The Effects of God Language on Perceived Attributes of God

Abstract

Sixty-three participants listened to an audio-tape asking them to imagine themselves in God's presence. Half the participants listened to a script in which God was presented as female and half listened to a script in which God was presented as male. Half of those in each group listened to a male narrator and the other half listened to a female narrator. Before and after listening to the script, participants rated the attributes of God on a forced-choice questionnaire. Those to whom God was presented as female were more likely to emphasize God's mercy at posttest whereas those to whom God was presented as male were more likely to endorse God's power. Those hearing a male voice describe a female God and those hearing a female voice describe a male God reported enjoying the experiment and the audiotape more than those hearing a narrator describing a God of the same gender. Implications are discussed.