The Holy Spirit is Feminine

I have always thought this was obvious but I am met with blank stares when I say this to Christians. The explanations to explain womanhood never ever make sense when I question the notion that God created man in his image. The argument seems to be that God created Adam in his image and woman was created from Adam's likeness.

I know the story of the rib and all that but I believe it should state that god created Mankind in its image. We assign masculinity to God "He", "Father", "Son" but woman is the bearer of the human race, it only stand to reason that Woman too is a reflection of God and that reflection is of the Holy Spirit. What is the Holy spirit if not feminine?

Spirituality, obviously, is not owned by the female race but expression of emotion, which I believe comes from the spirit, tends to be viewed as belonging to the feminine.

Is this a concept that is ever discussed in Christian churches? I've never heard it brought up. Are any Christians in agreement? If not, why?

I'm not christian or religious since several years, but I used to be up until my early 20s.

I think many christians believe that God created both genders in "his" image and that God has both male and female characteristics, that would include the holy spirit.

Genesis 1:27
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

The word "man" stands for "mankind" in this sentence. In the swedish translation of the same sentence it reads:

"And God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created her, man and woman he created them."

However God is mostly described as a man in the bible which shows that God's male characteristics are given much more importance. This of course is explained by the ancient times in which the texts were written. But if the texts had really been inspired by a benevolent deity I think they would've been ahead of their times and would not have emphasized the male as much as they do.

The Catholic and Orthodox Churches endorse this idea.

I'm a Christian and I've often thought of the Holy Spirit as feminine. I kind of think of God and the Holy Spirit as "parents" of Jesus. Don't know if there is any official doctrine about this though, it's just my own personal idea, and I don't bring it up at Church.

This is ludicris!!!!!

kenlacam said:

It certainly makes more sense to say the Almighty is a feminine presence than a masculine one, given that no life on Earth could exist without females but it doesn't necessarily require males.

That said, I believe that if there really is a Holy Spirit or deity, It has no gender. It's above and beyond such distinctions.

The church I grew up going to recited The Lord's Prayer as beginning with "Our Mother and Father who art in heaven..."

So, does this mean life is just.... one big chick flick?

This is absolutely discussed in many Christian churches, though the importance of gendered language with respect to the Divine isn't altogether uniform from church to church.

It should be said first and foremost that God -- and assuming we're using an orthodox trinitarian model, also the Holy Spirit and even Christ's divine nature (as opposed to his clearly male human nature) -- transcends humanness, let alone sex and gender. That said, the gendered language with which God is revealed in scripture is meant to serve good purpose. None of us can grasp the infinity of God, but we can likely grasp notions of a disciplinarian, a fierce protector and a material provider, for example, as traditionally "masculine" in most cultures. And, indeed, the vast majority of biblical language referring to God is masculine... which I don't think is unimportant.

BUT it's not all masculine: God is recalled as being motherly in Isaiah 66, and as having a womb and giving birth to creation in Job 38. God trying to reach sinners is likened to a woman searching for a lost coin in Luke 15. And God creates both male and female in the Divine image in Genesis 1:26-27 and 5:2. Elsewhere, Jesus likens himself to a "mother hen" in Matthew 23:37, and the Wisdom of God, which some (but not all) consider a pre-Christian identification of the Holy Spirit, is personified as "Lady Wisdom" throughout the book of Proverbs.

Also, by way of linguistics, the succession of words from which we inherit our notion of God's spirit is interesting: The Hebrew ruach is feminine; the Greek pnuema is neuter; the Latin spiritus is masculine... and, anecdotally at least, it was a Latin-speaking culture from which our contemporary Christian language (and the thinking that imbues it) is most recently derived. Make of that what you will.

At the end of the day, I think it's important to understand that this gendered language is poetic, metaphorical at best. But, then, metaphor is no less an inspired form of communication than any other, eh? And many people I know find utmost comfort in the more traditionally "feminine" traits attached to God -- life giving, quietude, gentle consolation, nurturing, mercy, unfailing love. I see nothing wrong with that so long as we are cautious in making hard and fast ontological claims on God based on our limited reality.
[Edited 9/12/09 0:06am]

Lammastide said:

meow85 said:

Lammastide said:

This is absolutely discussed in many Christian churches, though the importance of gendered language with respect to the Divine isn't altogether uniform from church to church.

It should be said first and foremost that God -- and assuming we're using an orthodox trinitarian model, also the Holy Spirit and even Christ's divine nature (as opposed to his clearly male human nature) -- transcends humanness, let alone sex and gender. That said, the gendered language with which God is revealed in scripture is meant to serve good purpose. None of us can grasp the infinity of God, but we can likely grasp notions of a disciplinarian, a fierce protector and a material provider, for example, as traditionally "masculine" in most cultures. And, indeed, the vast majority of biblical language referring to God is masculine... which I don't think is unimportant.

BUT it's not all masculine: God is recalled as being motherly in Isaiah 66, and as having a womb and giving birth to creation in Job 38. God trying to reach sinners is likened to a woman searching for a lost coin in Luke 15. And God creates both male and female in the Divine image in Genesis 1:26-27 and 5:2. Elsewhere, Jesus likens himself to a "mother hen" in Matthew 23:37, and the Wisdom of God, which some (but not all) consider a pre-Christian identification of the Holy Spirit, is personified as "Lady Wisdom" throughout the book of Proverbs.

Also, by way of linguistics, the succession of words from which we inherit our notion of "spirit" is interesting: The Hebrew ruach is feminine; the Greek pnuema is neuter; the Latin spiritus is masculine... and, anecdotally at least, it was a Latin-speaking culture from which our contemporary Christian language (and the thinking that imbues it) is most recently derived. Make of that what you will.

At the end of the day, I think it's important to understand that this gendered language is poetic, metaphorical at best. But, then, metaphor is no less an inspired form of communication than any other, eh? And many people I know find utmost comfort in the more traditionally "feminine" traits attached to God -- life giving, quietude, gentle consolation, nurturing, mercy, unfailing love. I see nothing wrong with that so long as we never make any ontological claims on God based on our limited reality.

for that whole post, but especially the last paragraph. Well said.

We have too limited of an understanding on so many areas that it's unwise to make claims about the Creator one way or another.

Lammastide said:

meow85 said:

for that whole post, but especially the last paragraph. Well said.

We have too limited of an understanding on so many areas that it's unwise to make claims about the Creator one way or another.

Thanks.

Based on my beliefs about scriptural inspiration and authority (which I'm aware not everyone shares ), I do think we're safe to make some claims about God... or at least how we've experienced God through history. But I think we make a grand mistake in assuming our very limited experiences corral the whole of God.

Lammastide said:

meow85 said:

It certainly makes more sense to say the Almighty is a feminine presence than a masculine one, given that no life on Earth could exist without females but it doesn't necessarily require males.

That said, I believe that if there really is a Holy Spirit or deity, It has no gender. It's above and beyond such distinctions.

XxAxX said:

meow85 said:

It certainly makes more sense to say the Almighty is a feminine presence than a masculine one, given that no life on Earth could exist without females but it doesn't necessarily require males.

That said, I believe that if there really is a Holy Spirit or deity, It has no gender. It's above and beyond such distinctions.

god just might be hermaphroditic

Lammastide said:

XxAxX said:

meow85 said:

It certainly makes more sense to say the Almighty is a feminine presence than a masculine one, given that no life on Earth could exist without females but it doesn't necessarily require males.

That said, I believe that if there really is a Holy Spirit or deity, It has no gender. It's above and beyond such distinctions.

god just might be hermaphroditic

rodman2 said:

Lammastide said:

meow85 said:

XxAxX said:

god just might be hermaphroditic

You been listening Corporate Avenger lately?

JayJai said:

XxAxX said:

god just might be hermaphroditic

Could this mean that hermaphrodites are 'closer' to God than those who are identified as male and female?
Maybe they even get an automatic ticket to Heaven...u know...Heaven-bound by default

XxAxX said:

JayJai said:

Could this mean that hermaphrodites are 'closer' to God than those who are identified as male and female?
Maybe they even get an automatic ticket to Heaven...u know...Heaven-bound by default

well, god made them in his/her image too, right?

rodman2 said:

XxAxX said:

meow85 said:

You been listening Corporate Avenger lately?

who?

rodman2 said:

Yes I've heard that before a few times and I tend to agree.

God IS a woman . . . and she is pissed!

You don't need directions and you don't need cash. From your Jimmy Choos to your Ultralash. ~ Prince
And when the groove is dead and gone, you know that Love survives so we can rock FOREVER. ~ RIP MJ

meow85 said:

rodman2 said: