Why God is called labelled "He"

God is gendered and deemed masculine mostly if not always. In most cultures God is a male and mostly is addressed as "He". Why dis God manifest in male figures? In Christianity females have little role. There is an example of St. Mary, Magdalena and the like but mostly it is males.

In Hinduism there are female figures but mostly male figures. In Islam there God is a male figure.

Why we do not address God as "SHE"?

Is it because the world is male dominated? Or it is male's muscular prowess that femininity always has to be subservient?

I do not want this to be a controversy and just want people's opinions on the issue so that I and the rest who might have questions on this can learn

[Smiler]

I think because a man named God a he ! :)
And on earth we tend to pick a gender and this is passed down through generations, and yes I agree the world is mainly male dominated so that probadly has a great deal to do with it.
God said
"I am that I am" or along those lines..No gender!
when we say made in Gods image I think thats our light and energy! Not body!

:)'s

The reason lies in the male and female archetypes.
The female is mysterious, dark, unpredictable, erratic, ignorant about the greater world, irrational and tending towards contraction.
It is the male function to bring knowledge, light, order and predictability into the chaos. The direction is outwards, expansion.

God's function, the one at the top of the pile, must correspond to the male function if we want to progress, and thus he is usually personified as a male.

[Kaere]

Depends on which God and society you're talking about I guess. There's been lots of Goddesses throughout the ages.

[Silver]

Originally Posted by supernova

God is gendered and deemed masculine mostly if not always. In most cultures God is a male and mostly is addressed as "He". Why dis God manifest in male figures? In Christianity females have little role. There is an example of St. Mary, Magdalena and the like but mostly it is males.

In Hinduism there are female figures but mostly male figures. In Islam there God is a male figure.

Why we do not address God as "SHE"?

Is it because the world is male dominated? Or it is male's muscular prowess that femininity always has to be subservient?

I do not want this to be a controversy and just want people's opinions on the issue so that I and the rest who might have questions on this can learn

Maybe because only the male is inherently freer to move about from place to place safely? Christ moved about a lot, He was here to spread 'the word' to interact, to heal, to raise awareness? Females would be far less safe to move about in the larger world without fear of being attacked or preyed upon?

Originally Posted by Silvergirl

Maybe because only the male is inherently freer to move about from place to place safely? Christ moved about a lot, He was here to spread 'the word' to interact, to heal, to raise awareness? Females would be far less safe to move about in the larger world without fear of being attacked or preyed upon?

You maybe true. Yes females are weaker and less traveled and therefore they were considered softer sexes.

However I feel that women are not incapable of anything under the sun.

Today also in most countries women are considered weaker sexes and in some parts of India women are treated as commodities and women have no free lives and they are dependents and men marry them for sexual gratifications and at the same time for begetting babies for their husbands.

This entails the fact that women had and still have lesser roles and remained subservient in society. Of course women must unite and reposition their existence in society, redefine their roles and authority and reorient their power and positions

Then God will be re-labeled SHE

[Chrysaetos]

Originally Posted by supernova

Is it because the world is male dominated? Or it is male's muscular prowess that femininity always has to be subservient?

Both.
Man created god in Man's image.

Advanced civilisations, having less connection with the wilderness, focus more on human relationship. Thus, their gods are human.
Hunter-gatherers had/have animalistic gods. Some civilisations show transitions between stages, like Egypt.

The incarnations of the Indian god Vishnu also clearly shows this transition in people's perception of god. First god was animalistic, later on he was more human, and in the future he'll come on a horse.

Originally Posted by supernova

God is gendered and deemed masculine mostly if not always. In most cultures God is a male and mostly is addressed as "He". Why dis God manifest in male figures? In Christianity females have little role. There is an example of St. Mary, Magdalena and the like but mostly it is males.

In Hinduism there are female figures but mostly male figures. In Islam there God is a male figure.

Why we do not address God as "SHE"?

Is it because the world is male dominated? Or it is male's muscular prowess that femininity always has to be subservient?

I do not want this to be a controversy and just want people's opinions on the issue so that I and the rest who might have questions on this can learn

"Is it because the world is male dominated? Or it is male's muscular prowess that femininity always has to be subservient? " YES!

My view is directly in line with your own and I frequently raise this matter, particularly so when females use the male form to refer to God.

What I find even more astonishing, though, is that even after trying to be supportive, I haven't encountered a single female who is prepared to re-consider how she refers to it (God that is - it's not a fella and not a woman either)

Even within my own religion, where women have as prominent roles as men, God is still referred to as 'he' and 'him' - or as 'He' and 'Him'!! - when it's taught that God is never an individual anyway.....let alone one with gender.

It still amazes me.

Originally Posted by Kaere

Depends on which God and society you're talking about I guess. There's been lots of Goddesses throughout the ages.

If 'God' is the supreme creator - rather than some mythical, human-made god - then neither god nor goddess has much meaning. The supreme creator has no gender and isn't personified.

It's yet another example of some folks' lack of clarity about what they mean when they refer to 'god'....

[Kaere]

Originally Posted by mac

If 'God' is the supreme creator - rather than some mythical, human-made god - then neither god nor goddess has much meaning. The supreme creator has no gender and isn't personified.

It's yet another example of some folks' lack of clarity about what they mean when they refer to 'god'....

Apologies for my lack of clarity mac - I hadn't realized a dissertation was required this morning.