Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
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God as she | Henry | Thursday, January 6, 2005 |
Question: Dear Bro. I have a question I'm sure you can help me with. My sons religion teacher refers to God as a she because he says that this way the students can question their own boxes that they put God in. That this way it helps them realize that the scriptures use several metaphors for God, "Mother Hen", "Good Shepherd", "Vine and Branches", etc. Jesus, he said, used different images for God that the people of that time were not comfortable with so this way the students can understand the resistance Jesus faced in his time. I know that Jesus taught us to pray using "Father" and not mother and He never refered to God as a she. How can I best respond. I feel that by referring to God as a "She" it opens up the door for students to think of God as a goddess. Thank you for you reply. |
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Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM
Dear Henry: I think you need to confront this teacher and perhaps report the teacher to the pastor because to call God "she" is improper and a violation of sound theology at best and flirting with heresy at worst. To think of God as "Father" is not putting God in our personal box. "Father" is how God has revealed himself to us. The Catechism states:
Since God has revealed Himself as "Father", as "He", what kind of arrogance do we have to refer to Him in any other way? For example, what kind of arrogance would I have if I insisted on calling you Henretta instead of Henry? God did not have to reveal Himself to us, but once He did we need to have respect for that Revelation. With that said, God is neither male or female. God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. However, to call God "mother" or "she" is to mess with theology. There are theological reasons for why God refers to Himself as "Father". The Catechism states:
I would also recommend checking out the article The Goddess Project for some insight into this trend to call God "she." Cardinal Ratzinger in The Ratzinger Report remarked:
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