God Is Not A Man
on Feeling Alright is Good, Being Alright is Best (Nigeria), 18/Jun/2013 06:37, 34 days ago
Something has been irking me for a while now.I'm not going to hold it back anymore.Can someone explain to me why it is that God is almost unequivocally referred to as male?Now, before you jump on your soap box and start preaching, a short explanation:I am not really religious. That doesn't mean I am atheist. I just don't subscribe to any particular religion. I think that divisions between people by means of race, sex, age, gender, religion, class, culture, etc. are among the illusions that are to be avoided when one is trying to "live in the light of God" or "attain enlightenment" or be a truly "spiritual person". I accept that my saying "I don't belong to any group" also creates a division and the same separation but it gives me the freedom to embrace anyone and everyone regardless of their differences and without any motivation to convert them to anything outside of experiential reality. If no one is converted, that's also fine. Even if they are converted, it just means a deeper appreciation will also be achieved for whatever religion they subscribe to. . .at least I imagine.Personally, I prefer to dwell in my own experiences of life. I feel that religious texts are like second hand accounts. They can provide support and guidance but are never going to make things as clear as going through things with your own body and mind. I have found that most teachings from most religions are helpful as guides. They also help you to collect fragment truths that add up to a larger, all encompassing truth.I think that everyone holds a precious piece of the divine which is expressed purely through them. If you are able to let go of your own attachments to a particular idea or lifestyle, you can also learn to carry more and more of these fragments and expand the truth you understand to something closer to its objective, true form.*ehem*Sorry about that.So I have been to church a number of times. When I was a kid, I went to church every Sunday. I always had way too many unanswerable questions and eventually lost faith due to dissatisfying answers.I've learned about different kinds of Buddhism through living inJapan, travelling throughout Asia, talking toTibetanfriends, doing aVipassanameditation.I've learned aboutHinduismfrom talking to Hindu friends, reading about Indian history, visiting temples in India.I've learned a very small bit about Islam by asking some Muslim friends about it.I've learned a bit aboutFirst Nation'straditions and beliefs, but only a bit.And the thing is, my own experience in life, the things I've seen and heard and thought and touched, have brought meaning to the spiritual beliefs in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, art, music, etc. I often understand where the teachings are coming from and I often agree whole-heartedly.Except when it comes to God being a man. The father, the son. He did this and He did that and. . .I can not, honestly, inside of myself, believe it.I don't believe God is a man. I do not understand how God could possibly be a man. It doesn't make any sense.The best answer I can get when I enquire about this conundrum is: "It says so in the Bible."To which I can't help but think: "But what if someone tampered with the original script?", or "Who edited all the women out?" or "Who edited themselves in the place of God?" OR "Who decided that wherever that story came from couldn't change over time?"That doesn't mean I think God is a woman. (Although imagine God as a woman. Really, imagine it. Just for a minute. An old, troll like woman with a snarly smile in a purple sequined dress. She is reaching out to touch Eve's hand. Eve looks similar to Our Heavenly Mother, though younger. . .angels are flying around. Men are looking on, hopeful that Eve will then decide to give birth to one of them and begin the creation that She has endowed her with. It's going to hurt though, Our Mother has made that clear. She is a loving God but certainly does not shy away from suffering. . .See how much that changes things?!) God is just as much a woman as God is a man. God is not a human being and if God is a human being, God is probably a bisexual hermaphrodite with fire for hair. Or else, a man and a woman that circle each other around the sun, but if those are the only two options, I think the former is a safer bet.I think that God as a man (especially a white man) or any comprehensible form, especially human, is inherently damaging. When there are so many people that believe and put 100% of their faith in a God that is a man, that is theirfather, it becomes a daunting task for males in the actual world and it sidelines women. Even if we don't consciously believe that every man is God, by asserting a male figure as God it makes it that much more acceptable for nations to be ruled by men or kings or dictators (that are not women). It makes us have faith in their leadership and fear what may happen to us if we question their rule. This is obviously unhealthy because we know, for certain (I'm sure everyone would agree with me on this one), that men are not God! How can humans effectively lead anyone with such a narrow perspective as is provided through a single life? So why is God as a man something that we accept without question?To assert that God is a he or a father or a son throws the world out of balance and gives men a dominating role when the most healthy role is in balance with women.Men and women are equal, but different. Men and women possess different kinds of strength that need to be administered in balance and allotted equal value. I think God has been perceived as a man in too many religions for far too long and I think that it has had dire consequences on the world.Again, I am not saying that women are the true God. I am saying that the true God is beyond human form. I have felt this in my being and my experience. God is not male or female or human. God is energy. God is love. God is incomprehensible. God is both sides of everything rolled up into a sphere that becomes a black hole that swallows up everything and spits it out every second for eternity.NOT a human. NOT a man.Unless someone can give me an experiential reason to help me understand why this is not the case. . .?