You're listening to Stan to Reason's hashtag STR-Ask Podcast. Welcome.

I'm Amy Hall and Greg Kokel's here with me to answer your questions.

You started so mellow, Amy. I'm thinking, wow, you are mellow today.

Because my brain's already turning on the next question. I'm about to ask you.

All right, good. Let's go to it.

This one comes from Lucy. Can you respond to the critique that, quote, God the father is a sexist term that demeans women in general

and mothers in particular?

I'm pausing because I'm a bit speechless.

Well, let me ask this question.

Is the fact that we call dads fathers in families, sexist, and

demeaning to women and mothers? Why would anybody think that? And in this case, I'm trying to

figure out why would anybody think that God as a father, which is the way he describes himself, is somehow demeaning to women.

A fathers are protectors. Fathers are providers. I mean, when you think of the notion of a father, all of the positive things that fathers are meant to be, and I know we're fallen creatures and we don't fulfill that, but I mean, just think it's the notion of being a father that someone is objecting to. This is a put down on women.

Well, what if we said not father but mother?

Would that be a put down on men?

Well, it would have to be if you follow the same reasoning.

So then what would be the proper way of describing a personal being that cares for everything.

And incidentally, scripture is filled with feminine characterizations of God, even though

he identifies himself as father.

He has also talked about as a bird with wings covering that hens, chicks with her pinions, you know, feathers.

So we get these variety of characterizations, both male and female, how mother, father,

nevertheless, this is the way God describes themselves.

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