We refer to the Fatherhood of God, which is fine but incomplete… We have hardly spoken about the Motherhood of God, and consequently we have been poorer for this.
Desmond Tutu
The Nature of God
Topic: Divine Love & Goodness
Just as we must always have faith, we must always question our creeds and make sure that our beliefs bring us closer to God and to truth. Often we focus too much on concrete images of God and on overtly literal readings of the Bible. It is a liability of many languages that they are gendered and therefore we must speak of God as either a He or a She but rarely both. There is something in the nature of God that corresponds to our maleness and our femaleness. We have tended to speak much more of the maleness, so we refer to the Fatherhood of God, which is fine but incomplete. We have missed out on the fullness that is God when we have ignored that which corresponds to our femaleness. We have hardly spoken about the Motherhood of God, and consequently we have been poorer for this.
Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 1931 – 26 December 2021) was a distinguished South African Anglican Archbishop and theologian known globally for his dedicated work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. His involvement in the fight against racial segregation in South Africa during the apartheid era was steadfast and resulted in significant contributions to the nation's quest for racial equality. In recognition of his efforts, Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. His leadership and moral courage were instrumental in transitioning South Africa towards a more reconciled society.
Tutu was deeply religious and his belief in God, perceived as both a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, played a major role in his life and advocacy. This belief, which extended beyond traditional Anglican theology, played a significant role in his stance on gender equality. His faith, therefore, wasn't simply a personal doctrine, but it also guided his public advocacy and influenced his approach towards human rights.
Tutu was also a strong proponent of Ubuntu, an African philosophy that stresses the interconnectedness of humanity. This concept aligns with the idea that one's well-being is tied to the well-being of others. Tutu's acknowledgment of advancements in human rights and his continued efforts for improvement were reflective of this philosophy. Despite the challenges he faced during the apartheid era, Tutu remained committed to advocating for a world where peace, justice, and dignity were accessible to everyone. Through his lifetime, Desmond Tutu left an enduring mark on society, and his legacy continues to inspire those who pursue equality and human rights.
God Has A Dream
Tutu, Desmond. "God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Times." Edited by Douglas Abrams. Rider, 2004. 47. [Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu, God Has a Dream].
Desmond Tutu
Theme: Divine Father and Mother
About Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s Quote [Commentary]
Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes, “We refer to the Fatherhood of God, which is fine but incomplete… We have hardly spoken about the Motherhood of God, and consequently we have been poorer for this.” His concern is not with language alone but with how belief either deepens or distorts our connection to the Divine. He notes that “often we focus too much on concrete images of God and on overtly literal readings of the Bible,” which can keep us from asking whether our creeds bring us “closer to God and to truth.” When we emphasize one aspect of God’s nature and neglect the other, we do not experience the fullness of what God offers.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu acknowledges the limitations of language itself: many languages require gender, so we speak of God as either “He or She but rarely both.” But for him, this is not just a grammatical issue. “There is something in the nature of God that corresponds to our maleness and our femaleness.” When we have “tended to speak much more of the maleness,” we have distorted our understanding of God. While the Fatherhood of God “is fine,” it remains “incomplete” if it stands alone. We have ignored “that which corresponds to our femaleness,” and in doing so, “we have missed out on the fullness that is God.”
By calling attention to what we’ve left unsaid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu challenges us to reconsider how we imagine and experience God. This is not a call for balance for its own sake but for spiritual honesty. “We have hardly spoken about the Motherhood of God,” he writes, and that absence has made us “poorer.” The Divine Father and Mother are not opposing ideas but essential aspects of the one God. Honoring both is part of growing in faith and truth, allowing our beliefs to reflect the “fullness that is God.”
God Has a Dream
A View of Heavenly Father and Mother in World Scripture
The Absolute Being relates to human beings as parent to child. The Jewish and Christian scriptures call God our Heavenly Father; in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha is called “Father of the World.” In some traditions the Absolute Being is also identified as the Divine Mother. Even religions that customarily employ patriarchal imagery for God also describe a motherly aspect: God as Nurturer, Fount of compassion and Sustainer. “There is something in the nature of God that corresponds to our maleness and our femaleness,” remarks Bishop Desmond Tutu. God’s fatherhood and motherhood may be identified with heaven and earth, cooperating to create and nurture all living things.
God’s parental role is not limited to the act of creation; it is an enduring affective relationship of the heart. Love reveals God’s parental aspect better than anything. Even Islam, which avoids describing God as a divine father, in light of its strong rejection of polytheism in which gods physically procreate, includes traditions that describe God’s love by analogy to a father’s love for his son.
—Andrew Wilson [Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture II. Universal Peace Federation, 2011].
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