THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602170057
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Issues of Faith
SOURCE: Betsy Wright
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
CAN YOU envision God as a grandmother?
In a sermon that raised a few eyebrows - and quite a few consciences - Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig invited the audience of the Tidewater Jewish Forum on Jan. 21 to ``imagine God as a woman who is growing older.''
Wenig's description is powerful. God becomes an old woman waiting patiently at her kitchen table for her children to visit. When a child does pay a call, God fixes tea and listens with the ears of a loving, all-knowing, all-understanding grand-mother.
God as grandma? Why not. This is 1996 and people of faith are being challenged to view God not just as Father, Lord and King but as Mother, Ruler and Queen.
Everyone, it seems, is jumping on the inclusive language/gender neutrality bandwagon.
A recent publication, ``The New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Version,'' begins The Lord's Prayer with: ``Our Father-Mother in Heaven.''
When Oxford University Press printed its newest annotated study Bible, masculine-oriented language was eliminated ``as far as this (could) be done without altering passages that reflect the historical situation of ancient patriarchal culture.'' Rarely did the publishers use the pronoun ``he'' or ``him'' in passages where the reference could have been male or female.
The United Church of Christ, a 1.5 million-member Protestant denomination, has recently published a new hymnal, changing old lyrics to fit contemporary views of social justice and equality.
Newsweek writer Kenneth L. Woodward reports that the new hymnal not only avoids using male pronouns for God but also has altogether deleted many ``frankly masculine hymns like `Praise the Father Giving Life.' ''
``For substitutes,'' Woodward writes, ``the hymnal offers new and frankly feminist creations like `Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth,' based on the writings of the medieval nun and mystic Julian of Norwich. In many other hymns, revisers have changed the original meaning of the lyrics to give God dual gender. `Be Thou My Vision' no longer exclaims `Thou my great father, I thy true son/Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.' The revised lyrics now read: `Mother and Father, you are both to me/now and forever, your child I will be.' ''
Some may wonder, ``What's the big deal? Doesn't everyone know that God transcends gender?'' Well, frankly, no. Ask the average 4-year-old if God is a woman and you'll most likely get one of those are-you-crazy? looks. Ask some adults and you'll get the same gaze.
Why is it important to be inclusive in our language about God and God's people? I believe it comes down to being able to see one's self as a part of The Story.
Not long ago, I took my daughter and four of her friends to the movie ``The River Wild,'' which was about a family who went on a rafting trip and got hijacked by some bad guys. Pretty standard action flick? Yes, except the hero in this story wasn't the dad, but the mom. Sure, Dad helped, but Mom - played by Meryl Streep - was the main focus of the story. She saved the day.
The girls and I came out of that theater absolutely pumped. We felt as if we could do anything. We were ready to take on any rapids or rogues that came our way. Would we have felt the same if the dad had been the hero and the focal point of the tale?
Somewhat, but not quite as intensively. The movie was powerful for us because, as females, we could better relate to the female main character. We felt personally connected to that brave mother and wanted to believe we could emulate her courage.
I've often thought about that small, commonplace event, and it has lead me to wonder how often girls and women have felt left out when reading their Bibles? If God is almost always thought of as male, can young girls and women feel fully connected to God? If God is man, does man then become God?
These are questions for our time.
Caution, however, for those who believe inclusive language and gender neutrality will magically elevate women to better lives. There are places in the world where deities are female and the women still suffer as second-class citizens. Conversely, there are pockets of paternalism where women enjoy respect and reverence, albeit from a pedestal. (Of course, their troubles begin when they decide to climb off that pedestal and ask to be treated equally, for better or worse, to the men in their lives.)
Like many of the problems we face, the solution to this one lies first in our hearts and second in our homes. We must first want to see God as greater than the human bondage of gender. Then we must teach our children that they - both our boys and our girls - are part of The Story. . . . The Story being, that God created the universe, then chose to become forever involved in the lives of the humans created. MEMO: Every other week, Betsy Mathews Wright publishes responses to her
opinion column. Send responses to Issues of Faith, The Virginian-Pilot,
150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510; call (804) 446-2273; FAX
(804) 436-2798; or send computer message via bmw(AT)infi.net. Deadline
is Tuesday prior to publication. You must include your name, city and
phone number.
by CNB