"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1)
https://discussions.godandscience.org/
mmmm broad phylacteries!RickD wrote: making broad phylacteries?
Byblos, do you have a recipe for delicious broad phylacteries that we should know about?Byblos wrote:mmmm broad phylacteries!RickD wrote: making broad phylacteries?
God is the term we use to describe God, simply because we have no other word for God.RickD wrote:Is God's name "God"? By writing "God", is there any chance of taking God's name in vain? If God is who God is, and not His name, why don't those who write "G-d", also write "Chr-st", because Jesus is the Christ, or Messiah. So, for those who write G-d, why don't you also write J-s-s, or Chr-st? Is writing "G-d" about respect, or is it actually about making broad phylacteries?
Anyone?
All I know is that you should start by enlarging your fringes ...RickD wrote:Byblos, do you have a recipe for delicious broad phylacteries that we should know about?Byblos wrote:mmmm broad phylacteries!RickD wrote: making broad phylacteries?
The term "god" is Elohim in Hebrew and Theos in Greek.Seraph wrote:Didn't "God" come from the German word "Gott" over a millenium after the ressurection of Jesus? Also wasn't Jesus' native name "Yeshua"?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_(word)
Theres no way either of those are their "true" names.
I actually agree with you on everything you said except one thing in bold above, which is that regardless of the fact that you use God or G-d, the reason people use the dash is to exactly follow the "do not use G-d's Name in vain" commandment. I mean if not for the commandment why else would you follow it in the first place and also that writing God as G-d doesn't add anymore respect to the idea than thinking about God as G-d? I mean we do not think about God with a dash, do we?I think this makes an interesting point. True, G-d's Name isn't G-d. But, to speak on behalf of those who do use the dash, I'd say it's really just a way of trying to show respect for G-d, and to keep in mind not to speak of G-d frivolously or as if He were something common. It's not out of obedience to any Biblical command, such as using G-d's Name in vain (that is, unless you're an Orthodox Jew, where it would be a commandment of the Oral Torah), and at the end of the day it's pretty superficial, I think. I don't see anything wrong about writing God at all, I just prefer to use the dash as a conscious way of keeping in mind not to speak of G-d in an irreverant way.
You're correct, perhaps I didn't choose my words well. The dash IS used out of obedience to the commandment to not take G-d's Name in vain, but, it's specifically out of obedience to the rabbinical interpretation of this commandment found in the Oral Torah. The actual commandment itself no more specifies that one can't write out the English word "God" than that one can't, as you said, think about God as "G-d." I simply was making the distinction between it being a BIBLICAL commandment (which it isn't) and being an INTERPRETATION of a commandment.neo-x wrote:I actually agree with you on everything you said except one thing in bold above, which is that regardless of the fact that you use God or G-d, the reason people use the dash is to exactly follow the "do not use G-d's Name in vain" commandment. I mean if not for the commandment why else would you follow it in the first place and also that writing God as G-d doesn't add anymore respect to the idea than thinking about God as G-d? I mean we do not think about God with a dash, do we?
My thoughts, I agree with you, this is superficial and those who use G-d should use it in their good will as they see fit, I only do not think its just out of respect, I think it is exactly in line with the fear of the commandment of not using God's name in vain.
Thank you for the clarification, I got nothing against anyone using God or G-d, just pointing out what I thought was a more subtle point.You're correct, perhaps I didn't choose my words well. The dash IS used out of obedience to the commandment to not take G-d's Name in vain, but, it's specifically out of obedience to the rabbinical interpretation of this commandment found in the Oral Torah. The actual commandment itself no more specifies that one can't write out the English word "God" than that one can't, as you said, think about God as "G-d." I simply was making the distinction between it being a BIBLICAL commandment (which it isn't) and being an INTERPRETATION of a commandment.
Also, when I said that it's simply out of respect and not out of keeping a commandment, I was speaking of myself personally, as I don't see the commandments of the Oral Torah as binding on believers like the Written Torah. I should've pointed that out.
Thank you for pointing this out so I could clarify.
I think this is a pretty good point. Often Christians get hung up about avoiding common every-day blasphemy, and yet neglect to recognize those who TRULY blaspheme G-d and use His Name in vain. Now, not to say that using G-d's or Jesus' Names as expressions of disgust or fear isn't blasphemy, but, I think you've made a right observation that this isn't anywhere near the full scope of the commandment as it was intended.Ivellious wrote:Just a quick thought about "using God's name in vain." I have never really felt like the literal, commonly used interpretation of this commandment is really important. I mean, I understand that using God's name as an insult or for no real reason shouldn't be encouraged, but I hardly see the sin in occasionally shouting "Jesus!" when you get scared at a haunted house or the like.
Rather, I've always felt (and been taught, to be fair) that this line was an order to not use God's name as a tool to control, take advantage of, cheat, manipulate, or mislead anyone else for you benefit. In that sense, I see many televangelists, cult leaders, "religious" scams, politicians who flaunt their love of God to get votes, past leaders who used God as a way to gain power and influence, and the like as the true violators of this commandment, not the people who use "Christmas" instead of "X-mas".
That's my feeling of it anyway. I'm not saying that frivolous usage of God's name (or many names) should be encouraged, but I hardly think God cares in the slightest about how many times I've said "God only knows", and given its place in the Ten Commandments, I would classify the interpretation I gave as being much more in line with the rest, and certainly the more severe no matter how you look at it. But that's just my two cents.
I'm glad I could explain my words better, and that you pointed it out. Hopefully it helped explain it to others as well.neo-x wrote:Thank you for the clarification, I got nothing against anyone using God or G-d, just pointing out what I thought was a more subtle point.
To the people to whom this commandment was given, to them it was actually conveyed in a more literal sense than you think. To them God was the binding force of, the legal and spiritual authority and therefore it was sacred. This was one of the reasons Christ forbade people to vow in the name of God, for if it was not done sincerely then the name and authority it carried, was used in vain.Ivellious ยป Wed Jul 25, 2012 1:12 pm
Just a quick thought about "using God's name in vain." I have never really felt like the literal, commonly used interpretation of this commandment is really important. I mean, I understand that using God's name as an insult or for no real reason shouldn't be encouraged, but I hardly see the sin in occasionally shouting "Jesus!" when you get scared at a haunted house or the like.
Rather, I've always felt (and been taught, to be fair) that this line was an order to not use God's name as a tool to control, take advantage of, cheat, manipulate, or mislead anyone else for you benefit. In that sense, I see many televangelists, cult leaders, "religious" scams, politicians who flaunt their love of God to get votes, past leaders who used God as a way to gain power and influence, and the like as the true violators of this commandment, not the people who use "Christmas" instead of "X-mas".
That's my feeling of it anyway. I'm not saying that frivolous usage of God's name (or many names) should be encouraged, but I hardly think God cares in the slightest about how many times I've said "God only knows", and given its place in the Ten Commandments, I would classify the interpretation I gave as being much more in line with the rest, and certainly the more severe no matter how you look at it. But that's just my two cents.