"The search itself is a form of worship. It is a response to the awareness that God's image is both male and female."
~Virginia Mollenkott in The Divine Feminine: The Biblical Imagery of God as Female
It's a topic I've felt strongly about since it was brought to my attention in a "women and religion" class at ASU. The more I've thought about and looked into the topic, I see the relevancy for myself. I don't think I'm alone in this. While I'm not sure I've ever been accused of being a feminist (that was always Jess's domain), I think this is an important issue. Yes, obviously language is "just semantics," but words shape much of our world. Given that we discover on our own and are taught gender differences early on, I think it's all the more important to acknowledge and deal with the gender (or really, lack thereof) of God. Inclusive language and validation of the femininity of the Godhead (yes, it's in God's character) would be a great start. We talk about how people without father figures can have difficulty with the masculinity of God; in light of that, why are we not just as eager to assert his femininity?
Just a thought.
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