Who is G-d?

taye · #1 Apr 5, '12, 8:19 pm

I've seen many posters here type God's name like this: G-d. What is the meaning behind this? When you read it, it sounds like an expletive! I'm sure that's not the reason.

dje101 · #2 Apr 5, '12, 10:19 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by taye

I've seen many posters here type God's name like this: G-d. What is the meaning behind this? When you read it, it sounds like an expletive! I'm sure that's not the reason.

It's a way of getting around actually having to say/write God's name.

At least that's what I've thought.

onjac · #3 Apr 5, '12, 10:26 pm

If I'm remembering correctly, this comes from a Jewish tradition of referring to God's name without actually writing it. It's done to show respect and humility for our Lord.

I did this too myself when I took notes in religion classes years ago. I didn't want to write out His name if I didn't keep my notebooks in great condition in the first place.

MarioPop · #4 Apr 5, '12, 11:08 pm

Definitely it is from the Jewish tradition, considering God's name to be too holy to be written by humans. Like it is forbidden to write the name YHWH, God is written as G-d.

thistle · #5 Apr 6, '12, 4:38 am

There is no reason to use G-d instead of God because God is not a name, i.e. God is not the name of God.