Is God a She, a He or an It? Part Two

A woman I once knew was raped repeatedly by her father. Not
surprisingly she has spent the rest of her life trying to understand
why Christians persist in calling God their "Father". The word
"Father" brings no comfort to a victim of incest.

Another woman, who enjoyed a close and enduring relationship with her
own beloved "daddy," doesn't see the problem. The word "Father" brings
her immense comfort.

If God is mystery and unknowable, why does humanity need to attach any
gender to the name of God? Is it because the people of ancient Israel
were a deeply patriarchal culture? Is it because Jesus referred to God
as "Abba" or Daddy? Is it because the English language is heavily male
inflected?

What is wrong with referring to God in gender neutral language? Try it
in any well bred Episcopal church and see what happens.

The Rev. Dr Karl Weddle, our Rector Emeritus, continues with Part Two
of his discussion of why we might want to liberate the notion of God
from our concept of male authority. Not surprisingly the Episcopal
church continues to reflect on ways of referring to God without
engaging in the sterile debate of whether God is a She, a He or an It.
Come join us at 9:45 am, in the parish hall.

Yours in the spirit,

Charles