We’ve all seem them: those stickers that say HE>i. They’re part of an active Christian clothing brand. The other day, however, I stopped to consider them for a moment. I noted the capitalized “HE,” and as an outspoken feminist, I couldn’t help but be a little suspicious. Is this a ploy by the patriarchy to inculcate in college students the idea of a superior male figure? I know it’s a stretch but hear me out.
Historically, God has been gendered male because men were the ones in charge. The fact that most people still use the male pronoun to refer to God shows the legacy that this patriarchal history has on our modern conceptions of the divine. So putting the male pronoun in all capitals is maybe a bit problematic. It’s hard to say.
Here’s another thought that I had. The greater-than sign seems troubling. We are all equal, and though God might be of central importance to the Christian faith, saying that he [sic] is greater than so-and-so seems to make an unnecessary comparison. Why compare? Purportedly, God loves all his [sic] children equally, so why even introduce the mathematical inequality operator? Why not “THEYlovesI”? (I changed it to “THEY” to indicate both the indeterminate gender and unknown numerical quantity of the divine.) This seems picky, I know. I’m kind of grasping at straws here, but it’s worth a shot I think.
Lastly, I have learned recently in my Religious Studies class about religions that do not make a divide between the divine and humans. Under such a framework, all people are divine innately and we all participate in the greater unity that is God. So highlighting the quantitative comparison between God and “I” reinforces our Western dualistic conception of God. That contributes to patriarchal sentiments because it places a male God on a higher, more important plane of existence than humans, and especially women.
Look, you and I both know that I’m out on a limb here, but without anyone taking any offense, it seems at least kind of plausible, right? Like, I explained my reasons fairly well, don’t you think? I must also admit that I’m biased, but maybe my argument is still sound. Kind of? Idk.
As I’ve made pretty clear, take it with a grain of salt. It’s just one guy’s opinion, but not a particularly well-formed one, just kind of a spur-of-the-moment hunch. If you disagree I’d be totally happy to hear your reasons and revise my position accordingly should I be persuaded.