The bible speaks of God as a 'he' or 'him'.
Is it possible that's not true? Is it possible God is an 'it' more than a 'he' or even a 'she'?
If God is not a 'he', would that change how you think of 'him'?
Would it change anything about 'his' story?
I've seen some believers see this concept as offensive. Are you one of those people that are offended if God is spoken about as a 'it' or 'she'?
Why does God have a gender?
Moderator: Moderators
-
- Prodigy
- Posts: 3187
- Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:32 am
- Has thanked: 1510 times
- Been thanked: 824 times
- The Tanager
- Savant
- Posts: 5079
- Joined: Wed May 06, 2015 11:08 am
- Has thanked: 46 times
- Been thanked: 154 times
Re: Why does God have a gender?
Post #231[Replying to William in post #231]
Sorry, that was my bad. The first. I do not think of myself as the flesh.
Sorry, that was my bad. The first. I do not think of myself as the flesh.
- William
- Savant
- Posts: 14192
- Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:11 pm
- Location: Te Waipounamu
- Has thanked: 912 times
- Been thanked: 1644 times
- Contact:
Re: Why does God have a gender?
Post #232What do you think of yourself as?The Tanager wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:08 pm [Replying to William in post #231]
Sorry, that was my bad. The first. I do not think of myself as the flesh.
- The Tanager
- Savant
- Posts: 5079
- Joined: Wed May 06, 2015 11:08 am
- Has thanked: 46 times
- Been thanked: 154 times
- William
- Savant
- Posts: 14192
- Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:11 pm
- Location: Te Waipounamu
- Has thanked: 912 times
- Been thanked: 1644 times
- Contact:
Re: Why does God have a gender?
Post #234In what context?
My question was this:
Q: "Do you think of yourself as the flesh [human instrument]?"
A: "I do not think of myself as the flesh."
Q: "What do you think of yourself as?"
A: "In this context, a human being."
Q: "In what context are you referring?"
- The Tanager
- Savant
- Posts: 5079
- Joined: Wed May 06, 2015 11:08 am
- Has thanked: 46 times
- Been thanked: 154 times
Re: Why does God have a gender?
Post #235You seem to be asking it in regards to soul vs. matter. That's the context of my answer.
- William
- Savant
- Posts: 14192
- Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:11 pm
- Location: Te Waipounamu
- Has thanked: 912 times
- Been thanked: 1644 times
- Contact:
Re: Why does God have a gender?
Post #236Ah yes. The context as I recall;The Tanager wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 12:14 pmYou seem to be asking it in regards to soul vs. matter. That's the context of my answer.
The problem of interpretations.
How this problem cascades into all manner of confusing tactics as folk ask for meaning and example and clarification on how exactly others are using words ...etc... I think I may have found the reason you and I have not connected in a 'same-page' manner. Not from consistent want of trying...
It boils down - not so much on how we identify the other, but how we each are identifying our self.
So therein, my question to you is;
Q: "Do you think of yourself as the flesh [human instrument]?"
And if your answer to that question is "Yes", then no amount of information I provide to you to will be of any use to you as it will be interpreted by the flesh you self identify with through those filters which accompany such beliefs.
And in that, you will reject the information...
Q: Do you understand what I am saying here? [the context of]
___________________________________________
Q: "What do you think of yourself as?"
A: "In this context, a human being."
Q: "In what context are you referring?"
A: "You seem to be asking it in regards to soul vs. matter. That's the context of my answer."
I am asking it in context to how you self identify as being, re the information I have to offer. It is not a question asked in context of "soul vs. matter" [whatever that even means].
Q: What do you think a "Human Being" is?
- The Tanager
- Savant
- Posts: 5079
- Joined: Wed May 06, 2015 11:08 am
- Has thanked: 46 times
- Been thanked: 154 times
Re: Why does God have a gender?
Post #237Since you seem to be against people asking for clarifying definitions, it being one of a manner of "confusing tactics," I can only answer based on what I understand by "flesh [human instrument]," which is equivalent to "body" or "matter". So, without clarifications, your question to me sounds like: "Do you think of yourself as the material body?" My answer to that question is "No." A human being, in my use of the term, is a hylomorphic being, i.e., a being composed of spirit and matter. I see myself as a spiritual and material being.William wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 12:29 pmAh yes. The context as I recall;
The problem of interpretations.
How this problem cascades into all manner of confusing tactics as folk ask for meaning and example and clarification on how exactly others are using words ...etc... I think I may have found the reason you and I have not connected in a 'same-page' manner. Not from consistent want of trying...
It boils down - not so much on how we identify the other, but how we each are identifying our self.
So therein, my question to you is;
Q: "Do you think of yourself as the flesh [human instrument]?"
And if your answer to that question is "Yes", then no amount of information I provide to you to will be of any use to you as it will be interpreted by the flesh you self identify with through those filters which accompany such beliefs.
And in that, you will reject the information...
Q: Do you understand what I am saying here? [the context of]
___________________________________________
Q: "What do you think of yourself as?"
A: "In this context, a human being."
Q: "In what context are you referring?"
A: "You seem to be asking it in regards to soul vs. matter. That's the context of my answer."
I am asking it in context to how you self identify as being, re the information I have to offer. It is not a question asked in context of "soul vs. matter" [whatever that even means].
Q: What do you think a "Human Being" is?
- William
- Savant
- Posts: 14192
- Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:11 pm
- Location: Te Waipounamu
- Has thanked: 912 times
- Been thanked: 1644 times
- Contact:
Re: Why does God have a gender?
Post #238Then you are somewhat 'in between' as it were - perhaps on the cusp of realizing that the "material being" is more to do with the experience the Spirit being is having, than something the Spiritual being has to think of as "Self".A: A human being, in my use of the term, is a hylomorphic being, i.e., a being composed of spirit and matter. I see myself as a spiritual and material being.
A bit like in the way that a driver of a car understands he is in a human form driving a car, but he is not the car he is driving.
The Spirit understands the same about the body - It drives the body, but is not the body it drives.
Your position as it stands is [1] in the context of belief in afterlife, here in this thread.
The Three Biblical Interpretations About Afterlife
Q: Would you agree with me that your position is [1]?
"Hylomorphic" appears to be defined differently than how you are using it. There is only 'matter' and 'form' both of the physical universe.
"Wood" is - after all - "matter", right?Hylomorphism is a philosophical theory developed by Aristotle, which conceives being as a compound of matter and form. The word is a 19th-century term formed from the Greek words ὕλη hyle, "wood, matter", and μορφή, morphē, "form". Wikipedia
___________________________________
Additional interesting co-related evidence;
Communicating
Nurturing
Soul Has an Agenda
Source Sync
Get Comfortable
Redefine Oneself
Hylomorphic
these all add up to the same numeric value = 152 Calculate a word's value and is why I have added this as argument to our discussion...
- The Tanager
- Savant
- Posts: 5079
- Joined: Wed May 06, 2015 11:08 am
- Has thanked: 46 times
- Been thanked: 154 times
Re: Why does God have a gender?
Post #239No. Neither is it [2] or [3], as I understand those. Working off of your phrasing I would write my current position as:
[4] A "human person" is "spirit and matter" that, upon death of the physical body, the spirit exists in a temporary disembodied state. Then the spirit will be united with a resurrected physical body and either spend eternity in the Heaven they were already a part of or experience Hell.
Notes on the bolded parts:
a. I think there are non-human persons.
b. I'm undecided on whether I think the temporary disembodied state is temporally experienced by the soul or if the resurrected body is experienced as immediately following the death of one's physical body.
c. I'm undecided on whether I think Hell is annihilation or self-inflicted eternal isolation.
Why do you think 'form' is of the physical universe only? It exists in the physical world, there is a form to an apple, but in De Anima Aristotle speaks of the soul and body in form-matter terms as well.
- William
- Savant
- Posts: 14192
- Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:11 pm
- Location: Te Waipounamu
- Has thanked: 912 times
- Been thanked: 1644 times
- Contact:
Re: Why does God have a gender?
Post #240Yes - although i do not think it is necessary to add [4] as it is really a mix between [1]&[2] where the beliefs cross over, and your beliefs are positioned in that cross over, which is aligned with your position of having not yet decided.
The data about additional body type and form [and thus matter] existing in other universes and having a kind of influence on our own universe, seems besides the point. Obviously if one is Spirit within human body [3] then this speaks to that.
Being on the cusp is the warm food mentioned [rather dramatically] in Revelation 3:15 whereas "Yes is Yes or No is No" are better positions.
Your position is not the imaginary [4] but an attempted morphing of [1]&[2]. [While you have yet to make up your mind as to how you best self identify as being...]
Thus, "What can I say which you could possibly accept"? [circling back to the original questions]
Hylomorphic
Communicating
Nurturing
Soul Has an Agenda
Source Sync
Get Comfortable
Redefine Oneself
What can I say which you could accept? It depends on which way your prefer to lean. Spirit. Or. Flesh.
Do you think that the new body you get in the next phase will still bleed, suffer, be 'human'...or something different [perhaps better-from the other universe] in makeup and performance?
As you know, my position is [3] and as you know, I expect the campfire and access to all of the holographic universes. Different bodies depending upon need/use. Freedom of movement. No one telling me how I should do things. Just as a Spirit [of The Creator] would have.
bw!tna!
The data about additional body type and form [and thus matter] existing in other universes and having a kind of influence on our own universe, seems besides the point. Obviously if one is Spirit within human body [3] then this speaks to that.
Being on the cusp is the warm food mentioned [rather dramatically] in Revelation 3:15 whereas "Yes is Yes or No is No" are better positions.
Your position is not the imaginary [4] but an attempted morphing of [1]&[2]. [While you have yet to make up your mind as to how you best self identify as being...]
Thus, "What can I say which you could possibly accept"? [circling back to the original questions]
Your answer to that is 'half yes and half no" the undecided position shown as the purple area in the diagram below.Q: "Do you think of yourself as the flesh [human instrument]?"
And if your answer to that question is "Yes", then no amount of information I provide to you to will be of any use to you as it will be interpreted by the flesh you self identify with through those filters which accompany such beliefs.
And in that, you will reject the information...
Q: Do you understand what I am saying here? [the context of]
Hylomorphic
Communicating
Nurturing
Soul Has an Agenda
Source Sync
Get Comfortable
Redefine Oneself
What can I say which you could accept? It depends on which way your prefer to lean. Spirit. Or. Flesh.
Do you think that the new body you get in the next phase will still bleed, suffer, be 'human'...or something different [perhaps better-from the other universe] in makeup and performance?
As you know, my position is [3] and as you know, I expect the campfire and access to all of the holographic universes. Different bodies depending upon need/use. Freedom of movement. No one telling me how I should do things. Just as a Spirit [of The Creator] would have.
bw!tna!