Gender as a divine attribute
It is standard within the Christian tradition to characterize God in predominantly masculine terms. Let traditionalism' refer to the view that this pattern of characterization is theologically mandatory. In this article, I seek to undercut the main motivations for traditionalism by showing tha...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
[2016]
|
In: |
Religious studies
Year: 2016, Volume: 52, Issue: 1, Pages: 97-115 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
God
/ Gender
/ Attribute
|
RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism NBC Doctrine of God |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | It is standard within the Christian tradition to characterize God in predominantly masculine terms. Let traditionalism' refer to the view that this pattern of characterization is theologically mandatory. In this article, I seek to undercut the main motivations for traditionalism by showing that it is not more accurate to characterize God as masculine rather than feminine (or vice versa). The novelty of my argument lies in the fact that it presupposes neither theological anti-realism nor a robust doctrine of divine transcendence, but instead rests heavy theoretical weight on the imago Dei doctrine and the method of perfect-being theology. The article closes by examining the implications of the article's main argument for the moral and liturgical propriety of characterizing God in predominantly masculine terms. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1469-901X |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Religious studies
|
Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0034412514000614 |