Article August 28, 1995 Issue

"The 'male and female' of God's creating"

Helene-Maria Voigt

Several cases of sexual harassment in the workplace were covered recently by the media, triggering further discussions of woman's position in society. Numerous injustices were uncovered, such as less pay for the same work, and violence against women. Even before this discussion in the media, when I had had to deal with such discrimination quite a bit myself, I had come to the conclusion that confrontation between the sexes cannot solve these problems.

Some time later, my husband introduced me to Christian Science and its textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. In that book I found the spiritual interpretation of the Lord's Prayer, the first line of which seemed especially remarkable and revolutionary to me at the time. It reads, "Our Father which art in heaven, Our Father-Mother God, all harmonious" (p. 16).

Here, God was portrayed as both Father and Mother, masculine and feminine! I found this thought fascinating and marvelous.

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