Does God need gender?

[Tumah]

Sometimes you are absolutely spot-on!

I'm always spot-on. You only realize it sometimes.

 

[Jedster]

What word would the Torah have used if it wanted to represent G-d as gender-neutral?

My point was that that is the reason people think God as a male.

 

[Tumah]

My point was that that is the reason people think God as a male.

Oh. I thought you were arguing that G-d is male because of the masculine grammatical constructs attributed to Him. My argument was that Jews don't think G-d is male. Since you quoted me, I thought you were arguing with me.

 

[Jedster]

Oh. I thought you were arguing that G-d is male because of the masculine grammatical constructs attributed to Him. My argument was that Jews don't think G-d is male. Since you quoted me, I thought you were arguing with me.

LOL...I just went through a similar misunderstanding with a Muslim. He thought I was arguing, when I wasn't.

 

[Skwim]

In the Bible god is invariably referred to as "he," "him," and "his," all masculine pronouns. Then we have the labels "god the father," and "god the son." More masculine designations. No inkling whatsoever that god may be female or even genderless, and a whole lot of indications that he is a male.

.​

 

[Politesse]

In the Bible god is invariably referred to as "he," "him," and "his," all masculine pronouns. Then we have the labels "god the father," and "god the son." More masculine designations. No inkling whatsoever that god may be female or even genderless, and a whole lot of indications that he is a male.

.​

God is also personified throughout the wisdom literature as Lady Wisdom, invariably with female pronouns and metaphors.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

No, God does not have a gender. I'm unsure if our souls/Spirits do.

Well I was never confused on the issue.. considering A female father is farfetched. .

And freaky..

That's rather offensive to trans people, the intersex and single parents, among others.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

In the Bible god is invariably referred to as "he," "him," and "his," all masculine pronouns. Then we have the labels "god the father," and "god the son." More masculine designations. No inkling whatsoever that god may be female or even genderless, and a whole lot of indications that he is a male.

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LOL, that image is so funny and cute.

 

[Desert Snake]

In the Bible god is invariably referred to as "he," "him," and "his," all masculine pronouns. Then we have the labels "god the father," and "god the son." More masculine designations. No inkling whatsoever that god may be female or even genderless, and a whole lot of indications that he is a male.

.​

Eve was made from Adams rib. So, technically, she is not 'different from Adam , but merely a version of ''humanity''. God is male, but there is no reason for people to get all upset, because Eve was made from a male, hence female is not 'essentially' different from the first human creation.

 

[Oldsoul]

No, God does not have a gender. I'm unsure if our souls/Spirits do.

That's rather offensive to trans people, the intersex and single parents, among others.

Ahh.. no..
You are amplifying my comment to be considered as discriminatory. .

You saw a set of conflicting gender ferrerences and automatically labelled them Transphobic..

 

[psychoslice]

No don't think God should have a gender, especially male, he's dingle dangle would only cause problems, knocking planets and galaxies out of orbit lol.

 

[Skwim]

God is also personified throughout the wisdom literature as Lady Wisdom, invariably with female pronouns and metaphors.

Yes, he is sometimes said to metaphorically have feminine characteristics.

 

[Skwim]

Eve was made from Adams rib. So, technically, she is not 'different from Adam , but merely a version of ''humanity''. God is male, but there is no reason for people to get all upset, because Eve was made from a male, hence female is not 'essentially' different from the first human creation.

Maybe I've been out of the loop, but I haven't seen anyone getting upset about the character of Eve.

 

[Tumah]

In the Bible god is invariably referred to as "he," "him," and "his," all masculine pronouns. Then we have the labels "god the father," and "god the son." More masculine designations. No inkling whatsoever that god may be female or even genderless, and a whole lot of indications that he is a male.

.​

I can't speak for the Christian NT. But in the Hebrew there are no gender-neutral nouns, pronouns, or adjectives. In general, a mixed group of masculine and feminine nouns, will still be referred to collectively using masculine grammatical constructs. So, its a bit harder to say that G-d is meant to be understood as being male, rather than that masculine pronouns were used in describing Him, because you have to choose one, and masculine is the default. Actually, the name YHWH using the most commonly ascribed vowel points, is a feminine name (it ends with a kamatz-heh)

 

[Skwim]

I can't speak for the Christian NT. But in the Hebrew there are no gender-neutral nouns, pronouns, or adjectives. In general, a mixed group of masculine and feminine nouns, will still be referred to collectively using masculine grammatical constructs. So, its a bit harder to say that G-d is meant to be understood as being male, rather than that masculine pronouns were used in describing Him, because you have to choose one, and masculine is the default. Actually, the name YHWH using the most commonly ascribed vowel points, is a feminine name (it ends with a kamatz-heh)

Very interesting. Thank you.

 

[Brian Schuh]

There is a verse in Isaiah where he refers to God as a Mother. And Jesus quoted the Tanakh when he referred to himself as a mother hen who wanted to gather the children of Israel under her wings, but you were not willing.

Rabbi Harold Kushner in one of his books mentioned an ancient pagan myth about an ancient group of people who were hermaphadites. A hermaphadite is a person fully equipped with both male and female body parts. Then Kushner points out that Eve was not taken from a rib, that the Hebrew word really means side. So Adam before he was split up into a male person and a female person, was closer to a hermaphadite, and he was created in the image of God. One of my friends asked me, "Are you saying God is a hermaphadite?" I'm like yeah. God is fully male and also fully female. And so was Adam, until God separated the male and female aspects of Adam into two persons. And then he married them, saying the two could not be complete without the other.

 

[jeager106]

I prefer "genderless".

 

[Katzpur]

Does God "need" a gender (in order to be God)? No. Does He have one? I believe He does. I believe our "Father" in Heaven is a male, as all fathers are.

 

[idav]

Gender is for beings that are not god and have no other means of creation. A creator of a universe shouldn't need a gender to do so.

 

[Neo Deist]

The traditional Abrahamic god is regarded as male though many Christian theologians seem to regard Him as both and neither. Many Pagans believe in a male God and female Goddess as a great cosmic duality (however the role of the God has diminished over time).

My question is does the concept of a genderless god exist in any tradition? And if it did, would our language need to impose gender on it, since in English personhood is always gendered?

Yes.

As a deist, I do not apply human traits to God. Although habit may have me refer to God as He, I also refer to God as It, because I view God as genderless.