Could gender be an attribute of God?
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Meeting name
Sponsors
Date
Journal Title
Format
Thesis
Subject
Abstract
This thesis examines whether gender can be considered an attribute of God, examining Biblical depictions of God in masculine terms alongside modern egalitarian concerns within the context of Abrahamic religious traditions, particularly focusing on Catholic tradition in Christianity. One of the key questions that this thesis addresses is if attributing gender to God conflicts with imago Dei doctrine that says all humans equally bear the divine image. I argue that there is a conceptual gap between God's full attributes and those relevant for human embodiment of the imago Dei. I argue that God's gender needs not determine attributes within the imago Dei--that God's gender can be image-irrelevant. This distinction allows for harmonizing the traditional view of God's gender with the concepts of God's perfection and equal human dignity. Men and women can be equal image-bearers of a gendered God, if God's gender is not a constitutive part of the image. Furthermore, I give an argument why God's gender cannot be an image-relevant attribute, even if God is equally gendered or non-gendered. Because if God is gendered or nongendered and God's gender is image-relevant, then the people who have both genders or none, would be respectively greater and inferior image-bearers of God. Although in my proposal God can be metaphysically gendered, I argue that gender diversity beyond binaries, plus ethical issues with parenting metaphors, may favor a non-gendered language for the God-talk--that the most metaphysically accurate language may not be the best language for God-talk.
Table of Contents
PubMed ID
Degree
M.A.