On "God" being a male term

NadiaMoon · Sep 18, 2016

i noticed when talking about Filianism/Deanism when using the term "God" people will get very flustered and confused. One of the most said phrases is "Why do they use a male term for a female God"?
If you look up the word "God" it says : "The creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being." Which is basically what God is. There is no mention anywhere of it saying "A MALE creator of the universe" etc. Another point i want to make is though we do see God as being a purely feminine spirit, she is just that- a spirit. meaning she is not Female, as she has no genitalia. Blessings

Willamena · Sep 18, 2016

It's convention to use the male as a generic personal pronoun. Come the 2015s it is well and popularly changing (even since the 2000s).

Desert Snake · Sep 18, 2016

NadiaMoon said:
i noticed when talking about Filianism/Deanism when using the term "God" peoplewill get very flustered and confused. One of the most said phrases is "Why do they use a male term for a female God"?
If you look up the word "God" it says : "The creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being." Which is basically what God is. There is no mention anywhere of it saying "A MALE creator of the universe" etc. Another point i want to make is thought we do see God as being a purely feminine spirit, she is just that- a spirit. meaning she is not Female, as she has no genitalia. Blessings

It's called a ''goddess''. That's probably why it confuses people. Depending on 'which' god is being referred to, in this case you are referring to the Biblical deity? I consider Him a male deity

NadiaMoon · Sep 18, 2016

syncretic said:
It's called a ''goddess''. That's probably why it confuses people. Depending on 'which' god is being referred to, in this case you are referring to the Biblical deity? I consider Him a male deity

"Goddess" is a secondary term for a "Female" God, only used in polytheistic religions. In monotheistic religions, the ruler and creator of the universe is called "God"- which She is.I am not referring to the Biblical God.

Desert Snake · Sep 18, 2016

I realized after posting that this is a ''specific' dir , /sort of. So, won't be arguing this further

lovesong · Sep 18, 2016

NadiaMoon said:
"Goddess" is a secondary term for a "Female" God, only used in polytheistic religions.

No, no. Goddess worship (mother goddess, Gaia, mother earth) is at times monotheistic, and the the term "Goddess" is also very common in Wicca, a duotheistic religion.

NadiaMoon · Sep 19, 2016

lovesong said:
No, no. Goddess worship (mother goddess, Gaia, mother earth) is at times monotheistic, and the the term "Goddess" is also very common in Wicca, a duotheistic religion.

The definition for "Goddess" is :
"A female deity in polytheistic religions"

Yes, a lot of wiccans do use the word "Goddess" because Many of them are polytheistic/duo theistic and believe "God" is male and "Goddess" is his second or female version of God. I also think its good to note that wicca revolves around the patriarchal greeks and romans. In a pure Non-patriarchal and monotheistic religion She is to be referred to as God- the creator and sustainer of the universe. She is also not "Female" in any sense of the term.

Quintessence · Sep 19, 2016

NadiaMoon said:
The definition for "Goddess" is :
"A female deity in polytheistic religions"

Why hang yourself up on a telescopic definition of a word? The word "goddess" is used in a wide variety of contexts, and that is only one of them. It can be used to describe an adored human woman, and it can be used to describe a deity in any theological framework (which means not just polytheism).

It's also worth noting that if you live in a Western culture, the word "God" in proper case like that specifically designates the god of the classical monotheist religions. If you use God and don't mean the one-god of those religions, yes, you're going to confuse people. There's nothing to be done about this, it's just how it is if you live in a classical monotheist-dominated culture.

NadiaMoon · Sep 19, 2016

Quintessence said:
Why hang yourself up on a telescopic definition of a word? The word "goddess" is used in a wide variety of contexts, and that is only one of them. It can be used to describe an adored human woman, and it can be used to describe a deity in any theological framework (which means not just polytheism).

It's also worth noting that if you live in a Western culture, the word "God" in proper case like that specifically designates the god of the classical monotheist religions. If you use God and don't mean the one-god of those religions, yes, you're going to confuse people. There's nothing to be done about this, it's just how it is if you live in a classical monotheist-dominated culture.

Exactly the reason why we do not use the word "Goddess" as it has too many meanings. Look up the word in any search and you will likely see many sexually explicit things. You will also likely see Goddesses of Nature and Goddesses from polytheistic faiths. Deanists and Filianists make it very clear they do not worship Nature Goddesses, or any of the goddesses from polytheistic faiths.Also note that "Goddess" is usually seen as a second or consort, we believe that She is One- God our Mother.

Quintessence · Sep 19, 2016

NadiaMoon said:
Exactly the reason why we do not use the word "Goddess" as it has too many meanings. Look up the word in any search and you will likely see many sexually explicit things. You will also likely see Goddesses of Nature and Goddesses from polytheistic faiths. Deanists and Filianists make it very clear they do not worship Nature Goddesses, or any of the goddesses from polytheistic faiths.Also note that "Goddess" is usually seen as a second or consort, we believe that She is One- God our Mother.

I'm confused... are you suggesting that the word "god" doesn't have a ton of different meanings? Is there some other word you use that has only one definition that you haven't told us about yet?

I can't say that I see a goddess as a "second or consort," but then again, I've also pretty thoroughly removed Abrahamic indoctrination from my skull. Though some of that probably has to do with me not sexualizing or genderizing the gods as a rule... heh.

NadiaMoon · Sep 19, 2016

NadiaMoon said:
Exactly the reason why we do not use the word "Goddess" as it has too many meanings. Look up the word in any search and you will likely see many sexually explicit things. You will also likely see Goddesses of Nature and Goddesses from polytheistic faiths. Deanists and Filianists make it very clear they do not worship Nature Goddesses, or any of the goddesses from polytheistic faiths.

Quintessence said:
I'm confused... are you suggesting that the word "god" doesn't have a ton of different meanings? Is there some other word you use that has only one definition that you haven't told us about yet?

I can't say that I see a goddess as a "second or consort," but then again, I've also pretty thoroughly removed Abrahamic indoctrination from my skull. Though some of that probably has to do with me not sexualizing or genderizing the gods as a rule... heh.

We simply do it out of respect for Our Mother- we dont believe the word "God" was created by the abrahamics nor do they fully claim it as theirs. We dont want God to be lumped together with other polytheistic Goddesses or pantheistic (Gaia/Mother Earth) Goddess, or sexualized female "Goddesses". Though we do also use the Term "Dea" and occasionally "Thea" as other names for God

Quintessence · Sep 19, 2016

NadiaMoon said:
We simply do it out of respect for Our Mother- we dont believe the word "God" was created by the abrahamics nor do they fully claim it as theirs.

Hah... I doubt if anyone in this DIR believes that Abrahamic religions own the word "god" (proper case or otherwise). That said, I also think most of us recognize that we're going to have to constantly explain ourselves in an Abrahamic overculture whether we want to or not. This happens not just for words like "god," but a ton of other words too. I don't see that changing within my lifetime.

NadiaMoon · Sep 19, 2016

NadiaMoon said:
We simply do it out of respect for Our Mother- we dont believe the word "God" was created by the abrahamics nor do they fully claim it as theirs. We dont want God to be lumped together with other polytheistic Goddesses or pantheistic (Gaia/Mother Earth) Goddess, or sexualized female "Goddesses".

Quintessence said:
Hah... I doubt if anyone in this DIR believes that Abrahamic religions own the word "god" (proper case or otherwise). That said, I also think most of us recognize that we're going to have to constantly explain ourselves in an Abrahamic overculture whether we want to or not. This happens not just for words like "god," but a ton of other words too. I don't see that changing within my lifetime.

Yes i deffinantly know what you mean there, having to constantly explain yourself. I guess what Deanists/Filianists are trying to do is basically reclaim the word. I tend to just say Goddess so other Goddesses worshipers understand me, but normally just use Dea to stay away from polytheistic or, like i said earlier, the sexual things related to that word

lovesong · Sep 19, 2016

NadiaMoon said:
The definition for "Goddess" is :
"A female deity in polytheistic religions"

NadiaMoon said:
Yes, a lot of wiccans do use the word "Goddess" because Many of them are polytheistic/duo theistic and believe "God" is male and "Goddess" is his second or female version of God.

Actually, it seems that most duotheistic Wiccans see the Goddess as primary. She is the earth, the giver of life, and the caretaker, whereas her male counterpart is the more primal side of nature.

NadiaMoon said:
I also think its good to note that wicca revolves around the patriarchal greeks and romans.

Actually, no. Wicca started as an attempt at Celtic reconstructionism. Some Wiccans incorperate other pantheons into their practice now but classical Gardnerian Wicca has nothing to do with the Greeks or Romans.

NadiaMoon · Sep 19, 2016

lovesong said:
Actually, it seems that most duotheistic Wiccans see the Goddess as primary. She is the earth, the giver of life, and the caretaker, whereas her male counterpart is the more primal side of nature.

Actually, no. Wicca started as an attempt at Celtic reconstructionism. Some Wiccans incorperate other pantheons into their practice now but classical Gardnerian Wicca has nothing to do with the Greeks or Romans.

Not sure why you showed a definition as i have already said a Goddess is a female deity. What i meant by wicca being patriarchal is that Wicca revolves heavily on a Male Sun/Female Moon and Male sky/Female Earth. These concepts Mostly come from Greece/Roman beliefs but also other patriarchal faiths.It is universal that sky and sun are seen as the more powerful or or higher elements while Earth and moon are the lesser elements, which is precisely why earth are moon were demoted to the feminine while Sun and sky were promoted to The masculine.

Maponos · Sep 19, 2016

'God' is a gendered noun in English. English has several gendered nouns. It's just our culture.

Aštra’el · Sep 19, 2016

god= male deity

goddess= female deity

God/ Goddess= some feel a desire to capitalize the Gs to emphasize their respect

God= a title used to refer to the Abrahamic supreme God, one of the most common terms (if not the most common) used to refer to YHWH/ Allah

God/ Goddess= titles used to refer to a supreme god and/ or supreme goddess in a monotheistic or duotheistic spiritual-religious system

Goddess= a term used to describe Ashtara, the most epic and awesome member of Religious Forums

god/ goddess/ God/ Goddess= titles attributed to a myriad of things deemed worthy of veneration; ranging from specific people to religious deities, mythological beings, weather phenomena, forces of nature, celestial objects, etc

god/ goddess/ God/ Goddess= worshipped archetypes of nature or human Nature

god/ goddess/ God/ Goddess= A term that might be used to describe complex or simple spirits worshipped by human beings

god/ goddess/ God/ Goddess= supernatural or superhuman entities

god/ goddess/ God/ Goddess= Advanced extraterrestrial beings who's power and technology is beyond human comprehension

god/ goddess/ God/ Goddess= hyper advanced cosmic machines whose unfathomable existence is far superior on every level to any biological lifeform

Etc

GoodbyeDave · Sep 19, 2016

For what it's worth, I use
God (capital letter): the Supreme Being. This is not, of course, an exclusively Abrahamic concept.
god: any divine being in general (Gk theon, daimon) or one who usually manifests as male (Gk theos)
goddess: a divine being who usually manifests as female (Gk thea)

I envy the genderless languages: a Japanese can worship a kami without such questions arising!

beenherebeforeagain · Sep 19, 2016

A perhaps solution would be to use, instead of God or Goddess, the term "Deity," which in English does not come with gender baggage.

lovesong · Sep 19, 2016

NadiaMoon said:
It is universal that sky and sun are seen as the more powerful or or higher elements while Earth and moon are the lesser elements, which is precisely why earth are moon were demoted to the feminine while Sun and sky were promoted to Sun and Sky.

No, this is not universal. Yes there are religions that think that way, but there are also religions who think quite the opposite.

On "God" being a male term

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