Why do we refer to God as male?

[WeatherWoman]

male being lower maintenance allows males to provided more for others

What what what!!!!!? Seriously?

[Glacier]

My wife's cousin is a Lutheran pastor in Lutheran part of the USA (midwest), and she refers to God as a she in her sermons. I know because she posts her sermons on Facebook sometimes.

[ferri]

i was raised Lutheran and it was explained to me that God was referred to as He because He had to be called something, and It wasn't the right word. it could have been She, as long as it was consistent. then this thread would be titled Why do we refer to God as female?

[annexi]

i was raised Lutheran and it was explained to me that God was referred to as He because He had to be called something, and It wasn't the right word. it could have been She, as long as it was consistent. then this thread would be titled Why do we refer to God as female?

lol indeed.

Without intending to sound flippant or irreverent, 'it' seems the best choice of pronoun for God. To label God as a he or she is anthropomorphic. God is not human.

[WeatherWoman]

God is not human

neither are dogs and we use he or she for them.

But I do agree that "god" is neither he or a she.

[Glacier]

Why do we refer to our ships as "she"?

[I Think]

Many languages award gender to various things.
in Spanish a table is fem, a ship (barco) is male, a small boat (panga) is female.
IMHO this has a profound effect on the culture.
It is a socialized way to subjugate women

Fortunately with the advent of internet cell phones and radio and television this is slipping slowly away,
but will take a few more generations.

[cutter7]

Other than the obvious reason - our religious texts refer to God as male. Is that really true though? In a perfect universe, there is a balance of male and female, yin and yang.

The world is currently ruled by an underlying and pervasive patriarchal (male) worldview. It can be found in our religions, our social practices, our languages, and our laws. Somewhere in the evolution of humanity, woman - the matriarchal archetype - was lost as an equal and balancing force.

I wonder if God being claimed male is an extension of this overriding patriarchy. And I wonder if in fact this does believers a great injustice, if it obscures a greater truth.

To me, God is too vast and un-understandable by the human mind to be given any labels at all & we should question what we've been taught.

King James 2000 Bible
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

[annexi]

King James 2000 Bible
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

There have been a couple of responses like yours, essentially saying we refer to God as male because the bible says so. Who wrote the bible? Men. Men operating from a world view that regarded woman as fallen creatures, weak, inferior, property, etc. For this reason I'm not taking the word of a book written by men as the gospel truth no questions asked.

The whole feminine aspect of spirituality is totally given back burner status in the bible. That can't be right in a properly balanced worldview and God view. There has got to be more to the story of what God is.

[I Think]

He She, imho god is not even an it.

[logicalview]

At a recent dinner I attended, 'grace' was said thanking Mother Earth for the food we were about to eat. I said 'Amen' for the first time in a long time :)

Did you also thank Mother Earth for providing dinosaurs, so that fuel could be created to plant, spray and harvest said food?

[I Think]

In Latin America, the catholics glommed onto the mother earth idea and tried to supplant mother earth celebrations with celebrations of the Virgin de Guadaloupe.

[cliffy1]

In Latin America, the catholics glommed onto the mother earth idea and tried to supplant mother earth celebrations with celebrations of the Virgin de Guadaloupe.

The whole Virgin Mary mother of god myth was stolen from the Greek goddess Gaia. The catholic church has integrated many pagan rituals and characters to make assimilation easier.
Personally, I think the biblical god should be called he because he is such a prick, as well as a narcissistic psychopath.

[annexi]

Personally, I think the biblical god should be called he because he is such a prick, as well as a narcissistic psychopath.

Yikes that will raise the ire of many a Christian.

And it sounds a wee bit like misandry. That generally will get us about as far as misogyny does.

[cliffy1]

Yikes that will raise the ire of many a Christian.

And it sounds a wee bit like misandry. That generally will get us about as far as misogyny does.

Well, it is my opinion. I think if someone is upset by it, it is an indication of weak faith. I am not trying to change anybody's mind, or argue the point. I figure if others want the right to express their opinions then they should be willing to grant others the right to their opinions too.