The Use of Gender-Neutral Terms

[Scotsman]

(This is written with "tongue in cheek") As writers of plays, poems, articles, and stories - words are our livelihood. Some have been forced to write, using GENDER FRIENDLY terms, less some become offended, if a general comment sounds too masculine.

Allow me to share some simple examples of what I fear might happen – if that trend continues to spiral. (Spell check had a field day with this.) :D

Some have traded tHEir “Hymn books” for SONg books, under tHE pretense it’s less offensive. Does that mean tHEir pastors won’t be SHEpHERds because it sounds and looks twice as feminine? Maybe if the preachers use HIMpHERds it'd balance.

PerSONally, we need to HEsitate to follow tHEse examples. A warning must be HERalded, or our language will become HIStory. Words are being MANgled.

Remember wHEn any HEad of a committee HEld the title of chairMAN? Because some chairMEN were feMALES, tHEy switched to chairperSON. Words like MANkind changed to huMANkind. PerSONnel took MANpower’s rightful place.

Do you see the difference? NeitHER do I. RatHER, it exposes a warped MENtality. It makes me wonder wHEtHER (finally a bi-sexual word) tHERapy could HElp tHEm or not.

Construction signs declared "workers aHEad", in case the worker happened to be a woMAN. Too soon, MANy may insist on using “daddy” in place of that non-gender-neutral-feminine-sounding word - fatHER.

Take HEed good friends. Be a HERo. Begin to deMANd what some HEns have all but destroyed. Start by MENtioning enough is enough. Let’s take back lost ground perMANently.

Don’t wait anotHER day. Do it while tHERe are words to save. OtHERwise, our entire MENu of words will be forever gone. Speaking of forever, if we don’t stop tHEm now – what will we call HEeaven or HEll in our HEReafter?

[lynnmosher]

Amen, Scotsman! What a hoot! Thanks for taking time to do that.

:D :D :D

[Scotsman]

Glad it tickled your tickling bones. Each "example" had to be typed twice. Once, when I typed it in, and once again, when I "corrected" my spell check’s discovery. Fun!

[Tommie Lyn]

Loved it. I'm so tired of "chairperson" instead of "chairman," and all the other concessions to the PC police.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Funny but bittersweet. It is that ridiculous isn't it? I know at uni we aren't allowed to say 'mankind' in our academic papers but have to opt for 'personkind'. What a load of crap and how awkward it sounds!

[Lookin^Up]

I've even heard that someone has come out with a de-genderized Bible. Can you imagine how that might read?

"For God so loved the world that he/she gave his/her only begotten child, that whosoever believeth in him/her should not perish ..." :eek: Yikes!

How ironic that in trying to avoid offending some, they wind up offending many, including writers and God Himself!

[righter1]

Loved it. I'm so tired of "chairperson" instead of "chairman," and all the other concessions to the PC police.

Hey, the PC police made it into the by-laws of the Republicans where I live... Yesterday, we had a meeting where we were amending our constitution and by-laws... Any instance of 'chairman' was amended to simply 'chair'... (Which we'd been using for years anyway, but oh well...)

Of all the organizations, I was a tiny bit surprised that the Republicans would do this...

[Scotsman]

We're TOO late! The end of our language has arrived!

Wait!

If we writers stand together, even if it’s as few as Gideon against more than his enemy numbered – with our God in our midst – we shall overcome!

This that was written with tongue in cheek has made me want to stick that same ton... – wait …

Here’s one. :p There that feels better already !

(Actually, as funny as it really is - it really isn't funny. Right?)

[Tommie Lyn]

(Actually, as funny as it really is - it really isn't funny. Right?)
It is anything but funny. Not only are we losing the language, we are losing our culture -- the language is only a part of what we're losing.

If we writers stand together, even if it’s as few as Gideon against more than his enemy numbered – with our God in our midst – we shall overcome!
We can overcome -- if it is His will that we do so.

For over twenty years, I've been watching our decline, and it has been my constant prayer that God would send a Jonah to this Nineveh.

Are Christian writers, in aggregate, that Jonah? And are we preaching through stories, screenplays and other writings? We HAVE to preach through entertainment, because the people of this hedonistic culture will not listen to God's word and will proclaimed when they realise that's what they are hearing. They will turn away. Unless we first capture their attention through entertainment, then deliver a message that will make them think....

[Scotsman]

... Not only are we losing the language, we are losing our culture -- the language is only a part of what we're losing. ...

We HAVE to preach through entertainment, because the people of this hedonistic culture will not listen to God's word and will proclaimed when they realise that's what they are hearing. They will turn away. Unless we first capture their attention through entertainment, then deliver a message that will make them think....


Good preaching! Here's my bold A-MEN (Wonder what the PC want to use to replace the "AMEN" word?)

I refuse to say a mere "so be it".

[lynnmosher]

Wouldn't they make it A-person!!! Yuck!

[TropoGurl]

Okay, maybe I've be living under a rock but I haven't really notice, the only time I remember any one being gender sensitive was when my pastor was reading a passage and he made a note of saying men and women (forgot what he actually said), anyway I'm not saying it's not happening, I'm just say I'm completely oblivous to everything. (mmm...that was a waste of a post)

[Scotsman]

TropoGurl, you are blessed to live "down-under", if they haven't challenged such things.

I quess ERA (Eve rebels again) has yet to surfuce there. Count you many blessings. :)

[tlm]

Good preaching! Here's my bold A-MEN (Wonder what the PC want to use to replace the "AMEN" word?)

In some parts of the country here Amen is pronounced Ah-men.

[Scotsman]

In some parts of the country here Amen is pronounced Ah-men.

I'm sure the men in that part of the country enjoy hearing that drawn out.

Living in Arkansas, after being raised in Maine to speak with a down-east accent, has been challenging - for me and others ! :D

[Ransom v. Unman]

"Ah-men" is actually the proper way to pronounce it in Hebrew.

[Scotsman]

"Ah-men" is actually the proper way to pronounce it in Hebrew.

Neat! !thumbsup!

Actually, I came back on line because I GOT the point that tlm made - I think.

It's like AHHH, as in the refreshing sound of refreshment, and men as in men not woman.

If more men only knew how God desires for man to really view (not see) women - the women would be saying AHHHH too! Rather than deMANding equality. Why pull themselves down to our (men's) .... well, anyway.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Many in Australia say 'Aye-men', but I say 'Ahr-men' and always have. Why do Aussies often want to do it the American way? lol

[dominicgaj]

We HAVE to preach through entertainment, because the people of this hedonistic culture will not listen to God's word and will proclaimed when they realise that's what they are hearing. They will turn away. Unless we first capture their attention through entertainment, then deliver a message that will make them think....

How true. The apostle Paul when speaking on Mars Hill had to cast the right lure that would get the Greeks interested (their own statue dedicated to the unknown God) and then use the opportunity to speak the truth.

To use a fishing analogy, I consider all of my stories that I write to be a collective bucket of burley (a stinky concocction of various things that will attract the fish, although I hope that my stories don't stink!!! LOL!!!)

I empty it into the river and hope the fish will come (people) so that God can cast the final hook to make the catch, (whether that hook is cast out by myself or somebody else is up to the Lord).

Jasan

[tlm]

Scotsman wrote:
If more men only knew how God desires for man to really view (not see) women - the women would be saying AHHHH too!

I will say a great big Amen or Ah-men to that, anytime! lol