Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:26 & 27
Whether one views them as our first parents ( in other words, 'the first human beings' ) or simply the first covenant people the biblical Adam & Eve served as a Divine Example of 'as above, so below'. Their relationship was designed to mirror that within what many call 'the God-head'. As we read the biblical Story, we find that, though they were created good ( some say 'perfect' ), something called 'sin' entered the mix & corrupted 'God's' 'good' ( Genesis 1:31 ) Creation. This in itself brings up some interesting & rather uncomfortable questions, but, as this is not my purpose in writing, I will leave that in the capable hands of my readers ( if they so choose ) & we will explore this route no further! The purpose of this blogpost is to show that, in the words of a good friend of mine, 'God is not a bachelor!' As Man was not made to be alone ( Genesis 2:18, Ecclesiastes 4:8-11 ), neither is 'God' alone. The word 'Trinity' is not to be found in the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures, although most Christians say that the concept clearly is. However one chooses to read or interpret it though, according to the very beginning words of the Hebrew Scriptures, the word translated 'God' is plural in tense, indicating that this ''elohiym' was not alone in 'His' work!
In today's 'world', especially in our Western culture, it would NOT be 'kosher' for a woman, as the biblical Sarah did, to call ones husband 'lord' ( I Peter 3:6 ). According to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, the primary definition of the term 'lord' is 'one having power and authority over others'. It is really an archaic term, probably most familiar in terms of the Old English titles of 'Lord' & 'Lady'. Even here in America, as lately as the 1950s, the terms 'lord of the manor' & 'lady of the house' were fairly well-used. In fact, the wife of the sitting president of the U.S.A. is still called 'the First Lady'. Being a ( former ) British colony, we here in these United States of America need to understand that these terms came to us from our British heritage, which originated in their understanding & thus translation ( ? ) of the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures. In the Ancient Near East, where women ( according to our Western understanding, anyway ) were viewed as little more than 'chattel' ( this tradition continues up to this day in many or most Near Eastern countries ), it would have been 'proper' ( in that context ) for Sarah ( or 'Sarai' ) to call Abraham ( or 'Abram' ) 'lord'. However, even according to Scriptural tradition, the 'New Covenant' brought many 'changes', one being that 'the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband [ does ]. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife [ does ].' ( I Corinthians 7:4 )
Science tells us, using different terminology maybe, that, before a person is born, as the fetus is being formed in the womb, it is neither male nor female, but in some sense both, although closer toward what we know as the female end of the spectrum. As the fetus develops, chromosomes play their part, being probably the deciding factor in whether the baby will be swaddled in blue or pink clothes. Whatever the case may be ( I'm not a scientist OR a biologist ), the point is that, as in the beginning, according to the Hebrew Scripture, 'God' made them 'male and female'! Man, at least, before the chromosomes do their little dance, is not just a male, but is comprised of both male & female! Human beings comprise both male & female, even if one doesn't take the Hebrew Scriptures at face value. Because what occurs on earth mirrors what happens in the heavens, especially in an esoteric & meta-physical sense, it only goes to figure that the so-called 'God-head' is comprised of both male & female aspects as well!
We all know at least one man ( or boy ) that seems to have almost more female than male attributes, especially when it comes to the emotions. On the other hand, although the term 'tomboy' is not as popular as it used to be, some women ( or girls ) seem to act more like men than women ( that in itself would probably be regarded as a 'sexist statement' ). However one chooses to rectify it in his or her own mind, it simply stands to reason that we are all made up of the same impulses ( energy )! Like I said, I'm not a scientist, so I'm only guessing, but I would imagine that we, individually, simply manifest those impulses differently. When it comes to the human biological structure ( anatomy ), though, it is difficult to aver that this wonder we know & love came to be by accident, or by any means other than an Intelligent Designer!
The Psalmist of the Hebrew Scriptures wrote, 'I am fearfully [ and ] wonderfully made' ( Psalm 139:14 ): this should be regarded as one of the many universal truths of the Bible! Cultural differences aside, it cannot be argued that this amazing piece of work, this ancient marvel, one might say, could not have just 'happened', by chance, as it were! As wonderful, though, as is the human anatomy, almost as amazing is how corrupted it can become, even disfigured to whatever extent, through the many & varied stressors that we load upon it. This is not to say simply that we, individually have corrupted these fine pieces of 'machinery' through our own doing; no, it happens as a result of many, many generations of abuse & misuse: outside influences may not be discounted either, although, again, it is always up to us, as to how we face these exterior stressors!
Science has made great leaps towards god-hood in the last number of decades! Men & women, not being satisfied just to change their sexual preference, have, through the wonders of Science, been able to change their sexual designation, at least to some extent! As far as I've seen, though, no man has ever been fitted with a womb & though they've probably figured out how to fit a woman with a penis, with plastic surgery to remove her breasts ( they can probably even remove a man's penis & make it look like a vagina ); I highly doubt that any of these unnaturally assigned parts work like they were designed to! Biology aside, then, it is easy to change ones sexual preference, though infinitely more difficult to actually BE other than what you were designed to BE, humanly speaking. Emotions change like the weather, however, so there are many factors which may influence how one manifests his or her feelings, in other words, whether one acts like society expects a man or woman, boy or girl to act.
Societal changes & cultural 'norms' aside, we know one thing for sure; whatever sort of biological 'shell' we incarnated, it is that 'shell' in which we were meant to carry out a certain purpose in this world in which we live! Whether one wants to attribute this to our Higher Self, or a Higher Power ( ? ) such as the God of the Bible, we can be certain that this body that we inhabit was chosen from the beginning to serve a Higher Purpose! Again, though, this is not to say that men are supposed to act in a certain way, while women are designated for a different purpose ( like 'child-bearing' );society & culture have dictated how things 'should be', for time immemorial, but speaking of 'change', people are beginning to see the idiocy of it all & living, not as society or even their own biology dictates, but as Common Sense tells them they should. We are now in an Age where we can, if we so choose, move past the age-old cultural norms & decide to act in whichever way serves both mankind & ourselves best, no matter whether society dictates that men should act this way & women should act that way!
There are numerous resources available today, especially in this technological age, that point to the fact, not just of a plurality ( 'Trinity'? ) in the 'God-head', but that, just as the 'God' of the Bible created them 'male and female', so the One who set the worlds to spinning is also comprised of both male & female aspects! Many people, for many reasons & centuries have endeavored to hide this startling but surprisingly natural & comfortable truth, but for as many centuries, the truth has always been out there, though persecuted to the death.
Adam & Eve were the First Lord & Lady, according to the Hebrew Scriptures! Other cultures may have similar Stories, but for whatever reason, this is the Story that the majority of Westerners have chosen to pattern their lives after, to whatever extent. According to our Bible ( our Western interpretation of an Ancient Near Eastern piece of literature ), Adam was [ 'the son' ] of God ( Luke 3:38 ), so the question could rightly be asked here, 'If we are the natural offspring of the Creator, as the text seems to indicate, then is it outside the realm of possibility to assume, if for that glorious fact alone, that we are Divine by Nature?' Not only is it possible; we as human beings, whether we choose to manifest It for good or evil, DO carry Divinity Within! I encourage my readers today; choose to manifest that Divinity in the way which best serves humanity & that includes YOU!!!!
Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank
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