"...it felt good to be out of the rain."
Sometimes I think people get caught up in the details in things that don't matter. Maybe I don't get caught up in the details of things that actually do matter. What's on my mind right now is pronouns used for God. For the most part, if not completely, masculine pronouns are used in all texts to describe God. For me, the pronouns doesn't carry a whole lot merit, it's the being behind them that is so powerful for me. I don't really care if it, or you for that matter, describe God as a man or a woman. It's really not that big of a deal for me. I know that God is neither and both at the same time. Maybe a better way to say it is that God is who and what I/we need when and where I/we need Him/Her/It. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are present to work together and separately at the same time when you need them most. I guess that's all I have to say about that.
If you want to fight to change God's image based on the pronouns used, be my guest. I won't fight against you. I can not guarantee that I fight with you, though we all know I probably will.
"Under the cities lies a heart made of ground, but the humans will give no love.
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well said :)
ReplyDeleteI've really been into finding feminine pronouns to use to talk about God, and I can tell that it bothers some people--not that people are offended by it, but because they think it shouldn't matter, or it's not a big deal because we all know in our heads that God is bigger than gender.
ReplyDeleteBut here's the thing... I don't think I can talk about God in feminine terms without feeling sort of silly or mystical. And talking about God in neuter, PC terms just feels kind of sterile, because we are gendered creatures, and this is a major part of how we relate to the world. It's a huge part of our language, and, given that language is symbol, and particularly pronouns are symbols, the words "Him" and "He" and "Father" are, in Christianity and the context of the church, as much symbols as the cross and the bread and the wine, I think.
So, if we don't challenge ourselves to know that the bread is a symbol, so it doesn't matter whether its a host or a cracker, and, in my mind, if you intentionally know this, you risk containing God in a symbol--idol worship. So while these words of "him" and "her" are, no doubt, inadequate containers for the Divine, if we don't accept them both as equally inadequate, we do a disservice to ourselves as well as to our God.
I'm definitely one of those people who feels strongly about this. I'm just saying, try and go through a Eucharist service, or even Compline, with only feminine pronouns, and reflect on how it makes you feel. I really think your mind will feel open and closer to Her.
I *think this post maybe me trying to embody your point that God can not and should not be limited to any human container--words, bread, etc. It came out from me in the form of pronouns
ReplyDeleteI have used feminine pronouns occasionally in my prayers and daily office, and yes, I do get a deeper meaning from it, but I don't think it was specifically because I was thinking of God in a new light, but because I focused more on the words and their meaning, their symbolism. I had a similar experience during the Nicene Creed when I switched from the Catholic to the Episcopal Church. The word are different around the middle, and I still find myself concentrating on them more. I think I know at least part of the feeling that you're describing. For me, it comes when I try to embody God in a way that someone might understand, or maybe just in a way that I understand better. Every time I try to vocalize these thoughts, I stumble over words and sometimes get choked up, and do feel closer to Her.