Study guide
Religious concepts and life
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- WJEC
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A Study of ChristianityTheme 2: Religious concepts and religious life
A. Religious concepts – the nature of God.
Is God Male? The issue of male language about God;
Monotheism: gender is more analogical because it serves a purpose of how we interact with God.
God and Triune (F, S and HS): two of which are distinctly male.
Catechism of the Catholic Church: 'God is neither man not woman: he is God.'
Church of Latter Day Saints: God married to 'Heavenly Mother': act as parents.
NT God conveys two ideas:
God as creator of the world.
The relationship between God and Jesus.
Pronouns:
Original languages of the Bible (Hebrew and Greek) constantly refer to God as the 'father'.
Father (one who created us), King (powerful figure).
Confession of Sin: 'glory to the father, and to the son.'
Patriarchal mindset: social constructs of life being from father and not from mother.
Male domination.
Analogous: God is likened to a human father: he provides for his children/disciplines and loves them.
The pastoral benefits and challenges of the model of Father;
Benefits: suggests lordship over creation.
Protective nature reflective of protective pastoral nature of a father.
Christianity held that God became incarnate in male form (in Jesus).
Challenges: God exists in a form that defies female and male categories.
It was produced in an era without gender awareness.
God is arguably genderless and lives in spirit.
'God cannot be regarded as having a gender, race, or color.' - American National Council of
Churches.
'there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Jesus Christ' - Paul in his Epistle to
the Galatians.
Evidently no indication of gender inequality.
Analogy: no different than saying, 'mother earth'.
'As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you;' - Isaiah 66:13.
Sally Hitchiner: OT + NT refers to God as:
Giving birth (Deuteronomy).
Breastfeeding (Isaiah and Psalms).
Gather up Jerusalem like a mother hen gathers her chicks (Luke and Matthew).
Steve Singleton: despite objections we should continue to refer to God with male language because:
The Bible refers to God in male terms hundreds of time.
Does not directly refer to God in female terms.
The male terms can be read as gender neutral anyway, just as ‘mankind’ refers to both
genders.
Sallie McFague and God as mother.
Metaphors can shock us (surprise us by a new link) and re-orientate us (push us into a new way of
thinking).
All language about God is metaphorical: names and titles (father and king) are simply ways
which we think about God.
Metaphors often turn into idols: we end up worshipping the metaphor instead of God. Many
metaphors miss the mark and become outdated with time.
'God as mother' not intended to say that God is female only to highlight certain traits of God which are
more associated with feminine characteristics.
Three metaphors for God's relationship with the world:
Mother: corresponds to 'Father', doctrine of creation, ethical element of justice and agape love
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