Why do we refer to god as HIM and never as HER?

Question

does that mean god is only male and not female....

Answer 1

In Hinduism, God is referred equally as HE or SHE. Every male deity has a female replica or projection and every female deity has a male equivalent.

For example in the Hindu Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, though all three parts of Trimurti are male, the hidden symbolism emphasizing female energy is not difficult to understand. Brahma was able to create because his consort is Sarasvati, the goddess of speech and learning. Similarly, Vishnu's consort Lakshmi is the Goddess of beauty and fortune, making it possible for him to preserve the universe. Durga is the consort of Shiva.

Also, in Hinduism Shakti meaning force, power or energy is the Hindu concept or personification of God's female aspect, sometimes referred to as 'The Divine Mother'. Shakti represents the active, dynamic principles of feminine power.

The most powerful of Hindu sacred chants (mantra's) Gayatri Mantra is also referred as a "she".

Answer 2

You can't make something you know nothing about. Likewise, God could only create Male and Female because both are part of God's harmonised personality.(*see quote) Not 2 gods, just one that could be the source for both male and female.

With your parents, you would call on one instead of the other depending on the need. When a cupboard door needed fixing, call on the Father, or the HIM. With the problems in the world since Eve took dietry advice from a talking snake, there seem to be a lot of "cupboard doors" that need fixing.
Once the world is back to the way God wanted it, the Motherly side will be more obvious.

Nonetheless, you can go to God or call on God whether you have needs a Father or a Mother would understand better.

Answer 3

i'm presuming you are talking about the christian and muslim god - the yahweh of the old testament, the 'father' of the new testament?

it's because the society of that time was patriarchal - and those values permeated all that was written and believed about god. in a society where men had all the power, then the most powerful being of all could only be imaged as male. and the translators of the bible into latin and then english/other vernaculars carried on the patriarchal tradition.

actually in the original texts of the bible there are lots of references to god as having both male and female qualities. someone has already mentioned the fact that male and female were created in the image of god... even earlier 'in the beginning when god created the heavens and earth', the word used for *god* is PLURAL and refers to both male and female, so a literal translation could be *gods and godesses created*... whenever the bible talks about *wisdom* it is referring to *sophia*, or *shekina* the feminine aspect of god (see eg proverbs 8/9 which are like an argument between the followers of the feminine aspect of god, and the patriarchal followers of yahweh). sophia was a very important figure in eastern christianity with one of the most famous churches in the world - the hagia sophia in what is now istanbul - dedicated to her. the name hagia sophia means 'holy female wisdom'.

personally, i don't see how anyone can believe in *god* - the great *i am* that encompasses everything that has ever been and will ever be, without limits - and think that that god is only male. is that not ascribing limitations to a being you believe is infinite? can't have it both ways...

Answer 4

I recently learned that God is neither and that the only reason why he is refered to as male is the fact that men dominated the world at that time completely and the only people that could write the scriptures were men so they wrote it in their favor. Well actually, there is one more fact that i can think of it is the fact that Jesus called God father.

I hope this helps

Answer 5

The product of thousands of years as a patriarchical society that and the fact most of monotheists religions have ancient roots that would not have allowed for a feminist interpretation of God. Although Ancient Polyhtheistic and Pagan religions have many female Gods.

Answer 6

God is referred to as male because in the time in which his existence is first recorded, it was a male dominated world. Besides which, for whatever reason humans must give a human characteristic to their deity...so, he's called He. If you ask me, I'd rather not define a gender. Besides which, as I'm sure someone else will say...probably many someones...when teaching the disciples to pray, Jesus said.."Our Father......" thus, male.

Answer 7

God is usually referred to as a 'him' because the God of Abraham was invented by Abraham to resemble himself. Since this God has all of Abraham's patriarchal values, violent tendencies, capriciousness, and egomania, Abraham and his religious successors in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions have naturally assumed that God is male, like Abraham.

God can be whatever or whomever you want it to be, though. I consider Nature to be God, so my God doesn't have to have a gender.

Answer 8

Actually Goddess worship is alive and well thought out the world. It is just that for the last couple of thousand years religion has been dominated by the patriarchal establishment.

But the tides are changing.

Answer 9

It depends really - polytheists such as Hindu's believe in both Gods and Goddesses, whereas monotheistic faiths such as Judaism, Islam and Christianity believe in one God, who is usually referred to as 'him'. Personally though i don't think that God is a he or she - we tend to anthropomorphize things which we dont understand. The problem is we have a lack of religious language reserved for God. Even the scriptures, such as the Torah, Qu'ran and Bible are written in a man invented language.

Answer 10

I refer to God as God. God is an asexual term. If I feel like attaching a sex I use she.