Question: Good morning. I would like to ask this gentleman a question and I want to assure you I do it with the greatest respect, because I am a believer in the Deity. I want to know why, when he speaks of God, he uses the pronoun 'He'. Does he believe that the Spirit he is speaking of is masculine?

Sri Chinmoy: For me God is both masculine and feminine. But since we have to use a pronoun, it is more natural for us to think of God as masculine. The Christ constantly referred to the Heavenly Father, so in the Western world God is thought of as a masculine Being. But God is Father, Mother, Sister, Friend, everything. If the term ‘Spirit’ pleases you most, then you are at perfect liberty to use it. Whatever name we use for God does not change His Essence.

Steve Powers: On the practical level you don’t have a lot of choice. It’s either He, She or It. I guess He or She would be more acceptable than It.