Mother?

[Shay]

Pardon my ignorance but would there be 'Mothers' in other religious traditions as well?

I thought that was strictly a Catholic term for a nun, as women cannot be Catholic priests. Which would mean SB was right in saying he was not a Catholic and discussing their vestments as a seperate tradition. (Though I think there are 'Mothers' who serve in other congregations, I tend to think of it as a honorary title, like my grandpop being called 'Mayor' of the old neighborhood, or my husband's coworkers calling him 'El Jefe' even though he's not the actual bos.)

As far as I can remember, the reason priests are called "Father" was because the priests supposedly represent/stand in for God the Father in that religion, and lots of Christians I know would feel a little weirded out referring to a priest as Mother since the biblical God is depicted as male. (I guess the same would go for Orthodox rabbis, too.)

I'm just curious if what I was taught as a child (By my Catholic grandma, natch) is actually true!