Is God female, male or other?

uumckk16 · Sep 13, 2006

God is God. IMHO, God transcends such earthly attributes as gender.

I would agree, though, that "he" or "she" is quite obviously more respectful than "it." I try not to assign God a gender by saying "God" instead of using pronouns, but sometimes that gets too awkward ("Godself" instead of "himself"?). Gender pronouns are for convience's sake, imo.

Interesting that so far it seems only LDS have said God is male...anyone else who definitely believes God has a specific gender?

Bishka · Sep 13, 2006

uumckk16 said:
Interesting that so far it seems only LDS have said God is male...anyone else who definitely believes God has a specific gender?

Some LDS also believe God has a wife.

uumckk16 · Sep 13, 2006

beckysoup61 said:
Some LDS also believe God has a wife.

Yeah, I got that from nutshell's post. That's interesting, I've never heard of that belief in LDS. Is it doctrine? I only ask because you said "some LDS"...

Bishka · Sep 13, 2006

uumckk16 said:
Yeah, I got that from nutshell's post. That's interesting, I've never heard of that belief in LDS. Is it doctrine? I only ask because you said "some LDS"...

I don't believe it is specific doctrine per-se, but I believe some Prophets may have mentioned it, and in accordance to our other beliefs, it just makes sense.

We are commanded to marry as man and wife - and I believe Heavenly Father (God) and Jesus Christ would have never asked us to do anything without doing it themselves, that in my opinion would be hypocritical and just weird.

Kathryn (Katzpur) would be able to answer this a little more then me as I have not actually studied up on it to much, because in my own belief, it's true.

logician · Sep 13, 2006

"And how do you know God doesn't reproduce?"

I am an atheist, but the notion of a supernatural entity reproducing seems quite silly.

Mister Emu · Sep 13, 2006

Why do most religions refer to God as a "he"?

I am not sure about "most religions", but as a Christian I generally speak of God in the mascule for these reasons:

Jesus was a male.
Jesus also refered to the "Father"
God has appeared in the Bible as a male(Gen. 32:24-30; Gen. 18:1-3)

Bishka · Sep 13, 2006

wanderer085 said:
"And how do you know God doesn't reproduce?"

I am an atheist, but the notion of a supernatural entity reproducing seems quite silly.

Just because you are an atheist it seems silly or is that your own personal opinion?

And why would it be silly? We reproduce and it the Bible it entertains the writing that "...we were created in God's image."

So why not?

Katzpur · Sep 13, 2006

uumckk16 said:
Yeah, I got that from nutshell's post. That's interesting, I've never heard of that belief in LDS. Is it doctrine? I only ask because you said "some LDS"...

I'd say it probably is. Normally, we only say that something is doctrine if it is found in the LDS "Standard Works" (i.e. the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price). To the best of my knowledge, while this particular belief doesn't qualify according to that criteria, in an official statement known as "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," the LDS leadership noted, "All human beingsmale and femaleare created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny." It would not surprise me if, at some point in the future, this statement were to be made part of the official Church canon.

Real Sorceror · Sep 13, 2006

beckysoup61 said:
Just because you are an atheist it seems silly or is that your own personal opinion?

And why would it be silly? We reproduce and it the Bible it entertains the writing that "...we were created in God's image."

So why not?

Not to butt in, but I usually interpret "in God's image" to mean that we are thinking, free-willed beings. We are mentally like God. God is not made out of flesh and bone, so I can't see how it is a physical similarity.

Bishka · Sep 13, 2006

Real Sorceror said:
Not to butt in, but I usually interpret "in God's image" to mean that we are thinking, free-willed beings. We are mentally like God. God is not made out of flesh and bone, so I can't see how it is a physical similarity.

Why can't it mean that we weren't created in a physical image?

Why couldn't that be the reason?

It makes perfect sense to me.

Katzpur · Sep 13, 2006

uumckk16 said:
God is God. IMHO, God transcends such earthly attributes as gender.

I would agree, though, that "he" or "she" is quite obviously more respectful than "it." I try not to assign God a gender by saying "God" instead of using pronouns, but sometimes that gets too awkward ("Godself" instead of "himself"?). Gender pronouns are for convience's sake, imo.

Now that's an interesting perspective.

To transcend is "to exceed, to surpass or to be superior to." In one statement, you say that God transcends earthly attributes, and then in the next, you say that it is more respectful to refer to God by the earthly attribute of gender.

Do you see the contradiction?

Real Sorceror · Sep 13, 2006

beckysoup61 said:
Why can't it mean that we weren't created in a physical image?

Why couldn't that be the reason?

It makes perfect sense to me.

Do you believe God has a body? Like, with blood and skin n'stuff?

How does that work out? Isn't God omnipresent?

Bishka · Sep 13, 2006

Real Sorceror said:
Do you believe God has a body? Like, with blood and skin n'stuff?
How does that work out? Isn't God omnipresent?

Absolutley yes.

A body of flesh and blood.

Where does it say in the Bible that God is omipresent?

Why wouldn't He have flesh and blood?

Green Gaia · Sep 13, 2006

Really, if I were to believe in a deity (and the jury is still out on that one) with a gender, it would have to be female. Females give life, females are generally the nuturing gender - that's what I would want in a deity. Plus, Goddesses are just hot.

Real Sorceror · Sep 13, 2006

beckysoup61 said:
Absolutley yes.

A body of flesh and blood.

Are we talking about Jesus or God??

Where does it say in the Bible that God is omipresent?

Somewhere in the back?

Why wouldn't He have flesh and blood?

God is energy. He is diety. God does not have lungs becuase He doesn't need air. He has no stomach becuase He doesn't need food. A physical body is a hindrance for God. It can be harmed. It just seems odd to think that, back before God created Heaven and Earth, He was some dude floating around in the Void. It's a weird thought for me.
Perhaps we envision Him differently. I see Him more as a presence that is felt instead of seen. How do you see Him? Like Zues perhaps?

Todd · Sep 13, 2006

beckysoup61 said:
Where does it say in the Bible that God is omipresent?

Sorry to cut in. It doesn't actually mention omnipresent in the bible, but it does describe omnipresence or omnipotent:

1 Kings 8:27 "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!

2 Chronicles 2:6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

Psalm 139:7-10
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths,
you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

To answer the initial question, I think he is neither male, nor female in a gender role, however he is masculine in a fatherly since. I don't think there will be male or female genders in heaven. Although I think there will be masculine and feminine traits. I can't really back this up, because I don't think it describes this fully in the bible except that it says something to the effect that we will all be brothers (in other words, we will not have a desire for sex which to me mean that there might not be physical gender).

Bishka · Sep 13, 2006

Todd said:
Sorry to cut in. It doesn't actually mention omnipresent in the bible, but it does describe omnipresence or omnipotent:

1 Kings 8:27 "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!

I never said He dwelt here on earth -- but all the verses you provided can be very symbolic and could mean just about anything.

Bishka · Sep 13, 2006

Real Sorceror said:
God is energy. He is diety. God does not have lungs becuase He doesn't need air. He has no stomach becuase He doesn't need food. A physical body is a hindrance for God. It can be harmed. It just seems odd to think that, back before God created Heaven and Earth, He was some dude floating around in the Void. It's a weird thought for me.
Perhaps we envision Him differently. I see Him more as a presence that is felt instead of seen. How do you see Him? Like Zues perhaps?

Of course He doesn't, but I believe He did once. I believe He was once like us -- in a way.

Katzpur · Sep 13, 2006

Real Sorceror said:
Do you believe God has a body? Like, with blood and skin n'stuff?

With an immortal body of flesh and bones.

How does that work out? Isn't God omnipresent?

He is functionally omnipresent but not physically omnipresent. There is nowhere in the Bible where He is described as permeating the universe or anything of the sort. On the contrary, He is specifically referred to as being "in heaven" throughout the Bible. Functionally, He is not limited to any spacial location. He does not, in other words, need to physically be present in order to exercise His power.

Real Sorceror · Sep 13, 2006

beckysoup61 said:
Of course He doesn't, but I believe He did once. I believe He was once like us -- in a way.

Hmm. Do you believe that God is like an ascended mortal? That He became a god by some means?

Is God female, male or other?

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