Complain to the manufacturer

[Rex]

Apt quotation from Lennie Bruce:

"If something about the human body disgusts you... complain to the manufacturer."

[Rex]

Apt quotation from Lennie Bruce:

"If something about the human body disgusts you... complain to the manufacturer."

[RalphVa]

If you think it's obscene, think about who made it and what he would think if he heard you say it was obscene.

[TXK NUDE]

He does hear it when people say the human body is disgusting, He just rolls around on the clouds and laughes at their stupidity! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

He? Men can't produce children, women do.

My mom made me!

[Elton]

Cyndiann,

It takes two to make a baby. a Man and a Woman.

Actually all it takes is a woman and a turkey baster. ;-)

[Trailscout]

Turkey basters are sold "as is" on store shelves, containing nothing but air.

For an extra set of X or Y chromosomes and pH neutral solvent, please see me!

With every set of haploid gametes, comes free part-time childcare, tutoring service, chauffer, backup cook, financial patronage, and emotional support!

[NoodJuggler]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cyndiann:
Actually all it takes is a woman and a turkey baster. ;-) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>That isn't quite true..A woman can have a turkey baster and do it all the time and it won't produce a child..Duh..It still takes a man..What is in the baster is from a MAN..So it still takes a MAN...I've never seen one get pregnant using just a turkey baster? if that was true you would't need us men. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif Unless you know something I don't? Cheers..NoodJuggler.

[hw]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by NoodJuggler.:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cyndiann:
Actually all it takes is a woman and a turkey baster. ;-) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Unless you know something I don't? Cheers..NoodJuggler. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Apparently I did it all wrong! /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

A turkey baster? /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif Hmmmmmmmmm Think I'll change the Thanksgiving menu to chicken. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[melissastarr]

Turkey baster? I never heard about THAT in health class! LOL I'll have to be more careful around Thanksgiving /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Melissa

[Elton]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cyndiann:
Actually all it takes is a woman and a turkey baster. ;-) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The sperm has to come from some man. Unless the woman is XXY.

[NoodJuggler]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hw:

A turkey baster? /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif Hmmmmmmmmm Think I'll change the Thanksgiving menu to chicken. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I guess if your a small woman you could use a Chicken Baster..Hey wait a minute, isn't a turkey baster the guy or person who baste a turkey when cooking it? Sorry hw..You'll have to have ham for Thanksgiving dinner.. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif Cheers..NoodJuggler

[Naturist Mark]

http://www.womenspress.com/newspaper/2002/18-8baby.html

[nudeM]

Posted by NoodJuggler: "Sorry hw..You'll have to have ham for Thanksgiving dinner.. Cheers..NoodJuggler"-------------------------------------------

Then we'll use the turkey baster and have a little 'porker'.
/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[NuTex]

Now isn't this one of the most useless topics we've had in a while? Rex, Ralph and TXKNude made some good comments and everybody else just drives it into the dirt.

Cyndiann, we don't have to get into the whole masculine vs. feminine terminology debate on a light hearted comment someone makes.

Of course, I thought she was being just tongue in cheek. Didn't you see the smiley face with her post about the turkey baster?

And even if she wasn't. Elton, Trailscout, and Noodjuggler, she was talking about God. Not people. Unless you're a polytheist all of your comments about needing both a man and a woman were just completely from left field. Whether God is a male or female, or neither or both, as a monotheist we hold that God is One. So for God to create He (or She as Cyndiann would say) doesn't need another 'gender'.

Sheesh. Now I've wasted my time responding to this silliness.
NuTex
PS Thanks Mark for that link. I found it interesting.

"Of course, I thought she was being just tongue in cheek. Didn't you see the smiley face with her post about the turkey baster?"

A winking smiley at that!

[Bob S.]

Well, as science continues to evolve, and cloning becomes a viable scientific possiblility (discounting the moral ramifications), a woman, with the help of female scientists and doctors, can become pregnant with a female clone, possibly even a clone of herself.

In that way, cyndiann would be correct in saying that men are not needed to have a baby. Of course, with that cloning technology, it could also be possible for a man to have a womb created and implanted into him. In that case, women would not be necessary for creating babies.

Bob S.

[Elton]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by NuTex:

And even if she wasn't. Elton, Trailscout, and Noodjuggler, she was talking about God. Not people. Unless you're a polytheist all of your comments about needing both a man and a woman were just completely from left field. Whether God is a male or female, or neither or both, as a monotheist we hold that God is One. So for God to create He (or She as Cyndiann would say) doesn't need another 'gender'. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Rebuke taken and noted.

Cindyann, I still stand by my original post. The Laws of Biology still apply to Exalted Life as it applies to mortal life.

[Trailscout]

NuTex,

Every thread can't be a theological debate. Sometimes we are just having fun. Not that theological debate can't be fun (Jerry Seinfeld?)

[NoodJuggler]

;-) ;-) Like this..I know..Don't know how to drive.. ;-)) /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[Naturist Mark]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by NoodJuggler.:
;-) ;-) Like this..I know..Don't know how to drive.. ;-)) /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Your passengers are just a bunch of whiners! /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

-Mark

[shãybare]

What I would like to know is who are these guys having sex with turkey basters ? /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[nunne]

Shaybare said:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>What I would like to know is who are these guys having sex with turkey basters ?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>It is all of us men with wives who unfortunately agree with Cyndiann that men are not necessary. /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif Turkey basters. Ummmmm. Not bad. Any other suggestions? /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[NoodJuggler]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by nudeM:
Posted by NoodJuggler: "Sorry hw..You'll have to have ham for Thanksgiving dinner.. Cheers..NoodJuggler"-------------------------------------------

Then we'll use the turkey baster and have a little 'porker'.
/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I can see where this is going.. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif .. heeheehee.. from the Turkey to the Chicken to the Pig..Maybe we should just have a Veggie Casserole? /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif Why not just use the real thing and skip the middleman?

[Trailscout]

The Amazons were a mythic all-woman warrior tribe that kidnapped a man from a neighboring tribe whenever they needed offspring, but sent him on his way after he had done the necessary thing.

It's probably illegal under current laws, but such an arrangement would probably make for a more harmonious society.

http://www.angelfire.com/va2/AmazonImageGallery2/axewoman2.jpg

[Jochanaan]

It seems to me that, to complain to the Manufacturer, you must first believe that He exists.

But then, why do so many people who say they don't believe in God cuss by His name?

And if god is a he does he have a penis?

If he does why? Does he have sex?

Jochanaan,

That's a question I've often wondered about. I've never heard anyone use Buddha as a curse word, or the name of any other non-deity that people worship. The only names they curse are the name of God and of Jesus Christ, and then they say they don't believe in them. People always call on God to damn something or someone. They never call on Buddha to do that.

On the senseless subject of what sex God is: Who cares? Is God of any one sex? Again, Who cares? The Bible uses the pronouns of "He" and "Him", and calls God our Heavenly Father. God had to be called something for us to relate to Him/Her. Personally, considering what I think of fathers, I would have much preferred that God was called our Heavenly Mother. I believe in a mother's love, but not a father's.

[NoodJuggler]

Does it really matter if God is a he or she as Jon-Marc said. Why would he need a penis? He doesn't create like that. Does he have sex? Why would he have to have sex? You have to have a fleshy body to have sex. God isn't fleshly. We don't understand each other let alone what he needs. Maybe there isn't a God like most think but myself I would rather believe that I was created by a supreme being than evolved from an ape as they teach. Just take how your eye is made, man cannot make a camera that can do what your eye does. Take a look at the brain, no computer can do what the brain can do. The body and the universe is wonderfully made. Man can not even make a blade of grass. Everything man makes is made up of things already here. You can believe what ever you want but the time will come when you are dieing and you probably will start to pray even if you don't believe in a god. I for one did not come from some hairy MONKEY, you might have but not me..I know he or she made me and he or she can destroy what he or she makes so who are we to complain when we have everthing we need. Be thankful..Cheers..NoodJuggler

[Naturist Mark]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jon-Marc:
The Bible uses the pronouns of "He" and "Him", and calls God our Heavenly Father. God had to be called something for us to relate to Him/Her. Personally, considering what I think of fathers, I would have much preferred that God was called our Heavenly Mother. I believe in a mother's love, but not a father's. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Don't forget that the Bible has been translated. It is not nearly so emphatic that God is 'male' in the original text. Here is and interesting article on the subject: http://clubs.calvin.edu/chimes/970418/o1041897.htm

-Mark

"Does it really matter if God is a he or she as Jon-Marc said. Why would he need a penis? He doesn't create like that. Does he have sex? Why would he have to have sex? You have to have a fleshy body to have sex. God isn't fleshly."

But I thought we were made in his image. If he's missing parts then we weren't. And how could male and female both be made just like him when we are different from each other?

[NuTex]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> NuTex,

Every thread can't be a theological debate. Sometimes we are just having fun. Not that theological debate can't be fun (Jerry Seinfeld?) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I think that's what I was trying to say. You just now said it better than I did. It seemed to me that this one started fun and went down fast.
NuTex

[WNYjoe]

Thus the difference between religions.
Pagans believe in the 3 aspects of the Earth mother: Maiden, Mother, Crone.
Everything in the early/pagan religions look at things in a feminine creative aspect.
Everything in modern religions generally look at divinity as male.
It has long been observed that this male dominance corresponded to the shift in society from matra-lineal to paternal.
many Pagans celebrate the balance between male & female/gods & goddesses.
Those who practice the many variations of neo-pagan, new-age/etc frequently refer to us all as part of the great divine. And that there is no gender.

I guess it is the eternal debate that will continue to rage on.

[NoodJuggler]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cyndiann:
"Does it really matter if God is a he or she as Jon-Marc said. Why would he need a penis? He doesn't create like that. Does he have sex? Why would he have to have sex? You have to have a fleshy body to have sex. God isn't fleshly."

But I thought we were made in his image. If he's missing parts then we weren't. And how could male and female both be made just like him when we are different from each other? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Hey Cyndiann..
We are made in his image. We possess his attributes of Love, Joy, Peace, Long suffering, Kindness, Goodness, Mildness, Faith, and Self Control. It doesn't say that we were made according to a physical makeup but a spiritual one...Cheers..NoodJuggler.

Edited by NoodJuggler..That is if you believe in the holy scriptures. Now other faiths and cultures will have different beliefs.

[Tiny]

I think that answers that question nicely. Thanks, Nood!

Tiny

[Rex]

Originally posted by Trailscout:

"The Amazons were a mythic all-woman warrior tribe that kidnapped a man from a neighboring tribe whenever they needed offspring, but sent him on his way after he had done the necessary thing."

http://www.angelfire.com/va2/AmazonImageGallery2/axewoman2.jpg

Can you imagine all the tribesmen saying to one another, "Hey, how come it's always Trailscout who gets kidnapped? Must be something to do with the way he stands outside the village gate, with his hands in the air, everytime he hears the Amazon women are on their way here".

Currently tipped for a clean sweep of the Oscars in Amazonland, "Seven Guys for Seven Amazons", rated AO, lots of sex and nudity.

[soofreeemateomanian]

Well, as science continues to evolve, and cloning becomes a viable scientific possiblility (discounting the moral ramifications), a woman, with the help of female scientists and doctors, can become pregnant with a female clone, possibly even a clone of herself.
In that way, cyndiann would be correct in saying that men are not needed to have a baby. Of course, with that cloning technology, it could also be possible for a man to have a womb created and implanted into him. In that case, women would not be necessary for creating babies.
Bob S.

thats really not how cloning works. You need the genes of a mother AND a father of the thing being cloned, and it may not be able to clone humans. Humans are the most complicated organisms on earth, and it is insanely difficult to create the thing nearest to a human (98 percent DNA shared) Yup thats right, scientists have not been able to clone monkeys.

[melissastarr]

Personally, I believe God is God and that s/he is so far beyond on that s/he transcends gender.

Melissa

[GeorgiaNudist]

I think melissa is closer to a real potential concept...i.e. pure energy / pure intelligence. No need to emulate humans unless they wanted to.

[hw]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by NoodJuggler.:
We are made in his image. We possess his attributes of Love, Joy, Peace, Long suffering, Kindness, Goodness, Mildness, Faith, and Self Control. It doesn't say that we were made according to a physical makeup but a spiritual one...Cheers..NoodJuggler. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Nood great post, wonderful thoughts. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif I might add we all possess, within us, the "cell" of the beginning. We are all connected to every other living creature through this "cell" as we begin the life cycle. We stay connected throughout our lives by this "cell".

/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[Tad]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by melissastarr:
Personally, I believe God is God and that s/he is so far beyond on that s/he transcends gender.

Melissa <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>JONATHAN TAD KETCHEN (JTK.CA)
Christian Nudist, Artist, Photographer, & Poet

Founder of
GUELPH NUDIST CLUB
Families * Couples * Singles

NudeCreations.com

Guelph, Ontario, Canada

(519) 780-1057
jtk@jtk.ca
http://NudeCreations.com

-----------------------------------------------

Dear Melissa,

I agree that God transcends gender. He transcends everything, since he created everything. However, I do have a problem with addressing God as "she" when the Word of God always refers to him as "he." Once Jesus, the Son of God, refered to himself as being like a mother hen protecting her chicks under her wing, but we don't call Jesus "she" as a result. It was a comparison, not a reality. Jesus is still male. And the first person of the Trinity is called God the Father.

Love in Christ
(the best kind),

Tad (JTK.CA)
http://NudeCreations.com

[Tad]

Originally posted by hw:
"...we all possess, within us, the 'cell' of the beginning. We are all connected to every other living creature through this 'cell' as we begin the life cycle. We stay connected throughout our lives by this 'cell'."

DEAR HW:
I REALLY LIKE THIS CONCEPT. I'LL HAVE TO PONDER ON IT.

Sincerely,

the "cell" of the beginning of Tad

JONATHAN TAD KETCHEN (JTK.CA)
Christian Nudist, Artist, Photographer, & Poet

Founder of
GUELPH NUDIST CLUB
Families * Couples * Singles

NudeCreations.com

Guelph, Ontario, Canada

(519) 780-1057
jtk@jtk.ca
http://NudeCreations.com

[hw]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Tad:
Originally posted by hw:
"...we all possess, within us, the 'cell' of the beginning. We are all connected to every other living creature through this 'cell' as we begin the life cycle. We stay connected throughout our lives by this 'cell'."

DEAR HW:
I REALLY LIKE THIS CONCEPT. I'LL HAVE TO PONDER ON IT.

Sincerely,

the "cell" of the beginning of Tad <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Tad, quite simply, the single "cell" we all start out as is God. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[Jochanaan]

Interesting concept, hw. Sounds a shade pantheistic. (I assume you mean the "cell" of our spirits, rather than the zygote that is the beginning of a new human life.)

As for God's being male or female, Genesis 1:27 seems to shed some light: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (I know some reading this don't believe the Bible is entirely accurate, but it's still the best compilation of Christian beliefs.) This implies that He has both a masculine and a feminine attribute. And after all, since He is a Trinity, both singular and plural, why is it unreasonable for Him not to be both male and female? It is only the limitations of our human languages that force us to refer to this Being as He, since until recently it was assumed that "he" was not only masculine but generic, that is, if a person's gender was not known or specified, "he" was used.

[fred950]

Sign in the office of a female Lutheran minister: "when God created man, SHE was only joking".

[missouriboy]

"But then, why do so many people who say they don't believe in God cuss by His name?"

I'd suggest it's because that particular "cuss" has permeated our vernacular to the point that people use it by second nature, unthinkingly.

The same people also use "For God's sake...," and "Thank God!" in the same way. Here's a thought: would you suppose that the frequency at which we hear the above phrases, would indicate the quality of the people we associate with the most? /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[melissastarr]

Jesus was definitely male, but God has so many components that indicate both sexes that I prefer to look at God as a Heavenly Parent, rather than a Heavenly Father. Neither my mother or father were very good to me, so even calling God a parent is a bit of stretch for me when it comes to acceptance. I guess my questions in this regard are 1) Is calling God 'she' a sin or otherwise wrong? I don't think so. What matters most, I'd think, is calling on Him/ Her at all. If considering God a female helps in your relationship with God, I doubt God minds. Similarly, if calling calling male helps you, I don't think God minds. What matters is having a relationship with God. 2) What does the original text say? Do the Hebrew and Greek regard God as male or female (or neuter) in the text? Obviously Jesus would be referred to as male, but what about the other aspects of God?

Melissa

[Trailscout]

Melissa,
God has consistently used the male in describing himself. It is not a generic "he". If you have trouble understanding the concept of a loving parent, God also describes himself as a loving husband and all Christians comprising the bride of Christ. For people who had abusive parents or husbands these analogies will have negative baggage . God also describes himself as friend, starting with Enoch, Abraham and many others, and hopefully everyone can relate to the idea of a true and faithful friend.

[florida-david]

trailscout - the bible describes god as a he, not god. did god speak to you and say "i am a man"? maybe you are seeing things and should be instituted? you should preface your comments with "i believe...." as not everyone agrees with your vision of religion yet you say things like they are the truth.

[sawdust]

Fl-David,
I have read many of Trailscout posting on the content and contex of the bible and from my understanding of the scriptures, he is right on. Other then to disagree with him, which you seem to do, can you prove his position wrong? Sawdust

[Naturist Mark]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Trailscout:
God has consistently used the male in describing himself. It is not a generic "he". <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>There are many instances in the Bible where God is referred to in a feminine manner. From FEMININE IMAGES FOR GOD: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? (http://clubs.calvin.edu/chimes/970418/o1041897.htm) :

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>A: Female images for God (drawn from women?s biological activity)
1. God as a Mother:
a. a woman in labor (Isa. 42:14) whose forceful breath is an image of divine power . God is threatening to come against Israel in power, a power likened to the forceful air expelled from the lungs of a woman who is in the final throes of labor. Calvin misunderstood Isaiah?s intent and construed this as an image of maternal tenderness!
b. a mother suckling her children (Num. 11:12)
c. a mother who does not forget the child she nurses (Isa. 49:14-15)
d. a mother who comforts her children (Isa. 66:12-13)
e. a mother who births and protects Israel (Isa. 46:3-4). In contrast to idol worshippers who carry their gods on cattle, God carries Israel in the womb. The message to the people is two-fold: it demonstrates God?s superiority over other gods, and reiterates the divine promise to support and redeem. In short, God?s maternal bond of compassion and maternal power to protect guarantee Israel?s salvation.
f. a mother who gave birth to the Israelites (Dt. 32:18) The biased translation of the Jerusalem Bible ("fathered you") obscures the feminine action of the verb, more accurately rendered "gave you birth":
JB: You forget the Rock who begot you, unmindful now of the God who fathered you.
NRSV: You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
The Hebrew word in the first line can be translated as either "begot" (male activity) or "bore" (female activity); the context must provide the key. The word in the second line can only refer to female activity. Scholars have taken these two lines either as a male and a female image of God back-to-back, or they take both of them as female, due to the way this verse is located in the overall poetic structure of Deuteronomy 32.
g. a mother who calls, teaches, holds, heals and feeds her young (Hosea 11:1-4) This poem is in the first person, where in Hebrew there is no distinction between male and female forms; the speaker can be either male or female. The series of activities are those that a mother would be likely to do: "it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I was to them like those who lift infants [lit., suckling children] to their cheeks [OR: who ease the yoke on their jaws]; I bent down to them and fed them." (NRSV)
Given the context, it is possible that Hosea is indirectly presenting Yahweh as the mother over against the fertility goddess mother figure of the Canaanite religion that he is challenging. The images belong in pairs. Israel is presented as a wife in ch. 2 and as a son in ch. 11, that is, as female and male in tandem. It may be that Hosea is making the point that Yahweh alone is God by presenting Yahweh as the husband in ch. 2 and as the mother in ch. 11.
2. Other maternal references: Ps. 131:2; Job. 38:8, 29; Prov. 8:22-25; 1 Pet. 2:2-3, Acts 17:28.

B: Feminine images for God (drawn from women?s cultural activity).
1. God as a seamstress making clothes for Israel to wear (Neh. 9:21).
2. God as a midwife attending a birth (Ps. 22:9-10a, 71:6; Isa. 66:9) (midwife was a role only for women in ancient Israel).
3. God as a woman working leaven into bread (Lk. 13:18-21). This feminine image is equivalent to the image of God as masculine in the preceding parable of the mustard seed.
4. God as a woman seeking a lost coin (Lk. 15:8-10).This feminine image is equivalent to the image of God as masculine in the preceding parable of the shepherd seeking a lost sheep. Both Luke 13 and 15 contain paired masculine and feminine images for God, drawn from activities of Galilean peasants.

C: Additional examples of the divine feminine.
1. Female bird imagery. Yahweh is described by an analogy to the action of a female bird protecting her young (Ps. 17:8, 36:7, 57:1, 91:1, 4; Isa. 31:5; Dt. 32:11-12).
a. The eagle: Dt. 32:11-12: "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead Jacob ...." (KJV). The female eagle, both larger and stronger than the male, does the bulk of the incubation of the eggs as well as the hunting. She is the one who bears the eaglets on her wings when it is time for them to leave the nest. In a sudden movement, she swoops down to force them to fly alone, but always stays near enough to swoop back under them when they become too weary to fly on their own. It is a powerful image of God nurturing and supporting us when we are weak, yet always encouraging us to grow and mature. Cf. Ex. 19:4, "I bore you on eagles? wings and brought you to myself," and Job 39:27-30.
b. The hen: Mt. 23:37 (par. Lk. 13:34; cf. Ruth 2:12): "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not." In his lament over Jerusalem, Jesus employs feminine imagery. Whereas the magnificent eagle is associated with light, sun, height, mobility and exteriority, the lowly hen is "associated with the shadows and darkness of the henhouse, and with depth and stillness and interiority beneath the mothering wings" (V. Mollenkott, The Divine Feminine [Crossroad, 1987], 93). Each image illuminates a different, important aspect of God?s relation to us.
2. God as Mother Bear (Hosea 13:8), a fierce image associated with the profound attachment of the mother to her cubs. God?s rage against those who withhold gratitude is that of a bear "robbed of her cubs."
3. Holy Spirit (in Hebrew, feminine; in Greek, neuter) is often associated with women?s functions: the birthing process (Jn. 3:5; cf. Jn. 1:13, 1 Jn. 4:7b, 5:1, 4, 18), consoling, comforting, an eschatological groaning in travail of childbirth, emotional warmth, and inspiration. Some ancient church traditions refer to the Holy Spirit in feminine terms (the Syriac church used the feminine pronoun for the Holy Spirit until ca. 400 C.E.; a 14th c. fresco depicting the Trinity at a church near Munich, Germany images the Holy Spirit as feminine).
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>-Mark

[florida-david]

why do you assume that the bible is the only word of god? as far as i can tell, the bible is written by MEN (not women) at a time when MEN (not women) ruled the masses (oh, and they still do). so of course a book written by men would make god in their vision? there is a rich history of spritiual teachings that are precursers (spelling?) to the bible, and many of these avenues of thought had goddesses as well as god's. why must we continue to 'put women in their place' by assuming the only vision of god is one of masculinity??

[Trailscout]

David,
If women are protons and men are electrons, God is a Galaxy.