Let God be a 'she', says Church of England women's group

[cbayer]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/01/church-of-england-womens-group-bishops

First female bishops prompt call to recognise equal status of women by overhauling official liturgy using male language to describe God


Rev Libby Lane is formally installed as the Church of England’s first female bishop in March. Photograph: Lynne Cameron/PA

Nadia Khomami

Monday 1 June 2015 06.34 EDT Last modified on Monday 1 June 2015 06.50 EDT

A group within the Church of England is calling for God to be referred to as female following the selection of the first female bishops.

The group wants the church to recognise the equal status of women by overhauling official liturgy, which is made up almost exclusively of male language and imagery to describe God.

Rev Jody Stowell, a member of Women and the Church (Watch), the pressure group that led the campaign for female bishops, said: “Orthodox theology says all human beings are made in the image of God, that God does not have a gender. He encompasses gender – he is both male and female and beyond male and female. So when we only speak of God in the male form, that’s actually giving us a deficient understanding of who God is.”

Stowell said discussions over terminology arose out of a Westminster faith debate on whether the consecration of female bishops would make a difference in the Church of England.

more at link.

[HassleCat]

1. Neither, nor

I suggest "It."

[cbayer]

3. I have found that I'm using it more.

Since I think the anthropomorphized version of guide is the least likely to be accurate, it seems appropriate.

[Yorktown]

2. What the use of sexing something inexistent?

[trotsky]

5. Apparently they finished counting the angels on a pinhead.

Gotta have something to occupy their time with Sophisticated Theology.

[Yorktown]

6. It makes me happy to know some people have truly meaningful lives..

..discerning what non-existent gods desire, or how many angels can dance anywhere they want.

[hrmjustin]

4. My parish refers to the Holy Spirit as she in the creed.

[LostOne4Ever]

7. A woman wouldn't mess up the world up this badly :P (nt)

[trotsky]

8. Even if that woman was Phyllis Schlafly or Michele Bachman? n/t

[LostOne4Ever]

9. Touché! I must humbly admit defeat! ;) (nt)

[cbayer]

10. God or not, it's definitely humans that have messed things up...

and women have been a serious part of that.

Now what we need to do is be the serious part of the fix.