[HANASHIR:1726] Re: the words to rise & shine

[DurlKare <DurlKare...>]

When I first heard about gender-sensitive prayers, and found out that I had
insulted or offended SOME people who shall remain nameless with my songs that
use the word "Lord," and "He," I became very interested in this "new" (to me)
idea.  I immediately began working to make my NEW songs more carefully edited
and gender-neutral.  It is an eye-opener, and it is a learning experience, to
change our attitude and our way of speaking and singing.  However, I have been
lax to change the words to my already-written songs.  That is how I wrote
those songs, and they just feel comfortable to me that way.  I also feel
comfortable singing "Children of the Lord," because that's how I learned it as
a child and it has a warm, fuzzy feeling to me that way.  Furthermore, doesn't
it matter MORE how we treat each other as equals rather than just giving it
lip service?  By eliminating gendered references to God, we don't necessarily
remove our impressions of God as a masculine or feminine entity.  And perhaps
at times it is helpful to refer to God using a gender, in order to feel
closeness.  As human beings, our experience of closeness to others is usually
to one gender or another, and it is only natural to relate those feelings to
our expressions of closeness/relationship to God.  The first time I wrote a
song and said "He" I know I experienced a PERSONAL closeness to God.  I know
my view may not be popular, but as a songwriter I just wanted to express my
thoughts on lyrics.

-Karen D.