Why does this matter?

In the U.S. alone, every seven seconds a woman is battered. One in four American girls will have been sexually assaulted by the age of 18. One in three women experiences some kind of abuse. Throughout the world, 5000 women and girls are murdered each year by members of their own families. An estimated 4 million women and girls worldwide are bought and sold into prostitution, slavery, or marriage. Approximately 60 million girls are "missing" as a result of sex-selective abortions, infanticide, or neglect. Seventy percent of the poor are women. Men as well as women suffer from the worship of an exclusively masculine God. Making the Ultimate Power of the universe male gives the strongest support imaginable to the dominance of men, resulting in their shorter life expectancy and their dehumanization when dominance leads to violence. Being dominant in relationships impoverishes men's emotional and spiritual lives. Men may also have trouble embracing aspects of their creativity that have been traditionally labeled and demeaned as feminine. The whole creation suffers from the male-dominated theology that results from exclusively masculine naming of God. References to the earth are traditionally feminine, but the feminine is not given sacred value in our worship.

By balancing feminine and masculine references to God, such as "Mother and Father," "Brother and Sister," "She" and "He," we give strong support to the equality of women and men. Violence is far less likely between equals. When our worship services include biblical feminine names for God, such as "Mother" and "Wisdom," women are valued and respected instead of excluded and abused. When we worship a God who includes two genders, we give sacred value to women and men and children and the whole creation. Including feminine divine images contributes to peacemaking. Worshiping a God of two genders lays a strong foundation for justice and peace in our world.

Why does this matter?

Suggested Reading