This thread may sound a little facetious at first but I think it raises a valid theological point for those of us who believe in God so please, bear with me:
It is said that any physically mature male can father a child but that only a real man can be a dad – by loving, nurturing and supporting his children and taking responsibility for their upbringing.
In short, “dad” and “father” are different – the former loves and nurtures whereas the latter merely creates and plays little or no further role in the life or lives he is responsible for creating.
I'd say a “dad” is a kind of father but not all fathers are dads. The key difference is I think love and dedication.
For instance Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father, but not his dad.
Any man can get a woman pregnant, that’s easy
But being a dad to one’s offspring is something else
But what about “our father who art in heaven”?
Every Sunday I attend a church service but choose keep quite when the Lord's Prayer is said, for numerous reasons, some of which can be found in this post
To call him “father” is to imply he is somehow parental, that he is parental towards those whose existence he is responsible for
I'd say "deadbeat dad" is a good term for someone who is expected to be a dad but whose actions fall short - I believe this term can be applied to God
He may be our father in the sense that he is responsible for our creation…
But is he really like a dad to us? Does he care? Should we love him? Does he even love us? Is he even interested in us?
If so, how has he ever shown it???
Are our relationships with him really personal relationships, or are we all just parts of some great project he’s been working on?
In my experience there is no evidence that he wants to be a dad to us
Although he’s omnipresent he feels quite distant to me
And if he doesn’t care then why should we listen to him, or even respect him? Never mind worship him or pray to him!
How can one cultivate a relationship with someone who remains so distant? I have a distant relationship with my own father so I know a distant father-son relationship when I see one
Jesus famously called God “daddy” in Aramaic
But is it possible for us to have a dad-child relationship with God? Or is he just our father, and nothing more? Like Darth Vader is to Luke?
It is said that “God is love” but I can’t see that to be the case
I say that either God doesn’t exist or he does and he’s not paternal!
"Parent" is not the word I'd use to describe him
And look at all the suffering there is in the world – either he doesn’t care at all or he has favourites amongst his children! None of these are parental.
If he is not a parent to us then why keep calling him “our father who art in heaven”, if our relationship to him is not analogous to the relationship between a parent and their children?
I think it is clear that he is our father but not our dad - he is therefore a rubbish parent to such an extent that he cannot be called a parent at all
What then is our relationship with God? I think we owe him thanks for creating us and maintaining the universe but I wouldn’t call him a parent as that implies a personal and parental relationship characterised by love – which I don’t think there is.
It is said, “God is love”. He may very well have benign intentions for his creation, but is there really any love involved?
True, there are many different kinds of love, so maybe he does love us in some ineffable way we can never hope to understand?
I can feel a degree of impersonal and detached concern from God but I cannot feel any love.
Perhaps calling him “Lord” is more apt?
A benign Great Architect - as opposed to a loving parent???
I think that's a better model than "parent"
"Our Lord who are in heaven"???
So... do you think God is a deadbeat dad?
It is said that any physically mature male can father a child but that only a real man can be a dad – by loving, nurturing and supporting his children and taking responsibility for their upbringing.
In short, “dad” and “father” are different – the former loves and nurtures whereas the latter merely creates and plays little or no further role in the life or lives he is responsible for creating.
I'd say a “dad” is a kind of father but not all fathers are dads. The key difference is I think love and dedication.
For instance Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father, but not his dad.
Any man can get a woman pregnant, that’s easy
But being a dad to one’s offspring is something else
But what about “our father who art in heaven”?
Every Sunday I attend a church service but choose keep quite when the Lord's Prayer is said, for numerous reasons, some of which can be found in this post
To call him “father” is to imply he is somehow parental, that he is parental towards those whose existence he is responsible for
I'd say "deadbeat dad" is a good term for someone who is expected to be a dad but whose actions fall short - I believe this term can be applied to God
He may be our father in the sense that he is responsible for our creation…
But is he really like a dad to us? Does he care? Should we love him? Does he even love us? Is he even interested in us?
If so, how has he ever shown it???
Are our relationships with him really personal relationships, or are we all just parts of some great project he’s been working on?
In my experience there is no evidence that he wants to be a dad to us
Although he’s omnipresent he feels quite distant to me
And if he doesn’t care then why should we listen to him, or even respect him? Never mind worship him or pray to him!
How can one cultivate a relationship with someone who remains so distant? I have a distant relationship with my own father so I know a distant father-son relationship when I see one
Jesus famously called God “daddy” in Aramaic
But is it possible for us to have a dad-child relationship with God? Or is he just our father, and nothing more? Like Darth Vader is to Luke?
It is said that “God is love” but I can’t see that to be the case
I say that either God doesn’t exist or he does and he’s not paternal!
"Parent" is not the word I'd use to describe him
And look at all the suffering there is in the world – either he doesn’t care at all or he has favourites amongst his children! None of these are parental.
If he is not a parent to us then why keep calling him “our father who art in heaven”, if our relationship to him is not analogous to the relationship between a parent and their children?
I think it is clear that he is our father but not our dad - he is therefore a rubbish parent to such an extent that he cannot be called a parent at all
What then is our relationship with God? I think we owe him thanks for creating us and maintaining the universe but I wouldn’t call him a parent as that implies a personal and parental relationship characterised by love – which I don’t think there is.
It is said, “God is love”. He may very well have benign intentions for his creation, but is there really any love involved?
True, there are many different kinds of love, so maybe he does love us in some ineffable way we can never hope to understand?
I can feel a degree of impersonal and detached concern from God but I cannot feel any love.
Perhaps calling him “Lord” is more apt?
A benign Great Architect - as opposed to a loving parent???
I think that's a better model than "parent"
"Our Lord who are in heaven"???
So... do you think God is a deadbeat dad?
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