God's Gender

Thank you for your interpretation of the camel verses. I've met (usually) financially poor Christians who are clear that those passages mean that rich people will find it extremely diffuclt to get into Heaven, and from this they obtain some comfort. On the other hand I have met rich Christians who believe that it is actually quite easy for a camel to go through the eye of a needle! The "eye of the needle" to them in this case not being a reference to a sewing needle but being a gate into the Holy City of Jerusalem. Both of these represent a selection effect I believe -- an imprinting of a meaning that suits ones circumstances and prejudices.

I sometimes wonder if those phrases were not said by Jesus but carefully crafted by men. The cynical me sees The Church making an encouragement to the rich for their tithe. Back then the services industry was in it's infancy -- indeed the clergy may have been the pioneers of it. They needed to get their fees (still do) otherwise to eat they would have needed to plough the field or something. Personally I'd much rather work in the services industry than be digging a ditch. Perhaps the fact that so many of us these days do work in the services industry rather than dig ditches could be why Christianity is declining? Hang on -- I'm not sure Christianity is in decline, your Seattle Church was and morals are going out of the window it would seem but that could be a selection effect on my part.

Anyway -- all is not lost Bill Gates III.

Moving on, why does God need a gender? He is a He is He not? For that matter the Holy Spirit is often referred to in the masculine and Jesus was a man. I can understand God being a man in human form, but why would omnipotence have a gender? Is there a Mrs. God?

May God give us Grace on this fine Friday.

Current song: "God Put A Smile On Your Face" -- Coldplay