Sweden: Dont refer to God as a 'he'

[seeder]

So I guess that means no more "Father in heaven" and all that jazz...
 

Quote

 

 Church of Sweden to stop referring to God as 'he' or 'Lord'

Head of largest Swedish Christian church says God is beyond human gender determination

The Church of Sweden is urging its clergy to use gender-neutral language when referring to the supreme deity, refraining from using terms such as “Lord” and “he” in favour of the less specific “God.”

The move is one of several taken by the national Evangelical Lutheran church in updating a 31-year-old handbook setting out how services should be conducted in terms of language, liturgy, hymns and other aspects.

The decision was taken on Thursday at the end of an eight-day meeting of the church’s 251-member decision-making body, and takes effect on 20 May on the Christian holiday of Pentecost.

A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, some 37 miles north of the capital, the church has 6.1 million baptised members in a country of 10 million. It is headed by a woman, Archbishop Antje Jackelén.

Jackelén told Sweden’s TT news agency that a more inclusive language had been discussed as early as the 1986 conference.

“Theologically, for instance, we know that God is beyond our gender determinations, God is not human,” Jackelén said.

The change was met with criticism, however. Christer Pahlmblad, an associate theology professor at Sweden’s Lund University, told the Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper in Denmark that the move was “undermining the doctrine of the Trinity and the community with the other Christian churches”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/24/church-of-sweden-to-stop-referring-to-god-as-he-or-lord

 

 

[XenoFish]

Ladies and gentlemen this is how people become atheist. 

Edited November 26, 2017 by XenoFish

[ExpandMyMind]

It does actually make sense though, doesn't it? I mean logically speaking (oh, the hypocrisy of using that statement when talking about religion), God can't have a gender or a sex because, according to their religion, there was only "it" (:D ) before it created Man. Male and female was something it created and he, sorry, it (this is hard), only created them to be 'helpers' to men. 

I know that this isn't the reasoning behind the change but it does fit together rather nicely.

Anyway, I've for a long time preferred to think that if there is actually a God that created all life, then it would be closer a she than a he. Like how we think of mother nature.

Edited November 26, 2017 by ExpandMyMind

[+and-then]

25 minutes ago, seeder said:

So I guess that means no more "Father in heaven" and all that jazz...

For members of that church in Sweden, maybe.  This type of story verifies another sign of the end times: APOSTASY.  Rather than being troubling, it's a hopeful development  

[seeder]

1 minute ago, and then said:

For members of that church in Sweden, maybe.  This type of story verifies another sign of the end times: APOSTASY.  Rather than being troubling, it's a hopeful development  

 

how so?

[+and-then]

Just now, seeder said:

 

how so?

Christians look forward to Christ's return.  His return was to come, according to scripture, after a confluence of signs appeared.  The apostasy within the church was one of the strongest signs that end was soon.

[+and-then]

15 minutes ago, seanjo said:

LOL, real Christians follow the teachings of Christ, love thy neighbour, forgive, turn the other cheek etc. Not the ravings of a 13th-century monk and not the old testament. As an agnostic, that looks on the teachings of a bloke called Jesus as naive but laudable, I don't think that bloke would give two tosses for signs and ****!

You can "think" whatever you wish.  He spoke often of prophecies.  You should try reading the book before summarily dismissing it.  Doing that is the worst form of ignorance.

[XenoFish]

You know. I actually wish Jesus would return. Maybe it would shut people up. You know all those evil sinners and soulless pagans. Plus it would just shut up a lot of religions as well. Oh, look the christians got it right. Well ****....

Maybe just maybe instead of looking at Jesus's return as some grand external event, look it as something internal. Maybe your savior will come to you when you die (thus returning).

[Only_]

1 hour ago, and then said:

Christians look forward to Christ's return.  His return was to come, according to scripture, after a confluence of signs appeared.  The apostasy within the church was one of the strongest signs that end was soon.

This is an ignorant interpretation of Christ's message. The second coming refers to an internal spiritual renewal, not a physical appearance of Jesus. A transformation in a person’s spiritual consciousness and connection to the true God, not an outer physical event. That's why the church has become drab, unrevealing, and lifeless; it has misunderstood just about everything. Become Christ, you need not wait for him.

Edited November 26, 2017 by TruthSeeker_

[ExpandMyMind]

48 minutes ago, seanjo said:

LOL, real Christians follow the teachings of Christ, love thy neighbour, forgive, turn the other cheek etc. Not the ravings of a 13th-century monk and not the old testament. As an agnostic, that looks on the teachings of a bloke called Jesus as naive but laudable, I don't think that bloke would give two tosses for signs and ****!

To what do you refer? 

[ExpandMyMind]

4 minutes ago, seanjo said:

Rapture b******s.

I followed that far but I was looking for specifics. What exactly happened in the 13th century? I'm not up to date on my end-of-days bed-time stories and where they might have come from.

[TonopahRick]

Well I'm not a religious person but didn't Jesus refer to God as his Father?  That would make him male so who are these people to contradict him?

[GlitterRose]

Did people really think there was an invisible man who lived in the sky who had these 10 things he did not want you to do?

That's an awfully limited view. 

[aka CAT]

Regardless of people's beliefs, removing genders from languages is silly

especially when most languages, other than English, refer to all nouns 

as either he or she versus it.  

[GlitterRose]

I think these people are just moving past the idea that they need to create God in their own image. 

Who's to say it even needs a body at all? 

[Mr Walker]

3 hours ago, XenoFish said:

 Ladies and gentlemen this is how people become atheist. 

People, this is how people become atheist   

(ladies and gentlemen are both  gender discriminative, and  class distinctive words, which exclude many human beings  

The decision is logical and rational, but i suspect it has more to do with modern gender politics than theological issues. 

Edited November 26, 2017 by Mr Walker

[+DieChecker]

2 hours ago, TonopahRick said:

Well I'm not a religious person but didn't Jesus refer to God as his Father?  That would make him male so who are these people to contradict him?

Ding, ding, ding.... We have a winner folks!!

[+DieChecker]

Doesn't the term "God" indicate being Male also? Otherwise it would be Goddess, right? Or, are we now to use the term "God" as one would now use the term Actor (and no longer use Actress)? In a non-gender way...

[MauriOra]

3 hours ago, seanjo said:

Rapture b******s.

Hahahaha Lol.. Cool xx

[MauriOra]

47 minutes ago, DieChecker said:

Doesn't the term "God" indicate being Male also? Otherwise it would be Goddess, right? Or, are we now to use the term "God" as one would now use the term Actor (and no longer use Actress)? In a non-gender way...

Hi Friend, Yes absolutely, but hasnt ADAMS APPLE MAN had enough mate, lets give the GODESS OF NATURE her turn,  I mean, Natures been telling us4eva 2 curb some of the Materialistic Consumption, have We listened? NO.. MayBe Now is the Time.. What say you Friend???

[Flog]

'Fake news'

Here are some quotes from the paper that i linked to in the bottom of this post:T

Quote

 

The Church Assembly, a 251-member decision-making body, voted on Thursday with a large majority to update the handbook, which includes the Church's aim to use language that is "more inclusive".

"The old handbook is from 1986 and the new edition is much more in line with the Swedish Bible translation made in 2000," Pedersen Videke told The Local. "God is beyond 'she' and 'he', God is so much more."

"We want variation when it comes to how you express yourself, just like in the Bible."

Some of the updated language includes three alternatives for the words to use at the start of worship services, including one which is gender-neutral: "In the name of the Father and Son, and the Holy Spirit," "In the name of God, the Father and Son, and the Holy Spirit", and "In the name of the triune God".

 

Quote

 

The Church Assembly also agreed to use the female grammatical gender for the Holy Spirit, as it the case in Hebrew as well as in the 2000 Swedish Bible translation ('den heliga anden' as opposed to 'den helige ande').

"Everyone who wants to call God 'Lord' can remain calm. It is still there in many places in the new handbook. We have replaced 'he' with 'God' in one place, that's all," Pedersen Videke told The Local.

 

 

 

 

Quote

The pronoun 'he' has been removed in one place, one sentence in the Gloria, where the Assembly voted on Thursday to replace it in: "Ära åt Gud i höjden och frid på jorden bland människor som han älskar" ("Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among humans whom he loves").

 

https://www.thelocal.se/20171124/no-the-swedish-church-has-not-banned-the-male-pronoun-god

 

Edited November 26, 2017 by Flog

[Area201]

A lot of traditions refer to God in very universal terms like Spirit or Thatness even (I AM THAT I AM). 

Like user Flog above mentions, this is mainly taken out of context news, misleading regarding their particular handbook for the popular local Christian denomination. 

Last Man on Earth had an episode recently about use of "guys" for a group of any people. Ya'll more accurate slang used in the South U.S. that eliminates this problem, 

Redditor complained his student was both sexes and wanted to be referred as "they". I found this unreasonable and ridiculous. If he/she wants to push that envelope, I'd use it or the name of the person instead.

Edited November 26, 2017 by Area201

[Rlyeh]

But God/Yahweh is a he, Asherah was his consort.

[+and-then]

5 hours ago, TruthSeeker_ said:

This is an ignorant interpretation of Christ's message. The second coming refers to an internal spiritual renewal, not a physical appearance of Jesus. A transformation in a person’s spiritual consciousness and connection to the true God, not an outer physical event. That's why the church has become drab, unrevealing, and lifeless; it has misunderstood just about everything. Become Christ, you need not wait for him.

I totally agree that the "Church" has been an abysmal failure in many ways.  The church is not a monolithic entity.  The church is formed of failed and still fallible humans (just like everything else) and the church has become an easy target for God-haters in these days.  If his second coming is an "internal spiritual renewal",  why does the bible take so much time explaining his actions UPON HIS RETURN?  Are you aware of any of them?

[+DieChecker]

1 hour ago, MauriOra said:

Hi Friend, Yes absolutely, but hasnt ADAMS APPLE MAN had enough mate, lets give the GODESS OF NATURE her turn,  I mean, Natures been telling us4eva 2 curb some of the Materialistic Consumption, have We listened? NO.. MayBe Now is the Time.. What say you Friend???

I'd say that God created it all, and it is all His. But that being a Christian, or even just following a religion in general, is no excuse to despoil and ruin the Earth. "Everything in moderation" is a good thing to live by regardless. And of course, do unto others as you'd have done unto yourself.... 

The Bible has several references that should lead Christians to be supporters of Environmentalism to a large degree. 

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Genesis 2:15)

Edited November 26, 2017 by DieChecker