God intended us to reproduce. God (i'll use "he" as that is how christians see him, and im christian) himself is everlasting, so has no need for gender. the christian (and maybe other religions, i eouldnt be able to tell you) religion sees God as a "he", and the trinity is God the FATHER God the SON, and God the holy spirit. but then early christians were EXTREMELY sexist

Where's the "Neither, God is too big to fit into our narrow concepts of gender" option?

How can we even know that Jesus was in fact male?

Where's the photograph of him or the DNA fragment that proves that? We only have something that's written in a book, that's not really a good piece of evidence (if we go by things like that then Hitler was the best politician ever, or Stalin was a great humanist). Keep in mind that the catholic church still is afraid of strong women (and back in the days they even burned them on stakes).

One book, one source (and a biased one at that), not nearly enough.

I would say that God is male, if God were to exist, i base this not on the bible but on what my girlfriend and i agreed upon, only a man would be so horrible as to give women a monthly period. Therefore, God is a vengeful male.

God did have a physical attribute, becuase he sent Jesus (himself - the trinity) down, showing God does have a physical attribute.

Ehhhh.... I don't have time to read the entirety of the thread. I read the first five pages; so if I repeat anything just ignore it. Yes, I have that power.

god is a generic term, God is a name. Shiva is a name, Sheva is a pagan god. The I AM is a god, but he is known as God. There, the difference between God and god should be cleared up now.

The conclusion that God is neither male nor female is accurate. Have you ever noticed that God has never shown himself in a 'human representation' (ok, maybe once depending on which translation you are using...)?

To understand why Christ refered to God as the Father is of great significance. One, he was born of Mary, so to call God the Mother would be quite confusing. Two, now you have to think like a Levitical Priest for this one, 'Father' is a very important term. Inheritance passes from Father to first born son. Christ holds the power of God, and he inherits the Kindom of Earth in the book of Revelation. Before Christ can inherit it, His father must have it. Make God the Father, and Jewish Inheritance laws do take effect.



Now, to say that one book is not enough, I would like to point out that The Holy Bible is not one book. It is something like 66 books, with forty scribes. It was written to eye-witnesses. Lets try something...

September 11, 2001; The Twin Towers fell because a Giant Warthog standing on the Minnesota Mexico borderline sneazed to the West and a giant snotball flew across the world and hit the towers in New York.

If I was trying to pass this off as fact, would -anybody- let it stand? No! We'd have a lot of people standing there pointing out, in the very least, that Minnesota has no Mexico border! Me trying to pass off what I said about Sept. 11 is like trying to pass off that a well known philosopher who claimed to be the daughter of God was actually male.

It ain't gonna fly. Come to think of it, neither would sending letters to nations in which Christ didn't heal the sick or cast out demons and trying to convince them that he did. (I'll stop there on that point.)

Now, just to cover God as a Crutch... some crutch. I'm sorry, but if I wanted to create something that made me feel better about myself, I would not create something with such strict laws that lead me to damnation because of my natural failings. If I wanted a crutch, it would be to create an athiestic belief system where my actions don't mean a thing after I die. Some crutch religion is, The "If I don't behave properly my soul will burn in hell for all eternity" crutch. Like that's supposed to make me feel better about myself.

Those who said male are confused.
Those who said female don't know what they are talking about.
Those who said trannie are being idiots.
Those who said neither, good job. You know what your doing.

Male...just cause I'm egotistical...lol

By that token, doesn't it also make him part squirrel?
Hallelujah!

G-d's gender is whatever it wants it to be.... we shall call G-d's gender... "cat" named after cats...because cats and cute and furry...and so is.. ummm... ehh...

G-d can make his own gender up, hows that. -.-
For sexual reasons, it may boggle the (idle) mind what entity would have the reciprocal sexual organs to whatever god chose. Wonder what it's like. Maybe god's a horndog and is doing whatever it just created and only now and then a wandering mind gets a glimpse of it (especially when driving to work or something - MEGA-distracting).
*grunt* *grunt*

From Genesis 1: "Then 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 birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Note it doesn't say: "Let us create Adam in our image." Man refers to the human race. Us being created in the "image of "God" refers not to physical characteristics, but personal ones. Ie., the attributes of personality, mind, creativity, capacity for love and express emotions, the existence of will, conscience, imagination, memory and moral responsibility, and capacity for worship.

God did not have a physical form. Thats why it was until John chapter 1 that "...the Word was made flesh," (refering to the birth of Christ.)

Responding to the Jews notion of having to worship God in a certain physical place (a mountaintop or the temple), Jesus said in John chapter 4, "God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Hope that helps. ;)
Pretty good post, perinent to Judeo-christian deific reference.
*bows*
(not sarcasm)

Of course.

Everything we say here at NS changes the universe.

Like how we settled the gun debate and abortion.

Think of us like butterflies and hurricanes -- the Chaos Factor. There is plenty o' chaos here.
Yay! We need a newsletter!
Oh wait, what (publishing) domain is this forum anyway? Can Max Barry basically lift some posts and make $ off us? You know, like Scott Adams does?

:confused:

Satan has a conflict of interest. He is a partner in my firm. We represent Microsoft on a regular basis. So, he is disqualified. You will still have to pay Satan's fees, given the wording of his in-blood contracts.

As I said, our case is not iron tight. That's why we have made a generous settlement offer.

But if you want to take a chance with a jury .... God makes a pretty good impression with juries, you know. God cleans up nice.
Heh
;)
Good mini-saga.

Why should that god be treated differently?
'Cuz *that* god seems to have an extremely fragile ego (that it tends to share/disseminate amongst it's "followers") - ya know, that whole not-taking-in-vain thing ... that whole mentioning *it*s name in public got you stoned thing ....

I voted female just 'cuz it will probably tick ppl off. Hmmm... I probably shoulda voted both. :p
Didn't tick me off. Maybe see my earlier post.
On that note, the second song on the Underworld soundtrack, from Puscifer ... Rev. 22:20, has Satan being a chick ....
"Jesus is risen, and it's no surprise ....
even he would martyr his momma to ride to hell between those thighs ..."

Love that line.

The Bible says "HE". What is the debate about when it is written there for all to see?
Are you kidding? Do you know how many forms of "truth" are there, for all to see, on the internet in all its glory, and many pages of many different texts regarding many many facets of some kind of misunderstood deity?

Yes, God is everywhere. He's in each and everyone of us.
Therefore, he sexually harrassed himself. He must throw the case on that technicality. Therefore God would loose... and yet win too.
You got it!
*shivers*

God created "man" in his own image. You can interpret that in males or "man" as a species. However whenever he is described it is always as He,
capital H.
Typo.
That's why they go through so much trouble to KEEP reprinting and retranslating.

You dont even know if there really is a god..... never mind what gender it may be........

Jesus Himself referr3ed to God as "the Father" and "my Father" and "our Father" (etc.)

the prayer is not, "Our Mother, who art in heaven..." nor is it "Our benefactral Person, who art in heaven"

It is "Our Father..."

Jesus referred to God as a male. that is plenty of reason to continue to do so for me.
Don't the catholics see it just a tad different ... ya know that whole mother mary thing?
No other somethingorothers before me .... ?

You dont even know if there really is a god..... never mind what gender it may be........
Well, that may be remedied by the groping/fondling that got mentioned earlier. And of course the pursuant lawsuit mini-saga ... ;)
I'm tired of waiting to find out. Hand me the Crisco!

God being all and nothing would lose and win teh case at teh same time anyway
Ya know that same farcicle trial concept is what many christians hang their blessed faiths on ... the crucifixion/resurrection thing.
:eek:

why don't you try your luck with Zondervan... see if they'll bite and change God to a sexless automaton.. I doubt it.
Well, i, for one, certainly appreciate your willingness to try new things. You must be becoming more liberal all the time. Say hello to a new world!

I didn't read all posts but:
God the Father
He's(notice the capital H) male.

And as a side note, Mary is the mother of god, but not to be worshipped, rather, honored.
Doesn't one of the gospels talk about Mary's orgasm on that fateful night?

What about the movie Dogma?
I wouldn't mind seeing god in a skirt trying to do a handstand ... especially if it happened to look exactly like Morgan Freeman.
;)

Ahhh... if only we had control of what happens to us when we die. that would be GREAT!
Ah, if only we would have control over ourselves while we're alive! That'd be better!
Or maybe, enough control to not die unless we wanted to!
At least enough control over our moral/ethical/emotional/psychological/spiritual sensibilities that we don't sell our soul to whomever matches our f*cked up view of a universe we don't really even know the definitions of!
Yay!!!

anyone here seen dogma? yep if god existed she'd look just like that.

It appears that you missed my point. Of course, I'm not surprised.
Try not to be too harsh - apparently Frangland is thinking along more liberal terms than usual, and i personally feel that is to be commended/encouraged.

yeah Dogma, if God were to take a physical form then i guess it would look like that, whent he angel pulls down his pants and its jsut, nothing there at all. makes sense i guess, but who cares? he could be like Zeus was,a nd take many forms. Even rain.

anyone here seen dogma? yep if god existed she'd look just like that.
Would god go down on you in ... a theater?
And everytime god scratched its nails down someone else's back, would it hope you feel it? Do you feel it?

;)

I believe it was John who belonged to a movement of early cult Judeo-Christianity that believed that god was a woman. If you
read some of his parables they portray god as a woman. This
has nothing to with my opinion since i am an avowed atheist, i
just always found that a very interesting subject for some reason.

WHAT!!! :eek: A god is omnipresent it is neither male nor female. It can assume any form it choses. And I doubt that the higher being would appreciate us lowly human being deciding its gender. You take your destiny into your own hands by doing so. :rolleyes:
Well, what i think we're aiming for isn't to take, necessarily, our *destiny* into our own hands, so much as ... well, to take god's *genitalia* into our own hands.

;)

Well, isn't He kinda part everthing? Since He kinda made everything? Maybe...

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..
God\part pie :)
God\part cheese :D
God\part monkey :eek:
God\part (insert what you whant here)

Think about it. If God is everything he created, does that not mean we are part of God? This would make sense when people say God hates losing "sinners" to the reaches of hell.

So far, this is the only thread that interests me... that's sad.

Perhaps we should try to prove God's existance before we argue his (generic possessive form) gender.

It saids "He" in the Bible.

In the English translation, but in Hebrew "He" is also non-gender inclusive. Remember the YHWH is the Alpha and the Omega, 'He' is the great I AM.

Hey, who gravedug? You necrophiles!

I'm Male.

1 Corinthians 11:7-9
For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.

Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

For all of you people saying God doesn't have a physical body or doesn't need genitals or whatever, let me introduce you to a lovely quote from my dear trans friend:

"Sex is what's between your legs, gender is what's between your ears."

This thread is titled God's GENDER so I'm not even going to consider whether s/he has a penis or a vagina because like you're saying no physical existence so yeah.

I believe (the) God/dess is both, but I find it easier to identify with by thinking of "her" as female. Being female myself. Since any form I picture allows me to connect all the same, I don't sweat it as long as I remember that s/he has both masculine and feminine divinity.

Okay... there's my two cents.