| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/9/2007 10:40:46 PM | This a question that vexes me.
There is no reason to do so, the term is descriptive, not nominative (it is not a name).
So why is it that people continue to avoid spelling GOD as GOD? These people never seem to have a problem with spelling Jesus properly and that one IS a name.
Please, some one tell me why this is. | |
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/9/2007 11:26:21 PM | The people that typically do this are those of the Jewish faith or those following a similar tradition that believe the name of God is sacred or that even the noun printed with intent to describe the entity is sacred so that even though it is not the proper name that one should avoid spelling the name in full. Most devout Jews use the name Hashem instead which literally means "the name" as the specific names of God are only used in prayer.
It is purely a matter of intent and religious belief in these cases and for others perhaps custom. For those possibly not of that faith, honouring that custom. On occasion, while discussion topics particular to Judaism I have been known to slip into that usage from time to time...habit and a sense of some respect for my fellow travellers on the road of life.
In the case of Jesus, most Jews certainly do not believe he is God and most Christians do not follow this particular tradition as closely although there is the associated "taboo" with use of the name "in vain" but no knowledge as to why it is done...no recollection as to the use of the name in actual religious/magical formulae to invoke or evoke the spirits of the God.
To those of you who voted to delete this as a chat topic, you need to have your heads examined...it is a perfectly valid question. | |
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/10/2007 3:21:17 PM | I think it's just a matter of personal preference. Some people use all caps for God's name, while others use God, or G-d.
Not a big deal in my book.  | |
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/10/2007 10:45:18 PM | | That was educational Fiddler. I did not know that. I had assumed people were spelling God like that as they did not want to dignify the Name. Kind of like how some spell Christians as X-tians. I heard somewhere once that X stands for Christ anyways so people did not have to get huffy about Christmas being spelled as X-mas. I don't know if this is true, and not sure where to find out. Does anyone know about the X thing? | |
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/10/2007 11:09:04 PM | | X is part of the Chi-Ro symbol (the px thingy that's made of two greek letters) that Constatine adopted as the symbol of his conversion to christianity. So yeah, it's not particularly disrespectful or anything, though it is lazy typing. | |
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/10/2007 11:09:21 PM |
That was educational Fiddler. I did not know that. I had assumed people were spelling God like that as they did not want to dignify the Name. Kind of like how some spell Christians as X-tians. I heard somewhere once that X stands for Christ anyways so people did not have to get huffy about Christmas being spelled as X-mas. I don't know if this is true, and not sure where to find out. Does anyone know about the X thing?
Not sure about the 'X' deal, but Fiddler is correct about it evolving out of Jewish superstition. This superstition has been going on for eons from the time God first spoke His name as YHWH.
The original Hebrew only had consonants..the spelling of the name of God was YHWH...which is from the verb... 'to be'
ancient Jews had a superstitios dread of breaking the 3´rd commandment, which deals with taking the name of the Lord in vain, So to avoid the breaking of the commandment they substituted it with ´Adonai"" which means Lord..or some other name when they were required to mention His name from scripture reading.
Eventually, the fearful Hebrew scribes decided to insert the vowels from Adonai (a-o-a) within the consonants YHWH.
The result was Yahowah, . Hence the word Yahowah is derived from a consonant-vowel combination from the words YHWH and Adonai.
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/11/2007 12:00:41 AM |
Not sure about the 'X' deal, but Fiddler is correct about it evolving out of Jewish superstition. This superstition has been going on for eons from the time God first spoke His name as YHWH.
The original Hebrew only had consonants..the spelling of the name of God was YHWH...which is from the verb... 'to be'
ancient Jews had a superstitios dread of breaking the 3´rd commandment, which deals with taking the name of the Lord in vain, So to avoid the breaking of the commandment they substituted it with ´Adonai"" which means Lord..or some other name when they were required to mention His name from scripture reading.
Eventually, the fearful Hebrew scribes decided to insert the vowels from Adonai (a-o-a) within the consonants YHWH.
The result was Yahowah, . Hence the word Yahowah is derived from a consonant-vowel combination from the words YHWH and Adonai.
Close but no.
And still managing to be insulting to Jews to boot...at least you had the courtesy not to call them Pharasaic Edomites... "Jewish superstition" indeed. Like all the "superstitions" that Christianity has inherited...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YHWH
Just read the wiki entry...it's fair, balanced, covers all the bases without any nonsense or religious opinion.
The exact same tradition exists in Sufism as in the Kaballah that the use of names is magical...this goes back to the very foundations of the development of language in human history - you may choose to call that superstitious if you wish as it is no more superstitious than religion itself. The invocation or evocation of the name of God would certainly be a serious matter and one requiring much thought...not done "in vain." | |
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/11/2007 1:35:52 AM |
Close but no.
And still managing to be insulting to Jews to boot...at least you had the courtesy not to call them Pharasaic Edomites... "Jewish superstition" indeed. Like all the "superstitions" that Christianity has inherited...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YHWH
Just read the wiki entry...it's fair, balanced, covers all the bases without any nonsense or religious opinion.
The exact same tradition exists in Sufism as in the Kaballah that the use of names is magical...this goes back to the very foundations of the development of language in human history - you may choose to call that superstitious if you wish as it is no more superstitious than religion itself. The invocation or evocation of the name of God would certainly be a serious matter and one requiring much thought...not done "in vain."
if you read it as an insult by calling it superstitious, that is your own judgement, not what I meant at all, and it certainly wasn't out to be disrespectful towards the Jewish nationality..
Regardless, I have a different understanding on this matter concerning the name of God, and not from an understanding that has a fear of invoking or evoking the name of God.
When Moses asked God what name He was to be called, he was told...I AM WHO I AM..Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you"
The word "I AM" is not the same word YHWH but are both derivatives from the same verb, "to be"
which is what I understand that God was actually trying to express was His eternal nature by the name He chose to be known by.
In the ancient days a name was equivalent to knowing whomever bore the name..Knowing a person´s name amounted to knowing his essense or being.
so the name YHWH and I AM (derived from the verb..'to be') 'conveys the idea of an active eternal existence. YHWH never came into being at a point in time, He has always existed.
If in fact to know the name of God was to know His nature and being..then this is to say that God wanted to be known by His eternally self-existance and sovereignity, in contrast to false gods who are not self existant, nor do they possess any soveriegnity.
By God giving the term YHWH/ I AM as who He was to be known by, He was speaking of His uniqueness that was to be made to all generations to come..and that He would be actively associated with His people.
Invoking or evoking the name of God through verbalization, does not bear the same significance as the intended meaning of God's name, Nor is it the same as why God chose the name for the purpose of how He wanted to be identified by His nature and being. | |
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/11/2007 4:54:16 PM | | I do this. It's really quite simple. I'm Jewish. As themadfiddler pointed out, I was taught that the commandment to not take His name in vain, is a big deal. I was taught that as a consequence of this law, it is not good to destroy things which have his name written or printed on it. I was also taught that His name is His name, whether it be in English, Hebrew, or any other language. So, I try and not write his name, wherever possible, in a medium which can later on be destroyed or altered. I count the web as such a medium. Hence, I avoid writing his name in full wherever possible. | |
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/11/2007 7:38:42 PM | Because some believe in the notion that God's name is to never be taken in vain, or a negative light. And even if they post something in which God is spoken in a positive light, it could be forwarded or copied into another eComment, in which it could be construed disrespectful, even blasphemous.
It is meant and should be seen as upmost respect for name of the omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of their universe. | |
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| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 10/27/2007 11:31:07 PM | scorpiomover and Madfiddler are correct. It's an attempt to not take the Lord's name in vain. To be technical, God is not a Name, but a Title. But I think they are trying to be extra careful on these matters. Jewish law is like that in many cases.
Orthodox Jews go one step further, they refer to Ha-Shem, which translates to "The Name." My own preference is to refer to the Eternal, the Holy One, or the Creator. In other words, by the attributes.
Incidentally, I have a somewhat unusual take on Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, "I am who I am" My own thought is that God, since He is unique, never previously needed a name, and like our universe today, didn't really have one. So His answer is I am who I am. Not that this is my name, but that I am God, the One, and have no name.
But then God rethinks, and realizes Moses situation, that Moses will need name,
and He said: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I AM hath sent me unto you.
So if my speculation is true, the name intended by God is not YHVH which is the Hebrew for I am who I am, but just YH, which is I AM.
But that's just my take. Shows I'm thinking!  May not mean anything more.
Lots of other commentary on Exodus, and these verses in particular. | |
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not2xs
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Joined: 12/11/2005
Msg: 16 | |
| Why is it that some people spell it as G-d?
Posted: 11/3/2007 12:44:50 PM | Shalom all,
Many of the reasons above might be correct but I know of another reason why some use the spelling, G-d. It is from what we are told in Exodus 23:13 "And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other elohim, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth."
Although most English versions of the Scriptures have the word God in them, in most cases the word God is a poor translation of the Hebrew word, Elohim. That is another subject, but the reason that many spell the word God, G-d, is because there are false deities with that name. Thus, because the Scriptures instruct us that the name of a false deity is not to be heard out of our mouth (Ex. 23:13; Dt. 7:24; 12:3; Josh. 23:7; Ps. 16:4) the spelling, G-d, is a reminder not to utter that name.
Yahweh bless,
Kevin | |
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