Is God really a He?
Traditionally, most spiritual texts have used the pronoun He when referring to God. For reasons we won’t explore here, spiritual texts have historically been written, edited, and passed along by men. Almost without exception, these men use the pronoun He when referring to the Divine. Images and paintings often depict the Divine as a bearded man in a flowing robe.
But does that really make sense? Is the Divine really a He?
First and foremost, the Divine transcends gender. The Divine is neither male nor female. One could even say the Divine is both male AND female. But it is very difficult for us to grasp such a concept with our tiny little mortal minds.
In our journey of discovery we often need to refer to the Divine in our writings, discussions and contemplations. Using the word Divine over and over is like saying someone’s name over and over. It gets rather repetitive. There are times when a pronoun makes reading and comprehension much easier. The words simply flow better.
Using the word “IT” seems rather demeaning, even insulting. As if the Divine were a thing. IT is not very God-like, not very Divine.
And sometimes it seems a bit impersonal to refer to the Divine as “Source”, or even the “Tao”. Many of us long for a personal relationship with the Divine. If is difficult for us to relate to an all pervasive field of energy, an omnipresent source of Love.
In order to connect to the Divine it helps to distill all of those ideas into something more personal, almost as if to personify the Divine.
I’ll say it again, for emphasis: The Divine transcends gender. The Divine is neither male nor female. So as we strive to describe the Divine in words, let’s deem it perfectly appropriate to assign a gender. With that in mind, let’s begin to pull apart that idea and try to determine which is the “better” gender to apply.
Most of us would agree the Divine is the source of all life. The universe and everything in it came from the Divine. The Divine birthed the universe.
As we look to nature, in virtually every species the female is responsible for the birthing of the child. Sure the man is necessary to help initiate the process but that’s it. Basically one and done. The female, the mother, is responsible for nurturing that seed of life and birthing the new individual into the world.
In most spiritual texts, it is written that the Love of the Divine is the highest most perfect Love that exists. Divine Love has no conditions, no judgments. In society it is said there is nothing like a Mother’s Love. We often hear the phrase “Only a mother could love such and such.”
The Father, on the other hand, is seen as the disciplinarian. The Father is the one that lays down the judgment on your actions. The Father doesn’t want to hear about your emotions, how you feel; just the facts. The Father is the judge, jury and the executioner.
Obviously these are gross stereotypes. Some men are much more “loving” than some women. Some mothers are physically and mentally abusive to their children. Some even go as far as murdering their own children. But remember, we are attempting to complete an impossible task: assign a gender to something that transcends gender.
For me, the traits of the Divine align much more closely with the traits of a female than the traits of a male. I feel much more comfort, much more Love in my heart when envisioning a Loving Mother, rather than an old man in a white robe.
When I picture the Divine in my head, I picture a Loving female, a Divine Feminine, a Divine Mother. One who nourishes my soul in good times and in bad. One who is there to embrace me when I’m feeling down. One who is there to reassure when I make mistakes, letting me know everything will be okay. One who Loves me unconditionally.
As such, in my writings, in my speeches, in all of my contemplations on the Divine, I will refer to the Divine as She, as Her. This should not serve to contradict or invalidate any spiritual writings that use the word He. I’m not saying that everyone that uses or used the word He is wrong. This is simply my way of expressing the Divine. My way of sharing my personal connection to the Divine with you, the reader. So whenever I say She or Her in my writings, understand I am referring to the Divine.
Image Credit: “Edge of Heaven” by TitusBoy
Male God in flowing robe: “Waiting For The Word”/Flickr creative commons