Current views about whether it’s appropriate to refer to God as "It"? [closed]

Question

I have recently read in a book about some debate around the fact that God is considered a masculine figure (He/His) and that we should find gender neutral of expressing the same ideas.

In my native language it is very hard to do this (God is a masculine noun and it is also derived from Domine Deus which also sounds masculine).

However, English has the advantage of having "it". According to Wordnick, "it" usage guide is also:

Used of a nonhuman entity; an animate being whose sex is unspecified (..)

It sounds like a good fit, but I am wondering if this is ever appropriate or even offensive.

Questions: What are some of the mainstream theological views on this? Secondly, what about the Biblical basis for doing so, is it specifically forbidden? Do any denominations do this in practice?

Answer 1

In English, the appropriate non-gender pronouns are 'they' and 'them', but this construction is clumsy if people attempt to use it all the time. It simply does not work as a substitute. It does not adequately express person.

Babies are sometimes referred to as 'it' because, I suppose, their personality is not yet apparent. But, no, it is not appropriate in English (and, yes, it is offensive) to call a person 'it'. English just does not work like that.

When a voice was heard from heaven saying :

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. [Matthew 17:5 KJV] ουτος εστιν ο υιος μου ο αγαπητος εν ω ευδοκησα αυτου ακουετε

the voice used the masculine gender pronoun, αυτου - 'him'.

I think that should be respected. Throughout the Hebrew and Greek scripture - God's revelation of himself - the masculine pronoun is used.

Answer 2

We should refer to God in the manner God wants us to refer to God (not using a pronoun here intentionally).

The first time we see a pronoun for God is in Genesis 1:5 (NASB)

1:5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night and there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Now one might say that this is how Moses (considered the author of Genesis) referred to God.

So we can look at how each Person of the Trinity referred to the other. Let's refer to them as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd persons of the Trinity.

1st Person sends a message about 2nd Person through an angel to Joseph:

Matthew 1:21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (NASB)

2nd Person (named Jesus) speaks about the 1st Person as "Father":

Matthew 5:45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

2nd Person speaks about the 3rd Person (Holy Spirit - see below) and refers to "He" and "Him":

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.(NASB)

Further, per the complete revelation of the Bible, Christ will come back for wedding His corporate bride (Rev 19:7). And He is the bridegroom (John 3:29).

Answer 3

This is as much a theological as a linguistic question, not least a question of other languages than English — in particular Hebrew — and their translation.

Canonical English as well as canonical Christianity unequivocally assign a male gender to the Jewish/Christian god. On the other hand, if you are looking for answers beyond the canon, all bets are off: How we speak and what we believe is ultimately our own decision. By the way, the linguistic question is quite interesting, not least because Hebrew does not have a neuter and one of the words used for God, Elohim, is plural.

You also may find an article in the New York Times by Rabbi Mark Sameth interesting. He argued that there is more gender fluidity to God than one might think.

Answer 4

No, “It” is inappropriate because God neither inanimate nor an animal.

One fairly common practice is to avoid using the pronoun altogether. As a matter of style, it takes a lot of thought to pull this off well, but it doesn't necessarily require awkward English. You can do a lot with strategic passives, controlling your sentence structure, etc. A mild consequence is that sentences come across as awkwardly emphatic. “God will accomplish God's purposes.” The alternative to the reflexive pronoun is “Godself,” like “God can speak for Godself.” That's a neologism, and therefore could serve as an intention way to communicate one's position on the matter.

It is a reasonable question, but obviously a politically charged one, whether using a masculine pronoun for God meaningfully affects people's perceptions of God. People differ as well in their perceptions of English style, so it is good to be charitable in assessing other people's writing. (On a separate gender issue, I prefer to use a generic feminine, or to alternate between masculine and feminine, rather than use singular “their.”)