Tony Trout Posted April 21, 2008 Group: Members Followers: 2 Topic Count: 8 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 51 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 5 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/02/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/20/1976 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I was browsing through some posts and a reply in a post struck me as odd simply because "God" wasn't spelled completely. It was like "G-d"..... What's up with that? Why not spell it out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proverbs3:5 Posted April 21, 2008 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 6 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 32 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/28/2008 Status: Offline Share Posted April 21, 2008 Hmmmm......I wonder too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Coffee Posted April 21, 2008 Group: Junior Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 1 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 78 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 04/03/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/18/1985 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I notice that too. Especially in the chat room. I'll ask the next person I see type it G-D instead of the full God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing Posted April 21, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 400 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 1,903 Content Per Day: 0.31 Reputation: 15 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/20/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/19/1942 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I notice that too. Especially in the chat room. I'll ask the next person I see type it G-D instead of the full God. i've also seen this in some of the op-ed articles i've posted. i'm sure someone can answer this question for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Trout Posted April 21, 2008 Group: Members Followers: 2 Topic Count: 8 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 51 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 5 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/02/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/20/1976 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 I wanna state that my question wasn't a slam against anyone in particular....it's just very confusing to me to see the name of God typed that way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Coffee Posted April 21, 2008 Group: Junior Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 1 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 78 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 04/03/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/18/1985 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I wanna state that my question wasn't a slam against anyone in particular....it's just very confusing to me to see the name of God typed that way... I don't see how anyone would or could take offense to that. Its an honest question that deserves an answer. I doubt anyone would get upset at why you would ask it. They'd probably just answer it so you know and so we all know why they do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LadyC Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 it's not out of fear, it's out of respect. those who are jewish do not say the name of God, nor do they spell it out, because to do so is a sign of disrespect. i know it has biblical roots, but i forget what scripture it is... maybe more than one. perhaps one of the messianic jews here can elaborate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GymRose Posted April 21, 2008 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 31 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 862 Content Per Day: 0.12 Reputation: 4 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/31/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted April 21, 2008 I once read an answer to this question that was answered by a Jewish man in another forum. I'll see if I can find it. Writing the Name of God Jews do not casually write any Name of God. This practice does not come from the commandment not to take the Lord's Name in vain, as many suppose. In Jewish thought, that commandment refers solely to oath-taking, and is a prohibition against swearing by God's Name falsely or frivolously (the word normally translated as "in vain" literally means "for falsehood"). Judaism does not prohibit writing the Name of God per se; it prohibits only erasing or defacing a Name of God. However, observant Jews avoid writing any Name of God casually because of the risk that the written Name might later be defaced, obliterated or destroyed accidentally or by one who does not know better. The commandment not to erase or deface the name of God comes from Deut. 12:3. In that passage, the people are commanded that when they take over the promised land, they should destroy all things related to the idolatrous religions of that region, and should utterly destroy the names of the local deities. Immediately afterwards, we are commanded not to do the same to our God. From this, the rabbis inferred that we are commanded not to destroy any holy thing, and not to erase or deface a Name of God. It is worth noting that this prohibition against erasing or defacing Names of God applies only to Names that are written in some kind of permanent form, and recent rabbinical decisions have held that writing on a computer is not a permanent form, thus it is not a violation to type God's Name into a computer and then backspace over it or cut and paste it, or copy and delete files with God's Name in them. However, once you print the document out, it becomes a permanent form. That is why observant Jews avoid writing a Name of God on web sites like this one or in newsgroup messages: because there is a risk that someone else will print it out and deface it. Normally, we avoid writing the Name by substituting letters or syllables, for example, writing "G-d" instead of "God." In addition, the number 15, which would ordinarily be written in Hebrew as Yod-Hei (10-5), is normally written as Teit-Vav (9-6), because Yod-Hei is a Name. See Hebrew Alphabet for more information about using letters as numerals. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with why people here write G_d instead of God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Coffee Posted April 21, 2008 Group: Junior Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 1 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 78 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 04/03/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 11/18/1985 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I once read an answer to this question that was answered by a Jewish man in another forum. I'll see if I can find it. Writing the Name of God Jews do not casually write any Name of God. This practice does not come from the commandment not to take the Lord's Name in vain, as many suppose. In Jewish thought, that commandment refers solely to oath-taking, and is a prohibition against swearing by God's Name falsely or frivolously (the word normally translated as "in vain" literally means "for falsehood"). Judaism does not prohibit writing the Name of God per se; it prohibits only erasing or defacing a Name of God. However, observant Jews avoid writing any Name of God casually because of the risk that the written Name might later be defaced, obliterated or destroyed accidentally or by one who does not know better. The commandment not to erase or deface the name of God comes from Deut. 12:3. In that passage, the people are commanded that when they take over the promised land, they should destroy all things related to the idolatrous religions of that region, and should utterly destroy the names of the local deities. Immediately afterwards, we are commanded not to do the same to our God. From this, the rabbis inferred that we are commanded not to destroy any holy thing, and not to erase or deface a Name of God. It is worth noting that this prohibition against erasing or defacing Names of God applies only to Names that are written in some kind of permanent form, and recent rabbinical decisions have held that writing on a computer is not a permanent form, thus it is not a violation to type God's Name into a computer and then backspace over it or cut and paste it, or copy and delete files with God's Name in them. However, once you print the document out, it becomes a permanent form. That is why observant Jews avoid writing a Name of God on web sites like this one or in newsgroup messages: because there is a risk that someone else will print it out and deface it. Normally, we avoid writing the Name by substituting letters or syllables, for example, writing "G-d" instead of "God." In addition, the number 15, which would ordinarily be written in Hebrew as Yod-Hei (10-5), is normally written as Teit-Vav (9-6), because Yod-Hei is a Name. See Hebrew Alphabet for more information about using letters as numerals. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with why people here write G_d instead of God. Makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O'Dannyboy Posted April 21, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 156 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 3,454 Content Per Day: 0.48 Reputation: 4 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/22/2004 Status: Offline Birthday: 07/02/1969 Share Posted April 21, 2008 It's out of respect for our Jewish members. I have been spelling it with a capital G but I have not been leaving out the letter O. Most of our Jewish members will not spell it out and some people go along with it. It doesn't bother me if they spell it it or they don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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