Is God male?
Michael Rea
Research Summary
Is God male? Or should God be referred to in gender terms at all? This philosophical essay takes issue with the traditionalist practice of referring to God in male terms. A very close and detailed argument is developed, through which it is established that it is not more accurate to characterise God as male rather than female, or vice versa. The argument is based neither on the view that God is a human concept and therefore beyond gender nor the view that God is absolutely transcendent and therefore beyond gender. It is based on two other principles, namely that human beings are created in God’s image and that God is a perfect being. In relation to the ‘image of God’, the argument is that God must be visible as much in female as male characteristics; in relation to God as a perfect being, the argument is that if God has gender attributes at all, God must have these equally. The conclusion of the article is that there should be no problem in describing God as female in settings such as liturgy, moral discussion, etc. Teachers will find the ideas challenging, but of use in responding to questions often posed by children and in preparing A level philosophy and ethics materials and lessons.
Researcher
Michael Rea
Research Institution
University of Notre Dame, Indiana
What is this about?
- Is it right to describe God as male? This appears to be a traditionalist assumption, or even a safe option.
- But the traditional practice has been harmful to women, implying that their characteristics are less ideal, and to men, encouraging a false view of their superiority. It doesn’t seem to be necessary or helpful, so it ought to be questioned.
- It doesn’t appear in the Bible. Jesus may be male, but this is offered as proof of his divinity no more than are his musculature or hair.
- Of course people have challenged the traditionalist view before, but here is a novel argument against it, based purely on analysis of theological principles.
- The argument given will be presented below, but key points are: if people are created in God’s image, equally, characteristics of women are no more or less reflective of God’s image than those of men.
- Also, if God is a perfect being, and has gender attributes, these attributes must be equally female and male, since there is no reason to say that one is better than the other, or vice versa.
What was done?
This is an essay in philosophical theology, reviewing various ideas and practices concerning God and gender from the Christian tradition and arguing for criticism and reform.
Main findings and outputs
- God is most accurately characterised as masculine (say) only if God is masculine and God is not equally feminine.
- However, God is masculine or feminine only if God is equally masculine and feminine. This is because of God’s status as a perfect being. There is no reason to say that masculinity is better than femininity or vice versa, so it would not be perfect for God to have a preponderance of either.
- Therefore, God is not most accurately characterised as masculine.
- All human beings are created equally in the image of God; the characteristics that contribute to making someone a woman are no more or less relevant to her bearing the image of God than those that contribute to making someone a man.
- If the Bible or tradition portray God as masculine, they do not insist that God is masculine in metaphysical terms. In the same way, there is no insistence that God should only be discussed via Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. The ‘Biblical pattern’ should not be taken as evidence of God’s will to be described as male.
- A just God would not insist on unequal gendered description. Gendered forms of speech such as ‘Heavenly Father’ or Julian of Norwich’s ‘as truly as God is our Father, so truly is God our Mother’ are still important, but are metaphors (as the logical arguments prove).
- In conclusion, there is no problem with referring to God as female, though if God is masculine or feminine at all, then God is equally masculine and feminine.
Relevance to RE
- Teachers will find this essay to be demanding and thought-provoking subject reading. Summaries of the key points and arguments could certainly be offered to A level philosophy and ethics students for discussion and debate.
- The essay resonates with questions that children, even relatively younger ones, often raise and are keen to explore in RE. Teachers may find that consideration of the ideas in the essay offers some preparation in dealing with such questions as they arise.
- The essay is also evidence that such questions need to be taken up rather than dismissed. They are evidently relevant to developments and issues within Christianity; and to questions over belief in God, and the nature of God, in general.
Generalisability and potential limitations
The issue of generalisability probably could not apply to an essay such as this; its strength is in its originality, force and capacity to provoke further reflection and debate.
Find out more
Gender as a Divine Attribute, Religious Studies 52, 97–115 (published online on 5 February 2015) , doi:10.1017/S0034412514000614