Is it true that the Anglican Church plans to consider the idea of ​​a gender-neutral god?

On February 21, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a message to the Federal Assembly, mentioned that the Anglican Church allegedly discussed the adoption of the concept of gender-neutral God. We decided to check if Putin’s statement is true.

Putin's statement about the gender-neutral god It became One of the most memorable Abstracts Messages. The Russian president said: “As it became known, the Anglican Church, for example, plans-plans, however, so far only to consider the idea of ​​a gender-neutral god. What can you say? Forgive God, they don’t know what they are doing. ” "Gender-neutral god" quickly became a meme in social networks And Blogs, and dozens Media included this quote in the headings of their publications. For example, the publication REGNUM Published an article with the heading "" They do not know what they are doing. " 6 reasons not to believe in the "gender-neutral" god ", but"Fontanka"Formulated Putin's main theses in the heading" Anti-Russia, gender-neutral God and guns instead of oil. "

Putin's indignation, apparently, was caused by the news that appeared on the network two weeks before the message to the Federal Assembly. In early February 2023, Russian media Wrotethat “the Church of England decided to deprive the god Paul” that “the struggle for the rights of LGBT in the West finally reached the saint - to God” (“News") And that the appeal" Our Father "supposedly Supported, Replacing it Its on "our parent."

Messages that the Anglican Church plans to adopt the concept of the gender-neutral God, appeared after the publication on February 7 in the newspaper The Guardian The articles, whose headline reported: "The Anglican Church will consider the possibility of using gender-neutral terms to designate God." The article retold a discussion held within the framework Meetings General Synod, the highest governing body of the Anglican Church, from February 6 to 9. During one of the sessions, Priest Joanna Stobart asked The leadership of the Synod, how are things with the adoption of "more inclusive formulations" in relation to God. Such an innovation, according to Stobart, is necessary to “provide options for those who want to use approved liturgical texts and at the same time talk about God without taking into account Gender.” To this, Bishop Michael Ipgravi replied that the Church was “discussing the use of the gender language towards God for several years” and that in the spring of 2023 a working group will be created, which will enter the members of several church commissions. Nevertheless, the representative of the press service of the Anglican Church Nick Edmonds He emphasizedthat they have no plans to "cancel or significantly revise the currently allowed liturgical texts." So far, it is only planned to launch a five -year project to consider the issue.

Contrary to the words of the President of the Russian Federation and the headings of Russian Media, this initiative is in no way connected with the movement of LGBT+ and other "Western values" about which told Putin in the message to the Federal Assembly. The Anglican Liturgical Commission, which oversees prayers and worship in the church, has been considering the issues of gender neutrality since 2014. “There is nothing new about this,” explained Edmonds. “Christians from ancient times recognized that God is neither a man nor a woman.”

Secondly, the Anglican Church will consider the idea of ​​only gender-neutral terms against God, and not God Himself. God in the Christian religion Has not Paul. But due to the features of many languages, including English, animated nouns, as a rule, accept either male or female family. IN stories There are texts, the authors of which turned to God both in the male and female family and called God both the Father and the Mother. In English -speaking church terminology in relation to God, male words are usually used, although instead of the pronoun Himself is sometimes used by a special Godself. Like in 2018 celebrated The Archbishop of Canterbury, the human language cannot adequately describe the Christian deity and, despite the use of such words as “Father”, God is not a man and not a woman.

In Orthodox terminology about God They say In a masculine kind: “Father, son and Holy Spirit” and not “Mother, daughter and Holy Spirit”. Some researchers of religion They thinkWhat happened because the Old Testament and the New Testament were compiled in a patriarchal society, therefore, in these scriptures, God reveals himself to people in the existing male archetypes. Nevertheless, on the icon "Trinity»Andrei Rubleva, who, by opinion The hundred-headed cathedral (1551) and the Great Moscow Cathedral (1666–1667), completely answered church canons, three angels are depicted without any obvious gender affiliation. In addition, the New Testament says that God “does not have neither male nor female”, which means that the appropriation of the God of any sex contradicts the essence of Christianity. Obviously, neither sacred texts nor church tradition are questioned by the concept of gender-neutral God.

Thus, the Anglican church really plans to consider the use of gender-neutral terms to refer to God, which does not contradict Christian traditions. The Church of England is not going to change the gender of God, because God does not have a floor, as well as (at least for now) replace male pronouns in existing prayers and liturgical texts.

Photo on the cover: ""God Father". Chima da Konelyano, XVI century

Half truth

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. BBC. Or maybe God is still a woman?
2. The Times (translated "Inosmi"). The Anglican Church retorted Putin's words about the "gender-neutral God"