Introduction to the Understanding God Series.
We are now beginning a series of ideas from Chapter 5 on understanding God. We will look at where many very meaningful names for God have been explored. These ideas have developed over the millenniums. First, we will look at who amongst the many writers, philosophers, and historical leaders have influenced our understanding of God in so many varied ways. Then we will examine how they have influenced how we view women.
Since the status of women was embedded in religious beliefs and still is influenced by these beliefs, we cannot avoid discussing humankind’s concept of God from which those beliefs evolved.
In the first chapter of Genesis (verse 27), man—both male and female—is created in the image of Elohim, or God. If that is the case, logic would dictate looking at Elohim first to determine just what is this image and likeness of God. But recorded history teaches us that such reasoning did not take place. Instead, people looked at humankind with all its imperfections and reasoned backwards to produce an anthropomorphic God, that is, a God made in the image and likeness of a mortal male.
We will begin in the next blog with God is Soul.