(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Thermal Thursday: God's Pronouns [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-03-02 Today’s Topic: An article regarding the pronouns used to refer to God was recently brought to my attention (h/t mettle fatigue, thank you!), and I think it’s worth sharing here for a few reasons: 1) As the author states, God is described in the Bible as a King and our Father. However, God is also described as a nursing mother, a mother hen, and a wise woman. There are also times when God is described without apparent gender, such as the “burning bush”. 2) The author also explains [bolding mine]: It is not wrong to refer to God with male pronouns, but it can have negative social and theological consequences to refer to God with only male pronouns. Feminist theologian Mary Daly famously stated, “If God is male, then the male is God.” In other words, referring to God only as the male gender has a significant social impact that can exalt one gender at the expense of others. Referring to God only as male can also limit one’s theological imagination: Using many pronouns for God emphasizes that God is mystery, beyond all human categories. 3) GOP attempts at erasure of LGBTQ peoples (amongst others, of course) are a hot topic lately, and we do not want to sit by and watch any part of the US slide into fascism. My experience of the Church was that God was consistently referred to as male, but I rejected that early, as that is impossible when the Bible states that we are all made in “His” image. Although I never convinced our Church leaders, my parents eventually agreed with me (or maybe decided agreeing was easier than listening to me as a child repeatedly bringing up the injustice of it all). I therefore, for decades, have referred to God as She; not that They are only female either, but to even things out a bit as almost everyone else in my orbit tends to refer to Them as He. But Christians amongst others should be bravely standing up against fascist bigoted trends. So please consider proclaiming it loudly and often: If there is a God, They are NOT straight white male. Who says God (and Dog) can’t look marvelous? Finally as always, let’s elevate our Community Cred and repost The Needs List — and helpful ideas! From Aashirs nani (with permission) on Helping Humpday: PLEASE NOTE: When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end. Be aware, both donor and recipient, that GFM not only charges fees, but also money received through that platform is treated as taxable income. If you are requesting help through GFM, also be aware that there can be delays in accessing the money. COMMUNITY NEEDS LIST AS OF 3/01/23: Please note also that Chef Bobby Neary, “@nuevopioneer,” has passed away. We will continue to post his favourite charity to honour him — please consider a donation to the Satos, the street pets of Puerto Rico! Bobby adopted his own Sato, Missilu, as well as raised funds for PR’s Satos. I’m in for a mickle each week toward a variety of DKos members on the Needs List. I hope you’ll join me. Always glad to see the needed amounts gradually decreasing! If helping financially isn’t the right choice for you at this time, you can still help. Tip and rec the diary so it stays visible. Share on social media: Twitter, Facebook, whatever platform you use, to bring the attention of others outside our daily readers. And offer words of encouragement to people who are struggling. It can be scary to be struggling, and it can feel lonely. Let them know we understand and are here to help. If you have time, please visit the diaries above and leave comments for their authors. Those words of encouragement are vital! If you don’t like fundraisers, please just move along. They are a longstanding tradition at DKos — Until we vote in enough progressives to create a much stronger social safety net! (Maybe in 2 years.) [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/2/2155794/-Thermal-Thursday-God-s-Pronouns Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/