Why is it written like this?

Mason

Mason

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I was reading alittle about Judaism on various sites and i came across this very often. I have never seen it written like this before, so it made me wonder why is 'G-d' written this way?

Thanks ^_^
Mason
 
I suppose its a stupid question then,.. maybe everyone knows why,.. except me. :( lol
 
bananabrain did actually answer this at the end of one of the threads on the Judaism board, but I'm afraid I've been unable to locate it.

Maybe if you have a little free time, it's should be fairly high on the board, but I've get to get back to work now. :(
 
I am not Jewish but I do try to learn as much as I can about them so I am going to give it a shot...I know if Im way off base Bananabrain will let us know.

The Jews tend to not casually write out the names of God out of reverance. And from a verse in Deut about not erasing or defacing a name of God. Also to a degree I believe they take the casual use of the names as taking them in vain.

Bananabrain please expound on this!:)
 
Mason said:
I was reading alittle about Judaism on various sites and i came across this very often. I have never seen it written like this before, so it made me wonder why is 'G-d' written this way?

Thanks ^_^
Mason
Click to expand...

Quite simply - it is considered inappropriate to take G-d's name in vain, and a sign of respect to not do so. Unless one is praying, you don't use the name of G-d in full as that would be considered "in vain". Me, I think of it as a courtesy - you know how you hear your name, and you focus your attention and it's annoying if someone's not talking to you? (Had this happen yesterday - I was walking by a table in the restaurant I was in, and heard "Bruce" several times and kept turning to look if it was for me) ... think of how it would be if you were G-d...

... Bruce
 
See Bruce that is what I has always thought till I saw on http://www.jewfaq.org
this little line:

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").

Which is why I asked for a more Jewish perspective.:)
 
Well, what I told you is what I was told by my Rabbi while I was in the process of converting, so it's certainly a Jewish perspective... is it the only one? You know the old saying - two Jews, three opinions....

... Bruce
 
I hear that Gods name shouldn't be in vain, the the word "God" is not a name, but a title. The name in scripture is YHWH, or one of the other many things its translated as similar to that.
 
i think you're missing the point slightly. we use the english word as an indicator, an allusion. title would be something more like "Melech malchei ha'melachim" (King above the King of Kings) or "Qudsha Berich Hu" (Holy Blessed One). but i see what you mean. maybe the answer is that we don't altogether distinguish between the two.

b'shalom

bananabrain
 
Ok, thanks for all your replies,.. i understand now.
Though this is partly because i read about it in an article today, lol :p
 
There's another reason why religious Jews do not pronounce or even do not write the name(s) of God.
In many ancient cultures it was believed that if you can name a person you can have a power on him.
As it is out of the question that man may have any power on God, so it was forbidden to name God.
 
mansio - this is not the basis of the commandment not to "take the Divine Name in vain", though. it's forbidden to name G!D because of the difficulty in assuring the appropriate use of this Name. if anything, inappropriate use is the spiritual equivalent of you sticking your fingers in an electric socket.

b'shalom

bananabrain
 
Ar,.. its nice to see an apology without the accused lashing back with vulgar abuse, as you would on other forums.

lol - bananabrain ^_^
 
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