16.7.06
Man And Woman?
Before going onwards with life outside of the Garden of Eden, two more points about the life back in the Garden:
I've been thinking of the nature of Man and the nature of God in the light of the "Let us make man in our image" and "male and female he created them". These expressions make me wonder about a plurality of gods or one God with no gender:
If there was a plurality of gods --as the ancients believed for a while-- composed of God and his Shekinah, or God and some helpers --such as the pre-incarnated Jesus of the opening of John's Gospel, then God could be the male model and the Shekinah --or another helper-- the female model for the first couple.
Yet, the book tells us there was just one human. Does that mean that the first [hu]man had both male and female features?
Or was he just human, neither man or woman?
In Genesis, the differentiation of the sexes does not come before the creation of the woman. The first human was more of an "earth creature": The name Adam, ha'adam, comes from the word "ha'adama", which means: the earth. This could lead us to think that that "earth creature", the one we call Adam, had no precise gender before the woman was "taken out of him".
In that case, the "let us create a man in our own image" might mean that God, referring to himself in the plural form (like monarchs do) might not have a specific gender.
This kind of speculation may seem blasphemous, but I don't intend it to be. Our conceptions of God evolve with time. The ancients thought God was like an immortal man. They also saw the female aspect of God, and represented this aspect with female features (breasts). The Israelites then thought of God as a warlord, a tribal leader to be feared and to respect, a warrior who would destroy their enemies. Later on, God became a king living in an overworld. Later still, God became a loving father. Today, Catholics and Protestant denominations see God as a Spirit with no forms, or as Jesus; Evangelicals see God as the Holy Ghost; Mormons see God as a parent who has a wife, our "Heavenly Mother". In short, we all see God according to the time and place we belong to, and with our own understanding and dispositions.
I personally don't venture picturing God, although I can't escape imagining his nature. I see him as a man, not a woman. Having said that, I believe he may have a female consort, or at least that there is a female side to him. The account of the creation of mankind does not give us any information, but at least it stimulates our minds to reconsider and challenge the conceptions of God that were transmitted to us.
God will always be beyond our understanding. That's a lesson that passage inspires me too.
I've been thinking of the nature of Man and the nature of God in the light of the "Let us make man in our image" and "male and female he created them". These expressions make me wonder about a plurality of gods or one God with no gender:
If there was a plurality of gods --as the ancients believed for a while-- composed of God and his Shekinah, or God and some helpers --such as the pre-incarnated Jesus of the opening of John's Gospel, then God could be the male model and the Shekinah --or another helper-- the female model for the first couple.Yet, the book tells us there was just one human. Does that mean that the first [hu]man had both male and female features?
Or was he just human, neither man or woman?
In Genesis, the differentiation of the sexes does not come before the creation of the woman. The first human was more of an "earth creature": The name Adam, ha'adam, comes from the word "ha'adama", which means: the earth. This could lead us to think that that "earth creature", the one we call Adam, had no precise gender before the woman was "taken out of him".
In that case, the "let us create a man in our own image" might mean that God, referring to himself in the plural form (like monarchs do) might not have a specific gender.
This kind of speculation may seem blasphemous, but I don't intend it to be. Our conceptions of God evolve with time. The ancients thought God was like an immortal man. They also saw the female aspect of God, and represented this aspect with female features (breasts). The Israelites then thought of God as a warlord, a tribal leader to be feared and to respect, a warrior who would destroy their enemies. Later on, God became a king living in an overworld. Later still, God became a loving father. Today, Catholics and Protestant denominations see God as a Spirit with no forms, or as Jesus; Evangelicals see God as the Holy Ghost; Mormons see God as a parent who has a wife, our "Heavenly Mother". In short, we all see God according to the time and place we belong to, and with our own understanding and dispositions.
I personally don't venture picturing God, although I can't escape imagining his nature. I see him as a man, not a woman. Having said that, I believe he may have a female consort, or at least that there is a female side to him. The account of the creation of mankind does not give us any information, but at least it stimulates our minds to reconsider and challenge the conceptions of God that were transmitted to us.
God will always be beyond our understanding. That's a lesson that passage inspires me too.
# poster: Mormon(s) of another kind at 14:42 
Comments:
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Perhaps God made Man, not in His physical image, but in His spiritual image, that image being immortal. When Man sinned, then he became a mortal being.
We don't know God's original plan for mankind. We do know that man was given the ability by God to make choices, and that Man's unwise choice led to the downfall of Mankind. We still have the ability to make choices, and many times they are not the right ones! So God extends his mercy. All we have to do is accept it by being obedient!
We don't know God's original plan for mankind. We do know that man was given the ability by God to make choices, and that Man's unwise choice led to the downfall of Mankind. We still have the ability to make choices, and many times they are not the right ones! So God extends his mercy. All we have to do is accept it by being obedient!
I agree with you. God made Man in his own (spiritual) image. This is how most people understand that passage. Yet, I believe it might mean something more literal. Just possibilities and opinions I tried to elaborate and share.
Thank you for raising the question whether God is a man.
Feminists but not fundamentalists ask themselves this question! God is a man because thats firm for fundamentalists! Their religion is male! Their performances in the religion are male and around which their performances of God are also male!
But God is really a man?
What does the Bible say to it?
If the speech is in the Bible over God, then metaphors which were understood generally at that time are used. Pictures which were common. So God was described as a king or warlord. But he was described also with female names. This is only often hidden!
Why?
Because God has to be a man!
Why the " femininity God " is not seen, although it is so clear in the Bible?
Why sees nobody that women in the starting time of the church which was founded by the apostles next to men were with equal rights? They conducted wards, performed baptism, and donated the Holy Ghost? There was even a female apostle, which was called Junia (Rome 16.7).
I think the church lies because men are afraid to hand something in of "their" power!
Or what do you mean?
Feminists but not fundamentalists ask themselves this question! God is a man because thats firm for fundamentalists! Their religion is male! Their performances in the religion are male and around which their performances of God are also male!
But God is really a man?
What does the Bible say to it?
If the speech is in the Bible over God, then metaphors which were understood generally at that time are used. Pictures which were common. So God was described as a king or warlord. But he was described also with female names. This is only often hidden!
Why?
Because God has to be a man!
Why the " femininity God " is not seen, although it is so clear in the Bible?
Why sees nobody that women in the starting time of the church which was founded by the apostles next to men were with equal rights? They conducted wards, performed baptism, and donated the Holy Ghost? There was even a female apostle, which was called Junia (Rome 16.7).
I think the church lies because men are afraid to hand something in of "their" power!
Or what do you mean?
# posted by 
: Sunday, 23 July, 2006
: Sunday, 23 July, 2006
I recently heard a rabbi speak about the phrase, "Let there be light". What this rabbi said was interesting, and made sense. The Creator, as this gentleman put it, would not have said, "Let there be light", which has the connotation of asking or requesting that another entity do the actual turning on of the light. What the Supreme Being really said, according to this rabbi, was something more along the lines of, "Light: Be it!" In this case, no intercession is inferred.
# posted by : Monday, 21 August, 2006
: Monday, 21 August, 2006
Interesting... So if it's definitely "Let there be light", that means that someone else may very well have done the job...
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