Tag: "God, Gender of"

tag name:	God, Gender of	type:	Religion, general
web link:	bahai-library.com/tags/God,_Gender_of
related tags:	Gender; God; God, Anthropomorphic descriptions of; God, Names and attributes of
referring tags:	Gender pronouns; Gods and Goddesses
notes:	"... the existence of that Universal Reality. And since that Reality is preexistent, It is untouched by the conditions that govern phenomena ... Know then: that divinity which other communions and peoples have conjured up, falleth within the scope of their imagination, and not beyond it, whereas the reality of the Godhead is beyond all conceiving." – Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, 21.11 "When considering the manner in which masculine pronouns are used to refer to God, it is important to bear in mind that when Bahá’u’lláh was revealing His Scriptures He had to use language and forms of expression which could be understood by those whom He was addressing. This is the case with every Prophet; He is compelled to use old forms through which He will raise humanity to a new level of understanding. In Arabic and Persian, as in English and most European languages, it has been customary to refer to God as “Lord” and “Father”, rather than “Lady” and “Mother”. While using the conventional wording, Bahá’u’lláh devoted vast numbers of Tablets to conveying the truth that God is not only neither male nor female, but also is far above all human understanding. If one studies deeply the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh that portray both the transcendence and immanence of God it becomes clear that the entire subject of sex in this context is essentially irrelevant…. "The style of translation into English was set by Shoghi Effendi, and in respect to the Sacred Writings the originals clearly cannot be changed. The Guardian did not even approve the changing of pronouns in Bahá’í prayers when they are read. Therefore, when translating the Sacred Writings it is not possible to alter the actual meaning of the words to accommodate the general trend of thought and behavior affecting a language. "The challenge, therefore, is to accept the use of pronouns in their generic rather than gender sense, which will lead one to view issues in terms of a spiritual response, rather than one of semantics. The Bahá’í Teachings stress again and again the equality of men and women. They do not ignore the differences between the sexes, but repeatedly emphasize their equality. This is a universal principle of the Faith, irrespective of the language in which it is expressed." – From a letter dated 7 October 1999, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, quoted in compilation "The Use of the Masculine Gender in the Bahá'í Writings", extract #10.
references:	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God; bahaiquotes.com/subject/god-male

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