NN

There are a couple of questions/arguments now coming from several people: I shall try to keep them all straight and answer in individual comments according to question:

#34That is exactly what NN is saying the “sacred text” is teaching. You see, some take metaphors waaaaay too far.

Actually, If I take NN’s teaching to it’s logical conclusion, it means that I, a woman, cannot be “Christlike” because Jesus is male and only males can represent the Christ part. That is where his interpretation of that metaphor takes us.
(this topic is re-covered by several other comments but I shall try to clarify for all in this one response)

It is quite incontrovertible that Sacred Scripture refers to the relationship between humans and God in the metaphor of a marriage relationship (and I will make no apology for referring to the Bible as either Sacred or Scripture – if you disagree with that there are much more fundamental issues to be addressed). And in this metaphor God always refers to Himself as the Husband/Bridegroom and His Chosen People as his Bride/Wife. As a metaphor – whatever you think it does or doesn’t mean the point is that it must mean something. Therefore, a right marriage relationship between a husband and wife will necessarily be a reflection of Christ and the Church (as God’s chosen metaphor this is inescapable) and a poorly conducted marriage will equally be a twisting and distortion of Christ and the Church. Now, I made no claims as to how the metaphor is supposed to be applied practically – I simply out that it is there in Scripture and therefore has practical consequences (which authors such as Paul discuss at some length).

And on an aside – this in no way implies that a woman should not be “Christlike” – indeed the Church is herself instructed to be “like Christ.”