Why God is Father and Not Mother

Why God is Father and Not Mother | Mark Brumley | IgnatiusInsight.com

"The Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man" is how the 19th century liberal Protestant theologian Adolph Harnack once summarized the Christian faith. Nowadays Harnack would find his brand of reductionist religion dismissed as hopelessly sexist and exclusive by many feminist theologians. The "brotherhood of man" might be reworked into "the family of humanity" or its equivalent. But what would they do about the Fatherhood of God? Can we replace the allegedly "sexist" language of Divine Fatherhood with so-called gender-inclusive or gender-neutral terms such as Father/Mother or Heavenly Parent without further ado?

Many people–including some Catholics–say "yes." "We not only can," they contend, "we must. God is, after all, beyond gender. Calling God ‘Father’, without adding that God is also Mother, unfairly exalts one image for God above all others and ignores the culturally conditioned nature of all our images of God," they argue.

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Comments

[Tom]

Good stuff. This is one of the most irritating errors because of its widespread commission.

[Mark Brumley]

I wrote this a while back. I would refine it a bit if I were to write on the subject today. And of course I would address arguments such as those presented by Prof. Freitas.

[Sean Sullivan]

Sure, God is beyond gender, but I think God the Father is appropriate, and if you need an argument for that, the Bible says man was made in His image. Also, Jesus, called Him Father. It's hard to argue with Christ.

[Mark Brumley]

but I think God the Father is appropriate, and if you need an argument for that, the Bible says man was made in His image.

The problem with that argument is the equivocal use of "man". "Man" is made in God's image, but the "man" in question includes male and female human beings. It is the gender-inclusive use of "man".

Your second argument--the example of Jesus--seems to me to work, while the argument above does not.

[Ed]

Mark, re: your comment about "man." We must remember that Genesis was not written in a European language. Ha'dam, the Hebrew for "man" in the inclusive sense (or "human," if you prefer) does not leave us with the same problem as many European languages, in which the traditional term for "human" (i.e., "man") is equivalent with the masculine word. In Hebrew, the masculine and feminine are "eesh" and "eesha" (for lack of Anglicized Hebraic characters, that is!). Adam is refered to without gender until the separation into the sexes.

This article, which is quite well-done, in that it was needed, furthers my belief that we need the theology of the body, which would help us to understand God's Fatherhood.

[Ed Peters]

I wish my out-dated articles were this good.

[Carl Olson]

I wish my up-to-date articles were this good.

[Nick Milne]

I wish my articles, of all periods, were this good.

[Sean Sullivan]

There isn't going to be anyone whose every argument will be strong to each person. Personally, I think it's silly to argue over God being the Father. There are so many other things we should be worrying about. Anyways, it doesn't matter what I think. I got the link to this off of a Catholic site; I'm a Lutheran. I'm already condemned by the pope.

[Carl Olson]

There isn't going to be anyone whose every argument will be strong to each person.

As you prove with this remark. Point taken.

Personally, I think it's silly to argue over God being the Father.

Then think of how silly it is to argue over arguing over God being Father. Very!

There are so many other things we should be worrying about.

Believe me, I'm worrying about them as well. I'm very busy with a lot of worry. In fact, I worry about worrying.

Anyways, it doesn't matter what I think.

Hey, I didn't say that.

I got the link to this off of a Catholic site; I'm a Lutheran. I'm already condemned by the pope.

Really? By name? C'mon now, if this is true, then why has the Catholic Church and Lutherans been holding official dialogues for decades now about a host of topics? I'm confused. And now I have one more thing to worry about.

[Jackson]

"There are so many other things we should be worrying about."

Very true, Sean! But certain wolves in the fold have sadly made such essays necessary.

[Sean Sullivan]

I agree with you. It's sad. But hey, if that's their biggest problem, then I'm happy for them.

[MMajor Fan]

Great article!

It does matter because when God expresses his "preference" (there, I've used a favorite liberal wonder word ha ha) he is conveying information about himself to people who claim to want to know him. The fact that Jesus called God Father is obviously the truth and therefore God's will about his own being.

Also, feminists should remember that when God appeared in person to Abraham as one of the three angels, they were male travelers. If God was a "suppressed fem" would he have not made a political statement by being a female traveler who announces the disbelieving Sarah's imminent pregnancy? Some folks just gotta read the Bible and believe.

Thanks for writing this.

(Sean... By the way my grandparents were very devout Lutherans in Germany and I have no doubt they are in heaven serving the Lord as they did on earth. I'm sure the Pope would agree.)

[Cristina A. Montes]

"The fact that Jesus called God Father is obviously the truth and therefore God's will about his own being."

Not only that; Jesus said, "When you pray, say "Our Father Who art in heaven..."

[rd]

i think fr. george rutler was quoting someone else when he said that we need to remember that "God is God, and we are not."

the creatures don't define the Creator. we only know what's been revealed to us. so call Him Father, because the Son said we can.

[Brian Schuettler]

In the end it all comes down to faith. You will most likely never convince hard core feminists that the use of the word father in ancient semitic culture had any significance other than the influence of a patriarchal society. All the references in the Bible will not help. Feminists, in my opinion, approach a subject in an inductive manner that forces their "reality" to be what pleases them, regardless of the evidence. In this sense, they are seeking their own truth, their own will, their own pride; not the Truth, God's Will and humble obedience to it. Neither an exegetical approach to Scripture nor the teaching of the Magisterium are going to change a hardened heart; only grace can do that. Let us pray that those who reject the Truth and replace it with an human agenda will at some point in their life, before the end, cooperate with the abundant graces that are presented to them in the expectation of faith and hope so that they may allow themselves to experience a sweet surrender to Love.

[Sister Mary Fisher, O. P.]

It makes just as much sense to argue about gender in God as it does to argue about the type, size, material, style of angles' wings. There simply ain't no such thing!