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First let me say, respect God’s pronouns people. He is a good, good Father, and Jesus came to us as a man, and there are some beautiful, amazing, and precious, precious, reasons for that. Also, God is Spirit, God is much bigger than the gendered boxes we try to put Him in.
So my only purpose or point of this post is that it is an interesting issue. I think it embiggens the discussion and helps us to understand ourselves better. I’m not trying to make God female in some kind of social justice campaign or theological rewrite.
Recently Twitter had a pretty popular hashtag, #IfGodWereFemale. Along with the usual human rubbish, there was also some surprising thoughtfulness, intelligence, and good humor. I was surprised. Ha! People can still surprise me.
First, many women tweeting seemed to understand how wildly destructive we can be as women, deep in our hearts. There were numerous quips about the 15 floods we would have sent while just burning down the world and starting over. Sadly, the world would also be littered with salt pillars. Lot’s wife times a million. Women are not always so kind to one another. Also, as God, nobody is ever going to listen to our Honey Do lists. That last one made me crack up, because, yeah, that’s probably how God feels already. Nobody ever listens to His To Do List! It’s pretty simple list too, like, love your God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Ain’t nobody got any time for that kind of thing….
There was a surprising amount of empathy towards men in some of those tweets. That was kind of endearing, charming, counter cultural. Chuckling here, but I am a member of the Flatter Earth Society. We’re totally complimentary. Bit of a joke, but the world really needs more flattery, kindness, and compliments, especially between men and women. I enjoyed seeing some kindness going on.
So eventually I sent out this tweet and I really like it because it captures the essence of what often lurks in some women’s hearts, what it often feels like to be female.
#IfGodWereFemale She’d have all of the responsibility but none of the authority. People would blame her for everything while at the same time refusing to even believe in her. We’d mansplain the nature of her creation to her, and insist she be remade in our own image.
Is that not what we so often do to God Himself already? It is! Everything is God’s fault, but we don’t really allow Him into our lives where He has any authority. We can even get so lost and broken, we’ll blame God while at the same time claiming He doesn’t even exist. Than we mansplain, (women, too) and inform Him how things really are. Than rather than getting to know Him, rather than allowing Him to remake us in His own image, we promptly try to remake Him into ours.
And if He doesn’t comply and conform to our demands, we just toss Him in the friend zone or ghost Him entirely.
I was definitely amused by the revelation. So here’s the message, don’t treat God like a woman, people. Heck, don’t even treat women like that! Also, Join the Flatter Earth Society, become totally complimentary and spread the flattery around.
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Flatter errrr. Too funny. Flatter earthen. Even more funny. The connection with women can be brutal- is obvious to any body who is honest.
There would have been no Lewinsky/Clinton without the agreed tease. Both shared blame- yet how many only saw one as culprit.
A pretty face brought down many a kingdom- but yep/ there be some awesome women- and men of course.
Can’t disappear from this comment without a shout out to all the people who are not ashamed to speak of the ahem F. Earth- a term by the way which I intentionally avoid- as people automatically think you have 10 heads/
But ‘stationary ?’ Now I can deal with that. I’ve never met a man who can say with a straight face that mighty K/2 has moved from its foundations- and pity the poor robin who can’t find her nest because it moved downstream/. Lol
But nice post ma’am.
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I absolutely love this, IB!
I love: “Also, God is Spirit, God is much bigger than the gendered boxes we try to put Him in.”
And, I love: “embiggens”
I also love: “Flatter Earth Society. We’re totally complimentary” and all its various levels.
And I loved your closing. Heck, I loved the whole durned thing!!!
I had some additional thoughts as well:
First: If we have to try to imagine God as female, then for completeness’ sake, we also have to imagine the devil as female, don’t we? Bottom Line: we still end up with pretty much the same kind of existence as we have already.
Next: “He” is the generic, non-gendered pronoun as well. When you speak of an animate entity (God), but you wish not to ascribe any gender to such an entity, you use “he.”
It’s why, for example, in the Romance languages, we use the masculine plural pronoun for crowds. It means that any given individual in that crowd” could be male or female.
The pronoun “she,” on the other hand, absolutely, definitely, no doubt about it refers to a female creature or entity. When you say “he” you could be referring to a male creature or, more significantly, and lost on the feminists, an entity to which you can not assign a gender. But, when you say “she,” you are absolutely referring to a female entity of some kind.
As a man, I’ve always understood that there’s no advantage to me, or to men, in sharing the generic, non-gendered pronoun.
I LOVED, LOVED LOVED your thought-provoking, wonderful, insightful, deep post! You continue to be a world-class gem of a commentator, and I continue to love your output!
Best,
— x
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“embiggens”…You couldn’t just say “expands”? Ma’am, you just managed to hit one of my “hot buttons”. This is just one of many examples of pointless, foolish, sometimes outrageous, “words”; which have NO legitimacy. They became words merely because of the frequency of use, or because of some damned media clowns. It is an affront to the English language, which has already been degraded, with some of our so-called peers who are unable to use third grade possessives correctly.
Another reason for me to wish the creator of the Simpsons was stillborn.
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Lol! I liked “embiggens.” I’m a big fan of clever made-up words!
However, I have to admit that I also have a great deal of sympathy for your defense of a proper use of the great and beautiful English language.
At the same time, I think that someone who’s developed a powerful facility with that language — Ib for example — has earned the right to be flippantly colloquial from time-to-time as well.
Best,
— x
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We’ve compromised far too much, far too long.
https://partneringwitheagles.wordpress.com/2020/01/11/the-forrest-gumping-of-american-education/
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Like -x, I too agree that the good lady here can use whatever words she wants- and truth be told – her usage of real or imagined words adds delight to her posts.
If u notice, I did not even mention the bigger picture in my comment either, so u see, we are both guilty of straining at a gnat- but a slight difference- I do see the biggre picture…………. the HE of God and the royal WE us.
But in general, people are lazy speakers because they are lazy thinkers- but there is no LAZINESS in the lady some know as missbytes.
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i read it, and I like it. However, I still think that people like IB — and probably you — have earned the right to coin and use new “words.” I do it all the time. I hope I’ve earned the right. 🙂
Your point is well made about their “shelf life” in the language, though.
Best,
— x
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Well said. ❤
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Woman of Sorrows just doesn’t have the same ring.
Referring to a woman as what a Savior just doesn’t inspire the same level of confidence and trust.
For anyone who would like to flush out some feelings of enmity and strife, listen to this 5 times in a row. And imaging a being who can actually save. Hallelujah?
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Funny post! There’s a whole religion built around “God the Mother.” Their missionaries came to our door once and my husband was so fascinated he sat and listened (they didn’t change his mind).
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