I don't think of it as strange he is used to describe gender neutral objects as well the gender neutral pronoun for singular is "it" using it as a pronoun can be disrespectful if I was a hermaphrodite I would hate the feeling someone gave me from saying "**It** did it. Look at **it**. **It** passed me the papers yesterday."

by Anonymous 11 years ago

But god isn't a hermaphrodite, it's a concept that should not be assigned a gender. Of course, It is pretty obvious why the pronoun "he" is used, considering religion's sexist roots.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

there's no gender neutral singular pronoun in the English language or the Arabic language again he is used to describe gender neutral objects he can mean gender neutral this occurs outside of religion too

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Of course it can, but "she" can be used in that context as well. My point is: in this instance, god is commonly referred to as "he" because the men of the time wanted to show their superiority.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

that still happens today are you saying that people use he for gender neutral objects to show male superiority? I don't think so it's language and most if not all languages do this for example Spanish/French will refer to a group as male even if there is a mix of male and female mankind includes females there's man in wo**man** that's how language is set up and language is written in a way people can understand it's obvious that he is not being used to mean male

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Maybe the religious use of masculine pronouns came from languages. Yet, where did the use of masculine pronouns come from IN the language? Possibly sexist roots, eh?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

do realize masculine pronouns aren't always masculine anyways the pronouns can be used simply as a placeholder as the pronoun "it" is disrespectful" even someone who has the organs of both male and female would feel hurt when called "it" so other pronouns are used as substitutes it's a consistency through every single language I know English Spanish French Bangla Hindi Urdu you name it what mention is there of one gender being superior to another? I don't know how many times I have to says this masculine pronouns do not mean the subject is masculine or male get it now? did you even read all that I've been saying on this post?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I have. And I'm saying that what you're saying doesn't answer the question of why pronouns that are typically masculine are used to refer to neutrality. Why not typically feminine pronouns?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I really don't know for sure but it seems malicious and incorrect to blame people as being sexist for doing that when bad things have masculine pronouns attached to them too

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Women have been subordinate for thousands of years in different cultures. I wouldn't say it's malicious, but more realistic.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

women have been and still are mistreated BUT that doesn't mean pronouns deal with that again I think it's malicious considering masculine pronouns are used for both good and bad things it's not like where they beat women up or didn't let women vote referring to inanimate objects both good and bad doesn't portray one gender as more superior

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Well I guess in the end, neither of us can know the beginning of the custom.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

well innocent until proven guilty looks innocent to me

by Anonymous 11 years ago

And the other way for moi

by Anonymous 11 years ago

good thing you don't run the law system or lot of innocent people would be locked up just for being accused societies have been and still are misogynist but that doesn't mean that part of language (pronoun) is like that I see nothing that proves such the burden of proof is on you and you haven't proved it

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I realize that. I'm not saying I know for sure. But I'm looking at how societies used to be. It makes sense to me that a bunch of men who, because of the society, believed men to be better than women made up how languages are. Men need to attribute a pronoun to the greatness that is god. The last thing they'd call god is a "weak, stupid" she.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

well men back then referred to nature as "mother nature" don't see people claiming sexism on that obviously they saw the strength and power of nature and still referred to it as "mother nature"

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Of course God is a "he", everyone knows God has killer abs/chest and a sexy beard.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

No wonder people worship it.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

His body is so sweet, an he looks like he knows every thing that is or has been (and will be, possibly). Every man would like to look like him when they grow older, and every woman would love a man resembling the Lord to hold her in his arms. If I had only half of his beard I think My life would be changed.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Yes and no. It's not strange since this has been the de facto pronoun for "Him" for as long as he's been a concept.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm not saying it's strange in that it's new and different. I'm saying it's strange in that it doesn't make sense if we look at god as the concept (or if you really want, divine being) that it probably isn't.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Yes but if you consider that he supposedly created Adam in his own image, and that Adam was a man it sheds a little more light on the why I suppose. I agree that it is strange but as I originally stated, yes and no.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Yeah, but humanity as a whole is supposedly created in god's image. It does make sense that god is referred to as a male, it's just sexist. The men who wrote the bible wanted to enforce their own "superiority". They would have wholeheartedly agreed with the point that you just made there.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

it's not sexist that's like saying it's sexist to say he/she because he comes first that's like saying it's sexist calling nature "mother nature" obviously nature is gender neutral but referred to as she that doesn't mean this is females trying to enforce their own superiority

by Anonymous 11 years ago

depending on faith and which gods and religious writings you follow.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I think there are a couple of reasons for this. As others have said, he is the default pronoun for people, especially around the time that the Bible was written and became more widespread. During this same period of time, men were always thought of as the dominant, strong, and powerful ones, and when you think about it, people often use these exact same adjectives to describe God. It can be agreed upon that majority of the world didn't believe women could or should be dominant or strong, so it makes perfect sense to assign God the same pronoun that men receive.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

God //should// be a gender neutral concept. I don't think many people actually think of God as a 'he.' But considering the social attitudes of the time, I'm not surprised that it's the pronoun they used.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

We don't think about whether he's "he" or "she", but most people seem to picture him as an old man in the sky.

by Anonymous 11 years ago