The divine female (Jesus Christ, Messiah, church, bible, worship)

[Isis-Astoroth]

My one big problem with christianity is that it seems a patriachal religion.
Though the original bible never mentioned God as a 'he', it has been translated so that it does. This had lead so many to see God as a male and not as a non-gender being. From Adam came Eve, and from Eve and Adam came the first sin, the one of disobeying God, but it is Eve that is blamed. Though Mary is regarded fairly high in the Catholic church, others almost seem to forget she exists. Women cannot achieve the highest positions, and it seems that this is based on a system from a time so long ago that it is severely outdated. Women are not longer the subservient ones, they are no longer just 'property'. Christianity lacks the sacred or divine female that appears in many ancient religions. It appears to put the male gender on a much higher pedestal than the female gender. This has brought inequality through to the 21st century. I am not saying that Christianity is false, that it is in someway lying, but what I am saying is that I feel that it has pushed women into a position that the shouldn't have to be in.

[fromthe heart]

Originally Posted by Isis-Astoroth

My one big problem with christianity is that it seems a patriachal religion.
Though the original bible never mentioned God as a 'he', it has been translated so that it does. This had lead so many to see God as a male and not as a non-gender being. From Adam came Eve, and from Eve and Adam came the first sin, the one of disobeying God, but it is Eve that is blamed. Though Mary is regarded fairly high in the Catholic church, others almost seem to forget she exists. Women cannot achieve the highest positions, and it seems that this is based on a system from a time so long ago that it is severely outdated. Women are not longer the subservient ones, they are no longer just 'property'. Christianity lacks the sacred or divine female that appears in many ancient religions. It appears to put the male gender on a much higher pedestal than the female gender. This has brought inequality through to the 21st century. I am not saying that Christianity is false, that it is in someway lying, but what I am saying is that I feel that it has pushed women into a position that the shouldn't have to be in.

A woman that loves and follows the teachings of Christ know their place in this world and it's not subserviant! I personally hold my husband higher than me and God as highest...my husband and I reign so to speak as one and our children fall under us then it goes down the line...My husband has never made me feel beneath him as a person. I don't need a WOW woman to tell me where I fit in life. I'm not catholic but I hold Mary,Jesus mother in high regard. I think we are in this life as we allow ourselves to be...any woman who is living less than the man in her life probably didn't have God in mind when she married...This, as always, is JUST my opinion and is not meant to demean anyone.

[Holly]

(NIV) Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

[Master Vigil]

But Jesus Christ was a man was he not? Why wasn't the messiah a female? Because a female would have been stoned if she even tried to start teaching. Nor would anyone believe her and become apostles. Women were slaves, so god was He, as was His Son. But of course, people forget that god is not male nor female. It isn't human at all.

[Scuba Pete]

I agree with Holly... God is spirit, those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. There will be no need for male/female beings in heaven.

[Master Vigil]

I realize that many understand god is not a he, so why still call it a "him?" Seems kind of elementary to me. Is it because god is seen as the "father" of all things? But then it could also be seen as the "mother" of all things. Why give it any gender generalization at all. Seems pretty childish to me.

[Lintu]

There is a Medieval theologian, a woman, (unfortunately I can't think of her name right now), who believed that G-d was the father and Jesus was man's mother.

[Holly]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

But Jesus Christ was a man was he not? Why wasn't the messiah a female? Because a female would have been stoned if she even tried to start teaching. Nor would anyone believe her and become apostles. Women were slaves, so god was He, as was His Son. But of course, people forget that god is not male nor female. It isn't human at all.

Personally, I believe that God is genderless. However, humans are not genderless and so the messiah had to be one gender or the other. If he/she was a hermaphrodite, nobody would have listened to him/her becuase they probably would have considered him/her to be unclean or something like that. God chose Jesus, the messiah, to be male because males had more importance in ancient Jewish society and were more likely to be listened to. They were also more likely to be leaders.

[No*s]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

I realize that many understand god is not a he, so why still call it a "him?" Seems kind of elementary to me. Is it because god is seen as the "father" of all things? But then it could also be seen as the "mother" of all things. Why give it any gender generalization at all. Seems pretty childish to me.

Not if you place the terminology in its context. God isn't some impersonal force in Christianity. He speaks, acts, and has revealed Himself. We understand that in personal terms. Using "it" would largely defeat the purpose of that, by preconditioning us not to regard Him that way.

[Isis-Astoroth]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

But Jesus Christ was a man was he not? Why wasn't the messiah a female? Because a female would have been stoned if she even tried to start teaching. Nor would anyone believe her and become apostles. Women were slaves, so god was He, as was His Son. But of course, people forget that god is not male nor female. It isn't human at all.

I don't know what your point was but just because Jesus was a man doesn't mean that women are worth less, and have a different status. The first people to see Jesus after he was resurrected were women, not his male disciples who had fled.