What's happening?

"Our Father." "He." "Him." For hundreds of years, this is how ChristianA believer in Christianity, a religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. leaders have talked about GodThe name God is given to the spirit or being who is worshipped as the creator and ruler of the world, especially by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.. 

Now, this could change. The Church of EnglandThe main or official church in England, also known as the Anglican Church. The supreme head of the church is the monarch. has started a new project. The aim? To decide whether they should stop calling God "He" and start using gender neutralNot associated with any gender. language instead. 

Instead of "He" or "Him", religious leaders may start saying "God" or "They". And instead of "Our Father", they could say "Our Father and Mother".

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It seems like a big change. But some priests think the change may not be as big as it seems. Even though God is often known as "He", in Christian teaching, God does not have a gender. 

Now, some say the idea that God is a man is being used by some to argue that women should not be bishopsIn Christianity, a high ranking priest who supervises a group of churches. . 

When pop singer Ariana Grande sang "you'll believe God is a woman" in 2018, some criticised her words. But others point out that many religions, over thousands of years, have included the idea of female creators of the world - long before the start of Christianity. 

Yes! The idea of a female God has existed for a very long time. It is not a big leap to say that God could or should be a woman.

No! Different people have different ideas of God or gods - or none at all. But many Christians say that actually, God does not have a gender. They are not and cannot be a man or a woman.