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God's Name(s): Singular? Plural? Blasphemous To Cite?

O

oll_lewis

Gone But Not Forgotten
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Something has puzzeled me for some time ... when some jewish people and also some christians wright the word God down they wright G_d rather than God. I know that this is because one is not soposed to speak God's name for fear of blasphamy but as God's name is not God, this is just a discription, why is this done?
similarly Jehova was a discription (meaning "I am") which God gave to Mosis when he apeared as the burning bush and Lord was what replaced Jehova as a discription in greak vertions of the old testament. So why sensor the middle letter of the word in these cases can anyone answer this as I'd quite like to know.
 
I'm not sure, Oll, probably misinterpretation, superstition etc? It's the same reason we have words like "gawd".

Useful, ain't I? I'll hand you over to the experts now.

Jane.
 
One thought could be that as the bible (as written in Hebrew) doesn't contain any consenants (someone tell me if this is a UL) then Yahweh would be written something like "YHWH", or Jehovah as "JHVH." (Obviously using the correct alphabet ;) )

Perhaps, just as the rule on split-infinitives comes from the imposibility of splitting the inifinitive in Latin (the language of scholars, etc.) then perhaps the dropping of the "o" is a similar phenomena but this time relating to the Hebrew version of the bible.

(It probably is just a "don't say the foridden word/name" thing, but it never hurts to speculate a little. :) )
 
Chr_st knows.... ;)

Seriously tho', it's no doubt some thing about it not being the done thing to use his complete name.
 
IIRC there was a Creationist from Texas who wouldn't write God in any of his posts, I think people tackled him about this and gave a reasonable answer.

I'll try and find the thread.

I think he went away though, he didn't like the grilling he was getting.
 
Some Jewsish sects refuse to write down the word God because, I believe, of a prohibition against destroying the paper the word is written on, the name of God being sacred. I also remember hearing about a ruling over the display of the word God on computer screens a while ago, but not the outcome. And I can't remember if it was posted here or not, but duing the World Cup a dairy firm was in hot water when they put the flag of an Islmaic country on their cartons. Apparently the flag has the word Allah written on it and to destroy the carton by throwing it away would be blasphemy.

This reminds me more of magic the religion - you know the power of inanimate objects, written curses and the like.
 
Anyone, Christian, Islamic or Sky Blue Pink deserves nothing but scorn and derision for thinking that the mere scribbling of the name of their god is somehow sacred. This is the 21st century, has the human race not matured sufficiently for this sort of imbecilic claptrap to have been consigned to the round file like it should be. God GOD god Jehova Yahweh Allah. There. Come on 'God' strike me down if y
 
I think such 'blasphemies' are the result of perhaps foolish additions to the central tenets of any given religion. It seems to me that that there is an obsession sometimes with the minutae, hence people deciding that the name of any given god is not allowed to be written. It seems a bit like nitpicking to me.
 
Just a thought, but isn't there a folklore/witchcraft tradition that to know someone's true name is to have power over them? If so, any self respecting deity wouldn't want all the little apes rushing around writing His name down (maybe God's name really is God - the word must have come from somewhere).

Or have I been watching too much Buffy again?

Jane.
 
Personal names have been used in 'witchcraft' as part of charms, curses, etc. but these are probably hangovers from Roman defixio, etc. and/or 'numerology' by way of Jewish mysticism. One has to ask what is meant by someone's 'true name' is in the first place.
 
Just a thought, but isn't there a folklore/witchcraft tradition that to know someone's true name is to have power over them? If so, any self respecting deity wouldn't want all the little apes rushing around writing His name down (maybe God's name really is God - the word must have come from somewhere).
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The written word was traditionally both sacred and magical. Inscribing the holy name, on the forehead of a clay statue, was enough to animate a `golem.'

Names, or at least `true names,' have hugely important, magical uses in some societies (see, `evil eye').

No vowels, the early alphabets Phoenecian, Hebrew, etc. are lacking in these useful little letters.
 
The Hebrews thought of their god as distinct from the gods of the tribes around them in being unrepresentable. Belial, Baal or Moloch were more like demons/spirits within an open-ended pantheon a bit like that of Greek mythology, whereas YHWH had no name apart from 'I am', couldn't be pictured or imagined. YHWH was the god of the desert emptiness, who alone was real and didn't take his place in a community of other gods. I think, as Jerry said, the whole 'true name giving power' thing may have been a mixture of ancient witchcraft-type practices and, later, Kabbalist obsession with secret names of angelic beings etc.

The Bible often refers to God as 'the LORD' - capitals. I suppose it's all about making clear this isn't just a word like any other by means of typography or spelling.
 
Wastrel said:
duing the World Cup a dairy firm was in hot water when they put the flag of an Islmaic country on their cartons. Apparently the flag has the word Allah written on it and to destroy the carton by throwing it away would be blasphemy.
Click to expand...

Just to conferm that this isn't an urban legand: The dairy in question is a dairy in the north west of england that serves liverpool (and posibly manchester) I bought a few of the cartons with the flags on too and had wondered why the cartons which were ment to be celibrating the world cup didn't stay around for the whole event.
 
mejane said:
Just a thought, but isn't there a folklore/witchcraft tradition that to know someone's true name is to have power over them? If so, any self respecting deity wouldn't want all the little apes rushing around writing His name down (maybe God's name really is God - the word must have come from somewhere).

Or have I been watching too much Buffy again?

Jane.
Click to expand...


Can anyone watch TOO MUCH Buffy?

Folklore states that to know someone's true name is to have power absolute over them.
But as 'God' is not His true name, i don't think this fits.
 
tomsk said:
The Bible often refers to God as 'the LORD' - capitals. I suppose it's all about making clear this isn't just a word like any other by means of typography or spelling.
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The LORD was what what was writen in place of YAWH
(yahwah->jehova by subsequent languages from the origional hebrew) in the Greak vertion of the old testement because greek speaking jews of later years found that wrighting someting along the lines of : "Speak I am your sevent Samual is listening" could get a little confuseing in the narative.
The New testament was mostly writain in greak (being the largest spoken language in the roman empire at the time) and this has led to a bit of confusion in some gospels such as Mark (which Luke used as one of his sourses) because of the hebrew words for young woman and virgin being the same (issiah hebrew vertion: a young woman will give birth to a son -> greak vertion: a virgin will give birth to a son). apart from these elements of posile confusion christian bibles usuly use the word LORD in place of jehova to keap up the narative of the old and new testaments.
 
As that site says, not using the word 'God' may be misrepresenting the commandment about taking his name in vain.
 
If indeed God does exist, he/she/it must be having a huge laugh at the senseless contortions religious people feel they have to go through.
I'm sure God has better things to do than to get uppity if somebody uses his/her/its name.
Get real, religious people!
 
Wastrel said:
And I can't remember if it was posted here or not, but duing the World Cup a dairy firm was in hot water when they put the flag of an Islmaic country on their cartons. Apparently the flag has the word Allah written on it and to destroy the carton by throwing it away would be blasphemy.
Click to expand...

So what happened to any unused cartons? Were they destroyed or did someone volunteer to take care of them?

I just had a second thought which is slightly off-thread. Should efforts be made to preserve items inscribed with the name of the Deity Which Cannot Be Named, or are they allowed to decompose naturally? If decomposition is allowed, which form is acceptable?
 
Mana said:
I just had a second thought which is slightly off-thread. Should efforts be made to preserve items inscribed with the name of the Deity Which Cannot Be Named, or are they allowed to decompose naturally? If decomposition is allowed, which form is acceptable?
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personaly as God hasnot given us his real name (just names/discriptions by which we can adress him) I wouldn't think it would be sinfull to destroy the milk cartons as long as it wasen't done in malice or spite.

A friend told me that Allah is also a discription and not Gods name persay (ie like YHWH or LORD) but he wasen't a devout muslim and couldn't tell me what it ment so if anyone dose know please tell me.
 
Oll_Lewis said:
......... christian bibles usuly use the word LORD in place of jehova to keap up the narative of the old and new testaments.
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Except Jehovah's Witness bibles which retain the name Jehovah where it was used in the original.
I suspect that the fear of using God's real name has connections with the Cabbalah.
 
Susan Bulmer said:
I suspect that the fear of using God's real name has connections with the Cabbalah.
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I may sound realy dull asking this but what's the Cabbalah ? I can't remember ever hearin the term/name before.:confused:
 
Wastrel said:
...... duing the World Cup a dairy firm was in hot water when they put the flag of an Islmaic country on their cartons. Apparently the flag has the word Allah written on it and to destroy the carton by throwing it away would be blasphemy.
Click to expand...
We had this problem locally during the 1998 World Cup. Some firm produced footballs with all the flags of the world on them. A dignitary from the local mosque made front page headlines in our local paper by complaining that it was an insult to Allah kicking something which bears his name.
 
Oll_Lewis said:
I may sound realy dull asking this but what's the Cabbalah ? I can't remember ever hearin the term/name before.:confused:
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That's probably cos I've spelt it wrong. LOL
The Cabala (or Kabbalah or Qabbalah) consisted originally of those Judaic teachings which were considered too sacred to be written down and which were therefore passed on by word of mouth. Obviously the teachings remained within the confines of the most senior Judaic priests. It can be traced back at least until the 2nd century AD, and presumably existed before that although there is no historical record.
It was basically a system of Jewish mystical thought. Among other things I think it contained sacred information regarding the first chapters of Genesis and Ezekiel, and how to rise through the spheres using the astral body - also speculation about angels, demons and the Tree of Life. As the Jews started spreading throughout Europe, particularly after they were expelled from Spain in the 15th century, the teachings became tainted with Christian ideas and by the 17th century also included esoteric doctrines belonging more to alchemy and magic.
Eliphas Levi, a 19th century magician, and Aleister Crowley, a 20th century magician, were both influenced a great deal by the Cabala as it existed in their time. I think that the 22 major trumps of the Tarot pack are somehow linked to the 22 Paths of Wisdom in the Cabala.
Hope this helps O-L!
;) :)
 
Susan Bulmer said:
speculation about angels, demons and the Tree of Life.
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Dose it link in with the apocrephal books of around the time of jesus and a few centurys bc? These books claimed to reveal the secret lifes of angels and how things worked in heaven.
also with the mention of the tree of life is there any conection with the Mayans? you mentioned that christianity had an effect on the present form of the Qabbalah (I'll use the spelling starting with q cos it sounds a bit more mistical:D ) could they have been afected by tales from the conquistodors of those peculiar people across the ocean who realy nead someone to sell them footballs;)
 
oll_lewis said:
Something has puzzeled me for some time ... when some jewish people and also some christians wright the word God down they wright G_d rather than God. I know that this is because one is not soposed to speak God's name for fear of blasphamy but as God's name is not God, this is just a discription, why is this done? similarly Jehova was a discription (meaning "I am") which God gave to Mosis when he apeared as the burning bush and Lord was what replaced Jehova as a discription in greak vertions of the old testament. So why sensor the middle letter of the word in these cases can anyone answer this as I'd quite like to know.
Click to expand...

Elohim is God's known name (Elohim means "holy unity" or "divine ruling". Also by the way, the word Allah comes from "Eloh", JHWH and other names are the components of Elohim). AHIH is the most deific name of the components of Elohim and other names of Elohim does not correspond to this name (none of them). At this point I want to use the kabbalistic language. This name that describes "crown" (http://kabbalah.wikia.com/wiki/Kether_C ... 7%AA%D7%A8 ), is the biggest holy name and the first name of Sephiroths. Also a quote about this;

"Kether is equated with the most transcendent form of God that we can conceive, Whose name is AHIH (Ehieh), translated in the Authorised Version of the Bible as "I am," or, more explicitly, the Self-Existing One, Pure Being"
(Dion Fortune's “Mystical Qabalah”, chapter 5 the title is "negative existence"- item 5
http://gnosticfellowship.com/reading/qa ... stical.pdf)
 
"The words was written . . ."
"The words of God was written . . . "
Can I just say that I am really tired of how the singular form of "to be" keeps getting used with plural nouns . . .
They just lost a convert right there. :evillaugh:
 
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