Recently, as I read articles on the internet and searched for new worship music, I found many examples of people embracing the practice of calling God “Mother.” These individuals pray to and worship God using female terminology.
As I thought about this rising practice among Christians, I returned regularly to this question: Does it matter how we address God?
There are many facets to the discussion about referring to God as “Mother,” some of which people may not have considered before.
In this article, I cannot cover the topic exhaustively, but I do want to mention a few reasons why people feel drawn to referring to God in this way while also dealing with the issue biblically.
I hope this article will bring deeper insight into this issue and also direct people back to what should guide our practices in worship and the Christian life — the Bible.
Understanding Why People Want to Call God ‘Mother’
With such a heated topic about how we should worship God and address Him, people can easily become resentful toward the other side and build strawman attacks.
Some examples of these attacks are that those who worship God as “Mother” are promoting the worship of another god or claim that the Lord is female. However, most of these individuals are not promoting the worship of a false God or claiming that God has a specific gender.
From what I have found, most people who are promoting the practice of calling God “Mother” are women. I think there is a reason behind this.
Throughout time, women have been oppressed and taught that they are lesser and not important. In churches, some women have also felt marginalized and as if they do not have a voice.
As Lindsey Boulais-Duong explained in an article, when she heard people always referring to God as “Him,” she assumed that “God related more to men. When God spoke, he spoke to men. He must also think men are more important.”
According to those who desire to call God “Mother,” using female terminology helps them remember that women, like men, are made in God’s image and valued.
Another reason that many people are drawn to female terminology when talking to God and worshiping Him is that they may have had experiences of abuse in the past by their fathers or by men.
By referring to God as Father, they are reminded of the hurt they received from their earthly fathers. They also do not think that their fathers have been accurate representations of the Lord.
Therefore, believers need to recognize the background of oppression and hurt that many of these women have experienced at the hands of men and fathers.
If we listen to these women, we see the real reason for their desire to refer to God as “Mother.” They want to be seen as equal and for others to recognize that God loves and values women just as He does men.
How Does God Refer to Himself?
In understanding where these women are coming from, we can now turn our attention to what the Bible says about God and if it is okay to refer to Him as “Mother.”
Scripture does include examples of God referring to Himself with motherly characteristics. For instance, the Lord refers to His loving care for Israel, which mirrors the way a mother eagle cares for her young (Deuteronomy 32:11, KJV).
In another passage, Jesus refers to His desire to lovingly gather up the people of Jerusalem like a hen would her chicks (Matthew 23:37). From these examples, we see that God does show how his love can be like a mother’s love.
God’s love and concern are like a mother's care for her children, but also greater (Isaiah 49:15). Earthly mothers and fathers cannot fully represent God because they are imperfect.
Mothers and fathers can hurt and forsake us because we live in a fallen world, but God never does (Psalm 27:10). Just as people have pointed out that earthly fathers are not always accurate representations of God, neither are mothers. No comparison is perfect because God has no equal.
Although mothers can reflect God’s love, we need to consider how God referred to Himself in Scripture. Humans wrote down the words of the Bible, but they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to do so (2 Peter 1:21). As the inspired Word of God, we should seriously consider what the Bible says about God.
Scripture says God is Spirit, which means the Lord is not like humans in the sense of having a physical body and gender (John 4:24).
However, the Bible does use masculine pronouns when referring to God. Throughout Scripture, we can see the use of “He” and “Him” when referring to the Lord (Genesis 2:2; Deuteronomy 6:15; Psalm 106:1; Isaiah 40:22; John 1:14; Revelation 21:4). Jesus instructed His disciples to pray to the “Father” (Matthew 6:9).
Also, Jesus, who is God the Son, became a man at the incarnation, thus forever adding humanity to His divinity (Philippians 2:5-8). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “He” (John 15:26). Consistently in the Bible, male pronouns are used when referring to God.
Does it Matter What We Call God?
So, does it matter what we call God? Could someone pray and worship the Lord as “Mother God?”
As Christians who want to be faithful to what God has said in the Bible, we should stay within what God has revealed. He chose to reveal Himself in Scripture using male pronouns. Also, the person who fully reveals the Father, Jesus Christ, came as a man (Luke 10:21-22; Hebrews 1:3).
Since the Lord has revealed Himself in this way, we honor Him best by using masculine pronouns when referring to Him.
However, we need to note that using masculine language to refer to God does not lessen the truth that God created males and females in His image. Women, just like men, reflect God’s character (Genesis 1:27). The Lord loves and values women since He came to die for all people (John 3:16). In Christ, both genders are equal and valuable (Galatians 3:28).
The church can better love and help women who have been hurt or marginalized by talking more about the biblical worth of women. We do not have to change the pronouns we use for God to recognize that women have value.
Instead, believers need to spend more time and energy showing women that they are equal and valued by the Lord. Women are not second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God.
We need to empower and encourage women through the proper teaching of the Bible. Instead of feeling voiceless and insignificant, girls and women will hear about how God worked through various women in Scripture, like Deborah, Priscilla, and Lydia.
Both men and women will recognize that women have an important purpose in serving God and making Him known.
An Important Note about Abuse
As I mentioned earlier in this article, some women feel more drawn to call God “Mother” because of abuse in their lives, whether in the present or past.
During the process of healing from abuse, these women need to be reminded that the Lord is not their abuser. Someone who has been a victim of abuse could use other titles for God until they can comfortably refer to God as Father.
There are other names for the Lord in Scripture. Scripture tells us that God is our:
- Comforter (John 14:16) and Counselor (John 14:16).
- Helper (Psalm 54:4).
- Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4; Romans 10:9).
- Refuge (Psalm 46:1).
- Savior (1 Timothy 2:3; 2 Peter 3:18) and Shepherd (Psalm 23:1).
This does not include the other names for God, like Yahweh, Elohim, and Adonai. Someone who has gone through abuse might prefer the name that Hagar called the Lord — El Roi or the God who sees me (Genesis 16:13).
The Lord sees the victims of abuse and pain. They might feel invisible to the rest of the world, but God loves and cares about them.
What Does This Mean?
In the modern day, many people use feminine terminology when referring to God. Women can be drawn to call God “Mother,” especially since they are often marginalized in society and churches.
God does have motherly characteristics since He is the One who created women, and they reflect His character, as men do as well.
However, Scripture uses masculine language when referring to God. The Lord is specifically called “Father,” and Jesus came to earth as a man. Although the Lord is spirit, He has revealed Himself using masculine language. There is no reason to go beyond what Scripture teaches.
Referring to God as “Mother” does not align with how God has revealed Himself in the Bible. The practice, though, does show us that many women do not feel valued, seen, or heard.
Churches need to talk more about the biblical worth of women and how they are a significant part of God’s Kingdom — though we do not have to refer to God as “She” or “Mother” to do so. Helping girls and women recognize the Lord’s love for them is a vital task that the church needs to handle with sensitivity and love.
For further reading:
Why Is God’s Comfort Compared to a Mother Who Comforts Her Child?
Why Do We Use Masculine Pronouns for God?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Nadezhda1906
