Mother and Child Reunion
May 28th, 2014 by Kimberly
Writing the story behind Door #10 left me with a problem. Having finished the series, what would I write about next? Reading my friend Erika Gardner’s blog about the kidnapping of girls in Nigeria got me back in the zone. Probably Erika said everything that needed to be said, and if you haven’t read her blog, you should. Unfortunately, the violence against women didn’t end in Nigeria. If anything, it’s spreading, and it’s up to all of us to keep talking and ranting and screaming and venting until one or more of us stumbles across an answer.
Women are all over the news these days – just not for any reason I’d like.
From schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria to college women shot in Santa Barbara, the headlines teem with horrendous things that happened to someone because she possessed two X chromosomes. Make no mistake – Boko Haram didn’t go after school children. Boys with books don’t bother them. The unstable man who went on a shooting spree in Southern California lacked friends as well as a girlfriend, but he didn’t target frat guys who refused to invite him to parties. In both cases, the perpetrators were driven to action by female creatures declining to submit themselves to men.
In between hearing these stories, I read a piece about religion’s fixation with masculinity. An overwhelming number of people, not necessarily just the most conservative, get offended when hearing someone refer to God as “She.” (If I can ever find the article again, I promise to post the link. No luck at the moment.) The author pointed out that assigning God a gender in such a definite way could amount to idolatry, given the Biblical provision against it:
Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below.
Deuteronomy 4: 15b – 18
Taken a look at the Sistine Chapel artwork lately? (In person, not me either, but probably all of us have seen reproductions of it.) God’s up there, bigger than life, as a man. 
I found the piece thought-provoking on its own, but the more horrific stories I hear about the treatment of women, the more I think this is a life and death issue. Our world sees God as male, and I wonder if it makes women’s lives expendable.
Harsh? Maybe so. Many people who think of God as a He don’t condone violence against women. Still though – by always thinking of God as He, and never a She, we’ve made man one step closer to God than woman.
Growing up in churches, I always heard God referred to as a He and it didn’t bother me. I have a loving, wonderful dad, so the idea of God as father made perfect sense. Later on, I met friends whose fathers left a lot to be desired (or just left), and those friends had a harder time relating to the concept. Along the way, it occurred to me that I had a mom who loved me, too, and the Bible often referred to God’s love as being like a mother’s. Didn’t that mean something, too?
As an adult picking my own church, I ended up at one that strove for gender neutrality. As much as possible, the pastor didn’t refer to God by pronouns at all. A hymn lyric that I’d learned as “Father, Son and Holy Ghost” became “Creator, Christ and Holy Ghost” instead. It made more of an impact than I imagined. Seeing more divine feminine in God – or even just divine non-maleness – I could relate to God better. I could give thanks to God for his good gifts, but when I went to God for comfort and understanding while buried under the mountain of crap in my life, it was her loving hand I reached out for.
Politically correct, or just focusing in on what matters?
Little girls deserve to know that they, too, are created in God’s image. Little boys should have the chance to experience the love of a Heavenly Mother. Both sexes originate from the love of the Divine, and need to experience a love that transcends human limits, gender or otherwise.
Maybe, just maybe, if we can learn to see divinity in both the male and female, we can all stop living in fear of violence or even ridicule. In ceasing to see each other as coming from Venus or Mars, perhaps we can finally open our eyes to the heavenly creations we truly are.
Kimberly wishes everyone love of divine proportions.
“Little girls deserve to know that they, too, are created in God’s image. Little boys should have the chance to experience the love of a Heavenly Mother. Both sexes originate from the love of the Divine, and need to experience a love that transcends human limits, gender or otherwise.”
Amen, Kimberley! In some settings, I have started a prayer I am leading with “Heavenly Father and Mother.” But often not sure if people could handle it. We need to bring this up more often at church. It’s not political correctness – it really does affect how we relate to God and for women can be life-changing. Men too!
Will never forget when we heard some TV ads that the UMC had created, at Annual Conference. One was a man’s voice, reading what sounded like a letter, saying “I miss you, I really care about what is happening in your life, wish we kept more in touch,” etc, ending with “Love, God.” Then we heard the SAME ad, but it was a WOMAN’S voice, again ending with “Love, God.” The explosion of shouting and clapping from all the women there (maybe 700 or so) was amazing! One pastor said to me as he came out, “It’s as though they had been waiting all their lives to hear that!” He was right, many of us have been!
WOW. I love this. Will be sharing It with several people I know who will super appreciate it. Beautiful job.
Wow! Thank you for sharing that, Theresa. The pastor was right – many of us have been waiting our whole lives to hear that. How powerful!
Thank you, Sara! I appreciate it!
AMEN, Sister!!!
Thanks, Mom!
Interesting post, Kimberly, and I belivee that women and little girls definitely need protecting.
But, although Jesus referred to God as His Father, the Bible clearly says that God is SPIRIT. God has no body, no form. It also says that no person has ever SEEN God (and I like Michael Angelo’s work as well as the next person). God is the ever-existant, invisable One.
I think we say “He” because it’s easier (more comfortable) than saying … It.
Good point, Jackie. Thinking Spirit helps transcend human limits.