the feminine imagery of god

The feminine imagery of God:

The feminine imagery of God And what that means for women! (and men)

Very important to know:

Very important to know I do not particularly care for the term “Feminist” The answer to patriarchy is NOT matriarchy! I do consider myself an egalitarian, which means that I hold to what God says in Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

From jewfaq.org:

From jewfaq.org The equality of men and women begins at the highest possible level: G-d . In Judaism, unlike traditional Christianity, G-d has never been viewed as exclusively male or masculine. Judaism has always maintained that G-d has both masculine and feminine qualities. As one Chasidic rabbi explained it to me, G-d has no body, no genitalia, therefore the very idea that G-d is male or female is patently absurd. We refer to G-d using masculine terms simply for convenience's sake, because Hebrew has no neutral gender; G-d is no more male than a table is

Women in the traditional church:

Women in the traditional church There is not one answer for this issue Celtic Christianity explains that within the Celtic world women were always considered the equal of men and as Christianity spread through the Celtic world and took on a uniquely Celtic flavor (as opposed to the Romanized world) women took on equal roles in church as well Within the Romanized world, Roman law prevailed. Under Roman law women were considered property of their husbands and were legally obligated to obey them

Within the Church of the Nazarene:

Within the Church of the Nazarene While we are one of the oldest denominations, besides the Salvation Army, to ordain women as pastors, our history has not always reflected our doctrinal position. While the National and International representatives of the COTN are validating of women in all positions of leadership, many women find it difficult to even get to that level through their local denomination.

Paul was not upholding Roman Law!:

Paul was not upholding Roman Law! This is the filter through which many people read Paul’s words—as though he was upholding Roman Law. While Paul did not want to start a social revolution and understood that Messiah brought a SPIRITUAL revolution! Paul became a master at presenting his revolutionary teachings in ways that did not subvert the government. And remember that Paul was coming from a Jewish foundational position.

Christian Patriarchy often justified by explaining its roots in the OT:

Christian Patriarchy often justified by explaining its roots in the OT This is not accurate Read from jewfaq.com http://www.jewfaq.org/women.htm There is no question that in traditional Judaism, the primary role of a woman is as wife and mother, keeper of the household. However, Judaism has great respect for the importance of that role and the spiritual influence that the woman has over her family. The Talmud says that when a pious man marries a wicked woman, the man becomes wicked, but when a wicked man marries a pious woman, the man becomes pious. The child of a Jewish woman and a gentile man is Jewish because of the mother's spiritual influence; the child of a Jewish man and a gentile woman is not. See Who Is a Jew?

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According to traditional Judaism, women are endowed with a greater degree of " binah " (intuition, understanding, intelligence) than men. The rabbis inferred this from the fact that woman was "built" (Gen. 2:22) rather than "formed" (Gen. 2:7), and the Hebrew root of "build" has the same consonants as the word " binah ." It has been said that the matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah) were superior to the patriarchs ( Abraham , Isaac and Jacob ) in prophecy. Women did not participate in the idolatry regarding the Golden Calf. See Rosh Chodesh below. Some traditional sources suggest that women are closer to G- d's ideal than men.

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Women have held positions of respect in Judaism since biblical times. Miriam is considered one of the liberators of the Children of Israel , along with her brothers Moses and Aaron . One of the Judges (Deborah) was a woman. Seven of the 55 prophets of the Bible were women (they are included in the list of biblical prophets ).

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Women are exempted from all positive mitzvot ("thou shalts " as opposed to "thou shalt nots ") that are time-related (that is, mitzvot that must be performed at a specific time of the day or year), because the woman's duties as wife and mother are so important that they cannot be postponed to fulfill a mitzvah. After all, a woman cannot be expected to just drop a crying baby when the time comes to perform a mitzvah. She cannot leave dinner unattended on the stove while she davens ma'ariv (evening prayer services).

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It is this exemption from certain mitzvot that has led to the greatest misunderstanding of the role of women in Judaism. First, many people make the mistake of thinking that this exemption is a prohibition. On the contrary, although women are not required to perform time-based positive mitzvot , they are generally permitted to observe such mitzvot if they choose (though some are frustrated with women who insist on performing visible, prestigious optional mitzvot while they ignore mundane mandatory ones). Second, because this exemption diminishes the role of women in the synagogue , many people perceive that women have no role in Jewish religious life. This misconception derives from the mistaken assumption that Jewish religious life revolves around the synagogue. It does not; it revolves around the home, where the woman's role is every bit as important as the man's.

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Women have the right to be consulted with regard to their marriage . Marital sex is regarded as the woman's right, and not the man's. Men do not have the right to beat or mistreat their wives, a right that was recognized by law in many Western countries until a few hundred years ago. In cases of rape, a woman is generally presumed not to have consented to the intercourse, even if she enjoyed it, even if she consented after the sexual act began and declined a rescue! This is in sharp contrast to American society, where even today rape victims often have to overcome public suspicion that they "asked for it" or "wanted it." Traditional Judaism recognizes that forced sexual relations within the context of marriage are rape and are not permitted; in many states in America today, rape within marriage is still not a crime.

Rosh Chodesh:

Rosh Chodesh Women are restricted from working on the New Moon each month. Women were excluded from the punishment of the sin of the golden calf Women did not have to die as part of the generation that was not able to enter the Promised Land

Women in the New Testament:

Women in the New Testament Women disciples of Jesus: Mary of Magdalene (who was NOT a prostitute) His mother Mary Mary of Mary and Martha (who chose the better thing that would not be taken from her) Jesus chose women to be his first witnesses to testify to his Resurrection—culturally this was not allowed as women could not be witnesses—yet another teaching that Jesus corrected and clarified for us!

Women in the New Testament:

Women in the New Testament These are women praised by and/or greeted by Paul: Timothy’s mother and grandmother Phoebe the deacon Junia the Apostle Priscilla of Priscilla and Aquila

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Women are discouraged from pursuing higher education or religious pursuits, but this seems to be primarily because women who engage in such pursuits might neglect their primary duties as wives and mothers. The rabbis are not concerned that women are not spiritual enough; rather, they are concerned that women might become too spiritually devoted.

Peter and the weaker vessel:

Peter and the weaker vessel 1 Peter 3:7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. --stronger vessel—used in the Synagogue and Temple to purify—made of metal --weaker vessel—used to purify home and made of clay; literally weaker but equal in purpose

Scriptural references to God using feminine imagery:

Scriptural references to God using feminine imagery Luke 13:34 “"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

Ezer:

Ezer Genesis 2:18 “The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." “ “ ezer neged ” “helper who is in front of him” “helper who opposes him” Deut 33:26 “"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun , who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.”

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Gen 33:29 “Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.“” Psalm 20:2 “May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.” Psalm 33:20 “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.”

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Psalm 70:5 “Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.” Psalm 115:9 “O house of Israel, trust in the LORD— he is their help and shield.” Psalm 115:10 “O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD— he is their help and shield.” Psalm 115:11 “You who fear him, trust in the LORD— he is their help and shield.”

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Psalm 121:1-2 “A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8 “Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 146:5 “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,” Hosea 13:9 “"You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper.”

El Shaddai:

El Shaddai Everything in Hebrew is either masculine or feminine Body parts—if there is one of them, it’s masculine; if there are two of them, they are feminine Shad = “hills”—but a particular hill--breast Shaddai is plural Image of God having ample breasts at which to satisfy and nurture Israel—land flowing with milk and honey Isaiah 66:13 “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.“”

Shekinah:

Shekinah Glory of God that fills the Temple’s Holy of Holies Understood to represent the feminine qualities of God Feminine noun and feminine description When the fullness of God is present, masculine and feminine are there—the full image of God

What does this mean for us?:

What does this mean for us? It means it’s time to look for leadership among the women It means we need to recognize that the culture of our country, the culture of the traditional church, and sometimes the culture of even our local churches, has oppressed women in a variety of ways to the point where they often won’t step forward and look for the type of scrutiny and attention involved in moving in leadership

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It means we cannot ignore that many other denominations to this day do not validate and ordain the giftings of women for leadership and we cannot assume that women know our COTN doctrinal position—we need to promote it and make it known And it means that being a woman should never make it harder, or cause you to have to prove yourself more for your calling, than being a man requires.

If we want to share God with this City:

If we want to share God with this City We need the fullness of leadership of men and women to take God to this city of hurting men and women—we need to be able to represent the fullness of God. Many hurting women will not respond to a man bringing the Gospel Jewish thought is that women are closer to the heart of God—and we need God’s heart for this city!