Wednesday, 30 July 2008
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Calling God the Father "Daddy"
by miss poppy
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. - Romans 8:15-16 I've seen a lot of Internet chatter lately regarding the question of how to address God. I believe the Bible offers many beautiful, accurate options. God is creative, and He appreciates creativity.
However, I want to mainly address one issue: I have seen several comments who expressed concern that addressing God in more personal terms such as "Daddy" is too informal and, therefore, disrespectful. The writers of these comments contend that we should avoid these terms and choose something more formal.
I disagree. I use many names for God, but some of my favorites are the most intimate. Here's one way I look at it:
As a general rule, when we address someone, we use the name that expresses the relationship we have with him. The boss is Mr.____. The pastor is Reverend _____. I address my best friends by their first names. Very important people, like the president, receive their title before their name at all times.
However, the president's daughters don't address him as President Bush when they are talking to him. My father is a minister, and I certainly don't call him Pastor or Reverend Thomas (except when I am joking!). Why? I call him Daddy because I am his daughter. That title expresses the most respect because it correctly acknowledges our close relationship. It speaks truth. If I suddenly started seriously calling my dad Pastor, he would be hurt. Why? Because I would be stepping back and making our relationship formal and distant in ways it is not supposed to be. I would be showing him a lack of respect by ignoring the close relationship he wants to have with me. Calling him Daddy does not denigrate him in any way; it expresses our relationship. That doesn't mean I don't respect my dad as a pastor; it means I respect him as even more than that.
In the same way, I believe calling God Daddy, Papa, Abba, or other close, familial titles, shows Him great respect because it illustrates that we understand the close relationship He wants to have with us. What must it do to His heart when we begin our prayers by stepping back, clearing our throat, and addressing Him as if we expect that He will not hear us if we don't get the name right? When I need something from my dad, I'm not worrying about whether he will scrutinize the name I call him. He knows I respect him, and I trust that he wants to talk to me. God is my King and my Master; I respect Him as something even closer, my Father.
I use many majestic names for God in worship, often after I have come to Him and called out "Abba!" When I am in His presence, other names naturally flow out in praise to Him.
I think the names we call God may reveal the way we view our relationship to Him and perhaps reveal unresolved issues in our relationships with our earthly parents. If we are against using names that connote childlike intimacy, then does that also indicate that we are against the very idea of childlike intimacy with God? If I come into my dad's office and say, "Reverend Thomas, if you can possibly get a minute, I need you to please do something for me, even though I'm really messed up," wouldn't that say something sad about the way I view our relationship? However, if I come in and say, "Daddy, will you help me?" it says something completely different.
Formality doesn't necessarily mean respect, and intimacy doesn't necessarily mean disrespect.
Do you feel comfortable addressing God with more intimate/informal names? What do you call God most of the time?
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Comments (68)
From what I've heard, abba is better translated as daddy or even dada. It's the first word that a proud Aramaic speaking man would want to hear coming out of his infant's mouth.
i agree with you. although some people might think it's weird to call God "Daddy," you're right that it is very respectful. i just call Him by His name though.
also, in english we don't have different ways to say you, we don't have a "you" formal (we just say sir or ma'am). in the german language they don't use the formal "you" to address God, they use the informal, casual "you" to talk to Him. my german teacher said that it's because "He's your friend" i thought it was cool, because my guess would have been that they address God with the formal "you."
just food for thought.
He created me. He is my Father. I am His daughter. I talk to Him as if he were wearing my birth daddy's clothes and standing in front of me.
Lets provoke some thought, ok?
In looking at your line of argumentation, did Jesus call His Father daddy?
Love for a father and the relationship with the father is different than love for a mother and the relationship with a mother in that the father child relationship is built more on respect/admiration /fear/obedience. How did the Son teach us to pray? Our Father.
This is the same Father God who didnt really appreciate strange fire either. The fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom. Many call Him different things, I will call him Father. Remember the Jews were so fearful of dishonor they would not even spell out His name, yet use a slang form of it.
@droftreeology@xanga - Just a random question, sorry...what do you call your god when speaking to him?
I call God all kinds of things, and I agree, Daddy is perfectly appropriate.
I like the Pidgin English name for Him that I've head of, although I don't usually use it- Papa God. Awh. :)
I use the word "God" most often, but it seems so nondescriptive. In that way it covers a lot, but I also dislike the way it rolls off of the tongue. My favorite name for Him is YWH, and I usually speak it only silently as I pray, or as I breathe. I also really like the sound of other Hebrew names for Him like "Adonai." That's one of many things I love about Him- His character is so many-faceted, and He accepts a variety names which are as diverse as His children.
this was something that I was curious about as well. My friend told me that it felt so informal to her, and that "daddy" is what she would call her earthly father, but not the Creator.. hmm.
I call god...god. I'm boring.
My parents have issues with people calling Jesus their "best friend" or "homeboy". They think it's disrespectful, in a way that calling god "Abba" (with an acknowledgment that god is still "above" us in some way) does not connotate.
The only words or phrases that people use for god / Jesus that bother me are the romantic ones. "Lover", "I'm in love with you". I think it's gross and inappropriate.
P.S. My father is a Reverend too and I find it so weird when people call him Reverend or Doctor (not a medical doctor--he has a Ph.D). He's a very well-respected professor and theologian and sometimes people are all "Oh my goodness Dr. LastName is your father??? Isn't it scary to have him as a dad??" (apparently he's the Professor Snape of the doctoral department...? XD ).
Of course, my siblings and I don't see him as any of those things. He's just our dad.
why not?
Jesus used Abba which does mean daddy... that's how He prayed...
and if Jesus is our example... thennnnnnn....
I call God by all different names. Father, Abba, Daddy, etc. etc. I completely agree with the post. God is a parental figure and I think its only right to address him in that way.
@ProvokingThought - Jesus did call God "daddy" - He called him Abba (see Mark 14:36 for example). Just because the "Our Father" says "father" doesn't mean that is all you can call him. In my perspective, Christ could have been illustrating the fact that yes, God is our "daddy", but he also deserves the utmost respect. In other words, there are times when you should address him as your Father, the Almighty, etc. There are times when you should be fearful to even speak His name. After all, God is both loving and wrathful.
But that's just my opinion.
@HeartOfPandora@xanga - i call Him God, Jesus, Lord... mostly I just call Him God.
@ProvokingThought - First, Jesus did call God Daddy when He used the familiar, personal term of Abba. Abba was unheard of as a name for God until Jesus used it.
Second, though I believe God is masculine, I believe He also contains mothering qualities in His nature. I don't know what your relationship is like with your dad, but my dad is a very gentle, loving man, When I was little, I would sit on his lap and cuddle with him. Now that I am older, he still gives me great hugs. He's also firm, and I respect him very much, but I'm close to him, and he loves to be called Daddy and to have me rely on him to take care of me.
Third, I agree that the fear of God (in the respect sense) is the beginning of wisdom, but I would like to remind you of 1 John 4:16-19:
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In
this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have
confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like
him. There is no fear in
love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with
punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.
When I call God Daddy or Abba in prayer, it is tinged with a holy awe and respect for His person and holiness. However, He has shown me that along with this respect I can come to Him and feel His arms around me. I respect Him by wanting to be with Him. I am just His little girl, and He loves me that way. I love the fact that He is my heavenly Father, and I often call Him Father, too.
I believe God wants to have a close relationship with each of us, where we come to Him as children and receive all of the love, grace, affirmation, and strength that we need from our Father.
@organic_idiot@xanga - you know there is such a chasm of difference between those who "misrepresent the attributes of God" and those who just look at whether a term of endearment -daddy vs. father , that I would never want to be argumentative or condemning. Especially considering Him being the father to the fatherless-and as a boy whose father died young I can relate to that concept.
I imagine the inital reaction maybe more gender related (?) For example, my teen-age daughter calls me daddy, dad and father depending on..depending on. As do my terms of endearment for her. And the relationship with my daughter is markedly different than the one with my adult son. As is how they relate to me.
Now I have to go back and check the original text for my own curiosity. Thank you for the spirit of your reply. John
@misspoppy - see my last response to organic idiot I am trying to provoke thought more than pass this is right or wrong, even though it doesnt work for me personally.
The term Daddy unnerves my wife when she hears it, but when a close friend of our uses it I think it is beautiful in that her heart is revealed, and english is not her first language (Japanese) so it is really splitting hairs.
If we are in Christ , there is now therefore no condemnation-even if we disagree on this.
@ProvokingThought@xanga - I think the heart is more important than the words. I have a passion for encouraging people to experience God's intimate love and to pursue Him wholeheartedly. If we're doing that, other things are less important.
yep, agreed!
@misspoppy - You my dear with this statement have made it on my best friends list ;)
Oh & I call Him Abba or Dad..when I understood what loving Him like a Dad & Him loving me like His Kid meant...it became a wonder & a treasure...
@droftreeology@xanga - Interestingly, when I attended church in France, they used the plural/formal "Vous" to refer to God instead of the singular informal "tu."
Perhaps it was about the trinity thing instead of the formality? I didn't think to ask.
@la_faerie_joyeuse@xanga - maybe it was. that's interesting, but also confusing. i guess it would help though if their formal and plural you were separate. in german they have 3 different ways to say "you": singular, plural, and formal. "du, sie, and Sie" respectively.
i think that's it. it's been a year since i've spoken german, i could be wrong. somebody correct me if i'm wrong. :P
@droftreeology@xanga - I wonder if that has to do with the fact that Martin Luther was German, and a lot of what he taught had to do with God being approachable.
@misspoppy - @la_faerie_joyeuse@xanga - that's true. i was just going to say that it might be the difference between catholic and protestant. you're right, luther was german and once the pope lived in france. or one of the popes (once there were two and three popes, for a short time.)
i think that's probably it.
appa= daddy in korean. ^^;;
it sounds a lot like abba, so I'm comfortable w/ it.
:]