Why do people write G-d instead of god?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Judaism, it's a tradition not to write or know the name of the Creator.

But God is not his name. His name is YHWH, Yahweh, Yehovah, Adonai, Elohim, etc. God is not his name, almost more of a title. So I'm not sure why people think that God is any more off-limits than He, Him or the Lord.

Yes, I'm not Jewish, but it has also often puzzled me why some people apply that tradition to referring to God.

If it's lowercase g, then it's just one god of many. If it's uppercase G, then there's only one and it's effectively a proper name.

That's exactly the point, PP. All of those terms -- YHWH, Yahweh, Yehovah, Adonai, Elohim -- are euphemisms and little "nicknames" that were invented because Jews were not to know or speak the name of the Creator. Without the rule that Jews were not to say the Creator's name, there would not have evolved all those other words and aphorisms in Hebrews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Judaism, it's a tradition not to write or know the name of the Creator.

But God is not his name. His name is YHWH, Yahweh, Yehovah, Adonai, Elohim, etc. God is not his name, almost more of a title. So I'm not sure why people think that God is any more off-limits than He, Him or the Lord.

Yes, I'm not Jewish, but it has also often puzzled me why some people apply that tradition to referring to God.

yes, that is why the tradition is fading. the devout write hashem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every time I see it written that way, my brain automatically translates it into "God-damn" even though I know better.

I know! This is such a strange thing because it feels as if someone is swearing!