\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\nIf we recognize that an image is just an image, then I\u2019m sure the more images that we have for God the better. I would like to see the Church find plentiful use for female images.\u00a0When speaking of God as mother,\u00a0though, both popes\u00a0referred to God as \u201che.\u201d Logically you would expect a \u201cshe\u201d there. This is something that the Bible never does, even when it uses feminine imagery for God.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Bible also refuses to acknowledge a female god alongside Yahweh. You do find God\u2019s wisdom referred to as \u201cshe,\u201d and some people claim this is Yahweh\u2019s consort. But the Bible is very clear. Even though it was a long time before the Jews decided that there simply were no other gods besides Yahweh, and even though ordinary Jews did worship other gods, the Bible as we have it claims only Yahweh as\u202fIsrael\u2019s God.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is going on with the female imagery?<\/h4>\n
If there\u2019s such a thing as a range between literal and non-literal, then the male imagery for God seems to be more literal and the female imagery more figurative.\u00a0The Bible can use the masculine pronoun for God and address God directly as father. For example: \u201cFather in heaven, hallowed be your name.\u201d The Bible doesn\u2019t do that with \u201cmother.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nJesus\u2019 Father has \u201call of the characteristics of fatherhood and motherhood.\u201d Still, when Jesus addressed God, he said \u201cFather,\u201d never \u201cMother.\u201d The Church follows that example. At least in public prayer, we don\u2019t say of God \u201cOh, Mother\u201d as we might \u201cOh, Father.\u201d All of the references in the Bible to God as mother are comparisons only. It never sounds real. In the Bible God is never \u201cshe.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Bible and the Church imagine God habitually and nearly exclusively as male. And always God\u00a0is \u201che\u201d even if, to requote John Paul I, \u201che<\/i>\u202fis mother.\u201d Is that the way it should be?\u202f\u202f<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNext post will look for an answer. It will\u00a0consider the difficult question of inclusive language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA prayer to conclude<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\nI would like to conclude this post with a prayer to God as mother. Such a prayer, perhaps written by a pope, would be a blessing to the Church.\u00a0I\u2019ve tried to imagine this papal prayer. I assume that a pope could do better, but maybe the prayer would go something like this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span>T<\/b>o\u00a0<\/b>O<\/b>ur Mothering God<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMost compassionate God, you brought forth a universe of galaxies and stars and planets with creatures that live and love, like you. You send your children all unprepared on paths untrod, as all mothers do. Our earthly mothers\u202fremember the care they have for their children, from the womb and ever on, even when it causes them sorrow.\u00a0So\u00a0surround us always with the womb* of your compassion that we never\u00a0even\u00a0think of\u00a0straying or, if straying, never fear to return.\u00a0Remember your First Born, Jesus. Please do this for us, Jesus\u2019 sisters and brothers. Amen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u00a0<\/span>* An interesting fact: The Hebrew word for compassion is the plural of \u201cwomb.\u201d<\/p>\nImage credit: The Junia Project via Google images<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There\u2019s no question: The images the Bible uses for God are overwhelmingly male. God is judge, shepherd, warrior\u2014all male roles in Biblical times, though not necessarily so today. Mostly God is king in the Hebrew Bible and Father in Christian scriptures. Is God ever Mother? This is the fifth in a series on the Creed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3488,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-creed"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![A mother bear followed by cubs and legend: \"Biblical maternal images for God.\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/980\/2019\/01\/download-1-300x126.jpg\")