Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (Full Version)

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Charles_Sloan -> Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/10/2007 2:00:37 PM)

I don't understand this, forgive me if this has already been asked.



ta_mosquito -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/10/2007 2:28:09 PM)

HERE is a thread from a few months ago on the subject.



Charles_Sloan -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/10/2007 2:33:08 PM)

Wow, that automaticly set off my filter and set down my browser!



ta_mosquito -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/10/2007 2:34:12 PM)

Really! [:o]

I promise, there was nothing filterable in there.



Tenz -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/10/2007 4:32:29 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ta_mosquito

Really! [:o]

I promise, there was nothing filterable in there.


Isn't it the way it is spelled by messianic jewish people?
not sure just throwing it out there



FurGodWurLivin -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/11/2007 12:25:01 AM)

Technically speaking, in Judaism you cannot destroy or erase the name of God. Well, with the invention of shredders, computers, and many other forms of modern communication, there needed to be some clarification. For instance, a computer screen has what is called a "refresh cycle"... which is a fancy way to say that the screen gets erased and redrawn a certain number of times a second. The religious thing is that you can't spell out the name of God on a computer screen because it is constantly getting erased and rewritten roughly every 32 milliseconds (depending on the age of your monitor/computer). So either you aren't allowed to talk about God by name at all, or come up with some way to work around actually spelling out the word... hence the spelling G-d.

Adam



Okami -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/11/2007 1:13:47 AM)

I thought that only applied to his actual name, the one that the ancients used to have to purify themselves before and after writing it, unpronounceable by the english tongue.

I think some do it out of respect. But I also think saying Xmas instead of Christmas is rather insulting, and people do it here.



Kat_D -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/11/2007 10:38:11 AM)

According to AskMoses.com. and my daughter and her father who are Jewish:

"It is forbidden to erase or deface the name of G-d, and this prohibition applies to all languages. We, therefore, insert a dash in middle of G-d's name, allowing us to erase or discard the paper it is written on if necessary. In prayer books and holy writings G-d's name is written properly, for there is no fear that one will discard a holy text."



DaveW -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/11/2007 1:23:20 PM)

As Kat_D said... - and it has nothing to do with computer screen refreshes as you can get computerized prayerbooks and even the Hebrew Scriptures (our OT) with the correct spelling of God's name from orthodox Jewish sources (like Davka.com). I have the Hebrew and English OT and prayer books from Davka and they are great. The OT books come bundled with DavkaWriter, their flagship product and a very good Hebrew/English word processor.



JoToP -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/11/2007 1:41:33 PM)

Charles_Sloan,
I'll give you the low class interpretation, take it or leave it.

Basically the "o" in G-O-D is being replaced by a dash which takes on the meaning of an "o" and spells God without spelling it. If the dash were taken literally, no one would recognize the non-word "G-d", but since everybody recognizes it as "God" the dash defaults to an "o" and actually communicates the intended word. This supposedly preserves the integrity of the Third Commandment with a legal hedge. The corpus of Scripture teaches that obedience to and loving God honors his name, not scribal convolutions which are a vanity.



tony.nz -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/12/2007 5:02:02 AM)

In ancient times, the proper name of God could not be pronounced, out of fear of taking the name of God in vain. As a result, it was decided not to write the name on the Torah in full, but to leave out the vowels. This was so that people would remember to say "Adonai" (Lord) when they came to that name. As a result, we got the tetramagram YHWH. Unfortunately, because the name came to never be pronounced, now no one is exactly sure how it was pronounced. Furthermore, in case someone got a bit careless, and forgot to say "Adonai", the vowels for Adonai were written between the consonents for YHWH. Just as an additional reminder.

This is where it gets really interesting. In the middle ages, english translaters of the original texts, did not know that this had happened. So, they were faced with translating into english a word that had the consonents from YHWH, interspersed with the consonents of Adonai. This actually came out as "Yahovah" in early english, and then the "Y" sound got dropped for a "J", as english evolved. So the name "Jehovah" is actually a total mistranslation, and does not resemble the name of the God of Israel. Similarly, "Jesus" is an english mistranslation of "Yeshua".

Now, where it gets really quite amusing is that the Jehovah Witnesses knew nothing of all this, and to this day insist that the proper name of God is Jehovah, and that it is blasphemy to refer to Him by any other name.

I do not know how or why the "o" got dropped in God, except for what is written here. Perhaps it is a modern attempt to honor ancient traditions. It seems strange, because "God" is a descriptive term of the creator, not a personal name. I agee with Jotop, it makes no difference, as the same word and meaning is communicated anyway, all we are doing is swapping one mark for communicating the word, with another. Which does seem like a bit of a vanity.



DaveW -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/12/2007 6:15:13 AM)

quote:

In ancient times, the proper name of God could not be pronounced, out of fear of taking the name of God in vain. As a result, it was decided not to write the name on the Torah in full, but to leave out the vowels.
Actually, before the middle ages Hebrew had no notation for vowel sounds whatsoever. It was not just God's name that had no vowels; neither did any other word in the entire language.



JoToP -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/12/2007 10:11:30 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: tony.nz

In ancient times, the proper name of God could not be pronounced, out of fear of taking the name of God in vain. As a result, it was decided not to write the name on the Torah in full, but to leave out the vowels. This was so that people would remember to say "Adonai" (Lord) when they came to that name. As a result, we got the tetramagram YHWH. Unfortunately, because the name came to never be pronounced, now no one is exactly sure how it was pronounced. Furthermore, in case someone got a bit careless, and forgot to say "Adonai", the vowels for Adonai were written between the consonents for YHWH. Just as an additional reminder.

This is where it gets really interesting. In the middle ages, english translaters of the original texts, did not know that this had happened. So, they were faced with translating into english a word that had the consonents from YHWH, interspersed with the consonents of Adonai. This actually came out as "Yahovah" in early english, and then the "Y" sound got dropped for a "J", as english evolved. So the name "Jehovah" is actually a total mistranslation, and does not resemble the name of the God of Israel. Similarly, "Jesus" is an english mistranslation of "Yeshua".

Now, where it gets really quite amusing is that the Jehovah Witnesses knew nothing of all this, and to this day insist that the proper name of God is Jehovah, and that it is blasphemy to refer to Him by any other name.

I do not know how or why the "o" got dropped in God, except for what is written here. Perhaps it is a modern attempt to honor ancient traditions. It seems strange, because "God" is a descriptive term of the creator, not a personal name. I agee with Jotop, it makes no difference, as the same word and meaning is communicated anyway, all we are doing is swapping one mark for communicating the word, with another. Which does seem like a bit of a vanity.

I did not know that about Jehovah's Witness, tony.z. Thanks!



Okami -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/12/2007 10:46:42 PM)

"jehovah" and "Jesus" should be considered in the same way in relation to eachother, and that would be "It's the same name, just a different language".



Lapidoth -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (10/28/2007 12:04:07 PM)

The resistance to spelling out God's name is rabbinical.
Traditions and rules that make the Word of God of none effect.

How can you call on the name of the Lord if you don't know what
his name is? There is power in the name. There is no other name
under heaven by which to be saved.

There's nothing biblical about not saying the name or writing it.
I don't have the verse handy, but the OT tells us to pray in His name,
to swear only by His name; (not the name of pagan dieties).

So the Pharisees (added to the Torah) which is a violation of Torah.
The Sadducees (take away from the Torah) which is a violation of Torah.

How will we know what is tradition and what is scripture if we don't know
what the Torah says?

Torah = first five books of the Bible.
The Bereans searched the Torah to verify the truth.



Covaan_Meshuga -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/4/2007 6:53:15 AM)

I am one who uses the term "G-d." I do it out of respect for the One who is Creator, who holds my breath in His hands, who is the Author and Finisher of the faith.

Personally, I believe that His Name and all those names associated with Him should be held in reverence and should not be treated lightly. It is not a matter of my thinking that "no taking My Name in vain" merely refers to speech, but that His Name is holy, and He is holy, and those who will not treat Him and His holy Name with respect are awfully foolish.

I am horrified at believers whose tongues so easily misuse the words commonly known to English believers to represent the One True G-d. The same tongues will pray to "G-d" and "L-rd" use the same terms as epithets in common language. In this, there is obviously no respect for Him. What a shame.

I would rather have people either question or criticize my use of the term "G-d" and 'L-rd" than to take those words pertaining to Him so lightly that they pass my lips without thought. Perhaps the gentleness with which we treat Him and His Name will rub off on someone, will make someone stop and think, will cause someone to stop and ask the questions.



.Pammy -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/4/2007 4:47:39 PM)

Abiyah, please take this question the way it is intended, with all due respect to you:

How does replacing "o" with "-" show respect to our Creator?

I know that question sounded awful, but I don't mean it to. I'm sorry, I don't know how else to say it. I just don't understand.



Covaan_Meshuga -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/4/2007 7:10:16 PM)

I, personally, do not see honest questions as a bad thing. No problem.

quote:

ORIGINAL: ta_mosquito
HERE is a thread from a few months ago on the subject.

I think the thread ta_mosquito suggested has the answers. If you go there, I believe you will see the background of why all the letters are not spelled out.

For myself, I used to do it because it is part of tradition; now, I do it out of respect for Him. And I will also admit this: I hope that my respect for the Almighty may spark something in others that they will also learn to respect Him in their language. The misuse of words and names related to Him really bothers me.



Grace-N-Mercy -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/4/2007 7:19:45 PM)

I believe that we should respect His name as well. I do not have time to look into the other thread at this moment, but somewhere in the OT, it spoke about Jews who had such reverence for His name, that they could not speak it. And if they wrote it, it would be abbreviated.

Abiyah, let me ask you a question, and I certainly don't mean anything by this, I just don't know any other way to ask it. Does it offend you when others use the name God instead of G-d?



Covaan_Meshuga -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/4/2007 7:38:45 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Grace-N-Mercy
I believe that we should respect His name as well. I do not have time to look into the other thread at this moment, but somewhere in the OT, it spoke about Jews who had such reverence for His name, that they could not speak it. And if they wrote it, it would be abbreviated.
I don't know that scripture.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Grace-N-Mercy
Abiyah, let me ask you a question, and I certainly don't mean anything by this, I just don't know any other way to ask it. Does it offend you when others use the name God instead of G-d?

Absolutely not! There have been people on CW who were offended by my writing G-d, because they thought it looked too much like I was swearing. For them to write that word similarly could wound their consciences, so they should not. What truly offends me, what really hurts, is

  • when people claim to be believers, but they ignore His Word
  • when people claim to be believers, but they lie about His works
  • when people claim to be believers, but they create their own supposed "miracles"
  • when people claim to be believers, but they misuse His names, and words pertaining to Him, in their language
  • when people claim to be believers, but they deny His deity
  • when people claim to be believers, but they deny the Son of the Almighty
  • when people claim to be believers, but they live like the devil
Those things offend me, but I am nothing; more importantly, they are an offense to Almighty G-d who shall judge us all according to how we treat Him and how we treat others in His holy Name.

Grace and Mercy, your CW name tells me something about you: you likely not only look for grace and mercy, but you likely tend to give grace and mercy. Bless you for that. Thank G-d, He does, too, so thank Him again, I will not be in the judgment seat on that Day, so I know that the judgment He renders will be right and just.



Grace-N-Mercy -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/4/2007 7:54:27 PM)

quote:

I don't know that scripture.

After I posted, I realized it may have been in a commentary somewhere. I heard/read that a while ago.

Those things grieve me as well. I tend to be accepting of a person who is in a different level of spiritual maturity than me (and I'm not saying I'm at a very high level) so I may not acknowledge it out loud, but inwardly, those things bother me too.

quote:

Grace and Mercy, your CW name tells me something about you: you likely not only look for grace and mercy, but you likely tend to give grace and mercy. Bless you for that.

Thank you!! Also, I have been the recipient of His Grace and Mercy many times over. I'm very grateful for that.



Okami -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/4/2007 9:56:46 PM)

When I saw people doing it, my first assumtion was that they were treating it like a curse word. Like they weren't believers, and therefore considered it as swearing.
Only stumbling onto a thread explaining it made me realize it wasn't.



benelchi -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/4/2007 10:45:55 PM)

quote:

Basically the "o" in G-O-D is being replaced by a dash which takes on the meaning of an "o" and spells God without spelling it. If the dash were taken literally, no one would recognize the non-word "G-d", but since everybody recognizes it as "God" the dash defaults to an "o" and actually communicates the intended word. This supposedly preserves the integrity of the Third Commandment with a legal hedge. The corpus of Scripture teaches that obedience to and loving God honors his name, not scribal convolutions which are a vanity.


I don't use G-d, but I do respect the tradition, as do almost all English Translations of the Bible. When the scriptures are read in Hebrew, most readers substitute Adonai for YHWH when reading aloud. Adonai is simply means "My Lord" (technically plural). In almost all English versions of the Bible, the translation of YHWH is LORD instead of Yahweh or Jehovah; this is a reflection of that same rabbinical tradition that you have here called vanity. If this really is a scribal convolution which is vanity and doesn't honor God, then it is likely that you will need a new version of the Bible to avoid falling into that same convoluted trap. Personally I view these substitutions as a good reminder of the sovereignty and holiness of God, and as such I have no difficulty with them. If they are viewed as an absolute rule that we must follow then I would be a little more troubled.



Covaan_Meshuga -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/5/2007 2:57:51 PM)

Where I attend, we would never attempt to pronounce YHVH, but we will, on occasion, as the reader wishes, spell the Name out, "Y-H-V-H."

Regarding the Name, and its pronunciation, here is an example over which some stumble: In Minnesota and Wisconsin (perhaps other places?) many people say "yes" by saying "yah." Now, that is coloquial English, not Hebrew. So no one who underestands the Name well, and the issues surrounding it well, would denounce our Minnesotans and Wisconsinites for saying "yah" for "yes." Our intentions also count. Our language counts. We can neither judge nor denounce people beyond their common language!



Covaan_Meshuga -> RE: Why do some people spell God: "G-d"? (11/8/2007 10:44:51 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Covaan_Meshuga
Where I attend, we would never attempt to pronounce YHVH, but we will, on occasion, as the reader wishes, spell the Name out, "Y-H-V-H."

I just noticed what I wrote, and we would never say "Y-H-V-H," because when we see these letters, whether in these or in Hebrew letters, we would pronounce them as "Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey." Sorry I left a false impression.



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