This is a basic orthodox belief or understanding of an element of Creation for Jews and Christians. But what does it mean? This is not overtly said in the first chapter of the book of Genesis in this first book of the Hebrew Torah or the Old Testament.
There are many clues - answers? - even in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 though. Look at what God is doing? (NOTE: Rather than the redundant - to some - continued use of 'God', I will use the traditional masculine designations too.) God is creating. This involves planning and ability. He is powerful; he has agency. He can do this and does. He has a great deal of knowledge and intelligence to accomplish these things. Look at what he creates. There is vast diversity, from the heavenly bodies down to plant and animal life. There is profuse colour and sound. There is beauty. There is abundance. There is fruitfulness. Plants are commanded to bring forth seed and fruit, animals to reproduce. Finally, God looks at all he has done and calls it good. He is happy and satisfied with his work, and he rests.
Since we are understood, said to have been made in the image of God, we should have all of these qualities within us. Of course, not on the same scale. We are creatures brought into being by the Creator, not The Creator.
Thee has been a lot of discussion and debate over the millennia as to what this all means for us humans. However, it is the phrase following the title words that has caused much debate over the last three quarters of a century especially: "Male and female" he created them.
It is generally agreed by the monotheistic religions that God is neither male nor female. We might say today that he has no gender and is asexual. This phrase "male and female" then, does not arrive from God's 'image.' This was something new God made.
Further on in Genesis, it becomes evident that God created male and female to form pairs to reproduce and populate the earth. God, we understand, also being the embodiment of love, seems so full of love and goodness, he can't contain it. He wants more people to know him and receive his love, unconditionally. Being made in the image of God, we thus are also capable of love and should be passing it on in the same way.
Coming back to the conversations swirling round the words sex and gender today, we could look at the words we have been considering. With reference to male and female being necessary for procreation, being sexual, as we understand it, is evident biologically, phenotypically or physically, internally and externally with respect to our bodies. We appear as male or female.
Can we ask, do those words of necessity mean there is nothing else? Does that rule out that maybe God's penchant for diversity also leaves room for other forms of maleness, of femaleness, of gender?
We know the some humans are born with physical manifestations of both sexes, or only 'part' of such a sexual expression. Is this God's diversity at work? Humans only become aware of the non-physical aspects of being sexual, what it means or 'fells like' as they grow older. Those who have studied this have postulated as to factors that could interfere with this development so some physically sexually males and females think differently about their identity, their gender.
Thus, we have come to speak of homosexual, lesbian (L-female) and gay (G-male), as being attracted to the same sex. There are those who understand themselves to be of both genders, hence bisexual (B). Then there are the trans-sexuals (T), those who believe that their physical sex does not reflect their sense of who they are, their gender. Those born with manifestations both sexes as referred to above are called intersex (I). Also, some claim not to be certain of where they are on these binaries, the queer (I). In North America, with our awareness of the culture of our indigenous neighbours, we learn of their understanding of those who are two-spirited, having manifestations of both genders (2S). Finally, some have no awareness or feelings of either gender; they are asexual (A). Some believe we need to cove all the bases, as they say, and so add +. So, we have this acronym, LGBTQI2SA+.
In closing this reflection, I only want to say two things. First, God loves us unconditionally. Thus, we, made in his image, ought to have the same love for everyone else. Second, we do understand though that we no longer fulfil God's expectations for us. Something happened as described in a story in Genesis chapter 3. Thus, God meets us where we are, some would say accepts us as we are, but also desires that we all renounce the failures we are, and come to him for salvation, reconciliation and restoration, renewal. We all need recreation. God is waiting for us.
