[awareness]

Originally Posted by zeek

I'm not sure what you mean by saying the writers of the Bible were few and far between. they may have been more sophisticated than you give them credit for. to say that a father in ancient Israelites society is a suitable model for God it's not the same as saying that God is male. They notably did not attribute mail or female sexuality to God. They seem to view sexuality as an attribute of created order, not something that can be applied to God the Creator. the Canaanite fertility colts emphasize the sexual functions of both gods and goddesses. The old Testament refuses to endorse that idea. Any attribution of sexuality to God is reversion to paganism. That said, while the old and New testaments use male language about God and the analogies are mostly masculine, God also has feminine attributes. For example in Isaiah 42:14 Yahweh says I grown like a woman in labor. Isaiah 49: 14 to 15 says but Zion said the Lord has forsaken me my Lord has forgotten me can a woman forget her suckling child that she should have no compassion on the sun of her womb Deuteronomy 32:18 says you forget the rock who begot you on mindful now of the God who gave you birth. Job 38:8 speaks of the sea as leaping tumultuous from the womb. John 3:6 says what is born of the flesh is flesh what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Doesn't that make the Spirit our mother analogically speaking?

Add :

Mat_23:37* O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

And Luk_13:34* O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

If God is a literal male, then He's also a literal hen.