THE REV Michael Williams, Vicar of Bolton, was answering Karen Stephen's query on Monday, April 22 -- Was God a woman?

Firstly the Bible states "search the Scriptures, John 5: vs.39. Seek and ye shall find". Rev Williams says that it is wrong to jump to conclusions, that because Jesus refers to God as his Father does not necessarily mean that God is male.

At the beginning of creation, God said "let us make man in our image, after our likeness", male and female created he them. But he created man first. When the angel Gabriel was sent to warn Mary of the birth of Jesus, he told her she would bring forth a son. Four hundred years prior to this event it was foretold that a son would be born and his name would be called Emmanuel, interpreted "God with us". Jesus often preached of him and his Father being one, to quote "Me and my Father are one, if ye have seen me, ye have seen the Father".

John ch: 1 vs.1 says "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God". Verse 14 says "and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us". Yes he came as man so he must be male, otherwise he would have come as woman.

Holy men wrote as they were inspired by God. The book of Revelation says: "If any man take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life". Rev. ch. 22 vs.19.

Mrs Vilma Steel

Broadgreen Gardens

Farnworth, Bolton