Trying To Further My Understanding.. (tradition, recall, Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost)

[xexon]

I think the term "he", and "father " are used more for the sake of conversation than actual gender reference. People grow up hearing it and it never occurs to most to change it or question it.

Wow. Four its in a short sentence.


x

[9harmony]

personally i believe God is beyond gender...

but one thing that's important to consider is that the English language does not contain a genderless pronoun other than 'it' and 'it' just does not suffice when speaking of God. So i think 'He' & 'Him' are simply used for that reason.

[Mike182]

Originally Posted by XAAX

Did "He" choose or did they choose "Him" to be represented...The difference is important.

is that difference really that important? i don't think God would really care either way if it wasn't *him* that chose to be refered to as male, so long as *he* got *his* point across, why would it matter?

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by xexon

The big three religions are all male dominant.

The holy Spirit is not.

[XAAX]

Originally Posted by 9harmony

personally i believe God is beyond gender...

but one thing that's important to consider is that the English language does not contain a genderless pronoun other than 'it' and 'it' just does not suffice when speaking of God. So i think 'He' & 'Him' are simply used for that reason.

I disagree Harmony...I much prefer "It" to "He"..."IT" does not mislead the nature of God...

[XAAX]

Originally Posted by Mike182

is that difference really that important? i don't think God would really care either way if it wasn't *him* that chose to be refered to as male, so long as *he* got *his* point across, why would it matter?

Oh, I completely agree Mike. I'm not saying that God "cares"(in the human sense of the word), one way or the other. The difference exists in the personal understanding of God. Many times people are mislead in their understanding due to outdated inaccurate teachings. This, in my opinion, is just another example of such. I am speaking from my own experience.

When I was a Christian, I was taught to believe that God was Male. Once the old god (male) retired and Jesus took over, no one can get into heaven without going through him (I am summarizing the belief). In the bible women have been given almost no credit for anything good. In turn, almost every great Man in the bible had his life screwed up by a woman. So anyone who wants to tell me that the bible is not slanted against women and for men, save your breath. The religion is the same way, if you don't believe me, you need to read the bible a little better.

Once again this is the Christian account. I am not talking about any other religion. Some may fall into the same category but I am not referring to them in this post.

[Paraprakrti]

Originally Posted by Nein

I’ve been attempting to further my understanding of a few religions, so I’ll begin with Christianity.

My question would be this:

How does one know God is a “Him?”. It refers in the bible as Him and or He then further on in the book it also refers to God as the Holy Spirit. Can someone explain.

I had a few others, but I’ll begin with this. I thank you for the time in reading this and helping me further my understanding of this religion.

Blessed Be.

How does one know God is anything?

Obviously, "Him" refers to a personal aspect of God while the "Holy Spirit" refers to His capacity as dwelling with individuals. These are just two aspects of the same Entity.

[Paraprakrti]

Originally Posted by XAAX

I disagree Harmony...I much prefer "It" to "He"..."IT" does not mislead the nature of God...

"He" doesn't necessarily mislead the nature of God, just as referring to God in a personal capacity doesn't necessarily mislead. Everyone assumes that it is a case of gender bias and anthropomorphism, but that simply may not be true. It may very well be that the Personality of Godhead has male form.

[Mister Emu]

When I was a Christian, I was taught to believe that God was Male. Once the old god (male) retired and Jesus took over

Ummm... what kind of Christian were you?

In turn, almost every great Man in the bible had his life screwed up by a woman

What women messed up Moses? Abraham? Paul? Peter? John? Jacob? Joseph(both)?