the name of G-d

As some of you will notice, I've started writing "G-d," following the traditional Jewish pratice of never "naming" G-d. In the Old Testament, G-d's name is spelled YHVH (yud hey vov hey are the names of the Hebrew letters), without vowels in order to make it unpronouncable. When a Jew reading the Torah comes across that set of consonants, he or she substitutes "Adonai" or "Eloheinu" which basically mean "Lord," although there are differences.

Many religions and cultures believe that names and the process of naming are sacred mysteries, and that people who know someone's true name have power over that person. Hence the reluctance to "name" G-d or to use His true name. Obviously, many people don't feel that way, and "Jehovah" and "Yahweh" are attempts to make YHVH pronouncable.

What do others feel about this? I was struck recently by how different it is at a fundementalist Christian service, where "G-d" and "the Lord" are adressed familiarly by name. (Jews use "Lord" -- in the form of Adonai -- as a substitute for G-d's true name, but for Christians, unless I'm mistaken, "Lord" is one of G-d's names. Therefore it has a different feel from "Adonai.") And then, of course, Jesus Christ is always called by name.

Any thoughts on G-d's name, and whether it is important to you to use G-d's true name, to avoid saying G-d's name, etc. Don't worry about offending me ... I've laid out what I believe, but I understand that others feel differently. And I hope that by spelling "G-d" with the dash, I don't irritate anyone or drive anyone to distraction! I've gone back and forth this year on whether to do that, and I've finally decided that I want to follow the pratice of reminding myself everytime I say "G-d" that I'm using a substitute for G-d's true name.

Hello Elen,

I couldn't resist to reply to your post. I am very much interested in the topic of the God's Names, but am coming from a totally opposite side of the 'spectrum' to yourself. Whereas you revere God's name so much you do not believe it should be uttered, I also revere God's names, but instead follow a tradition that believes because of that, we should actually say them as much as possible! :-)

As the Prophet Joel says in Acts 2.16:
"and in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh... and I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes. And whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved."
(this is a compressed version)

We follow a quotation from Vedic scripture which reads:

'harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam'

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy [Kali-yuga], the best method of spiritual realization is chanting the holy Name of the Lord."
(from the Brhan-naradiya Purana)

Kali-Yuga is the 'Last Age' in a cycle of four, so as you can see there is a striking similarity between the two quotations.

Literally the basis of the Hare Krishna movement is to promote the process of singing and chanting God's bonafide names. There are many names of God from the Qu'ran, aswell as 'Allah', and also a great number contained within the Vedas of India. Primarily within the Hare Krishna movement there is a specific focus on the names 'Krishna', 'Hare' and 'Rama', but it's overall aim is that of a non-sectarian approach to God. See also : http://www.krishna.com/main.php?id=478

So two totally different approaches, both based on a similar principle. I couldn't imagine not being able to say the name 'Krishna' every day, it would be very alien to me now. Lol

Thoughts or comments?

Best Wishes & Hare Krishna !!

Your servant,

Das

This is what is so interesting about religious discussion! :)

Originally Posted by Elen0Sila

I was struck recently by how different it is at a fundamentalist Christian service, where "G-d" and "the Lord" are addressed familiarly by name.

Or

The idea is that by naming G-d, one could have power over Him ... I guess I'm not sure how else to explain it. :shock:

But how could one ever have 'power' over an All-Powerful Person (God)?

I was thinking: would you rather someone called you by your name, or just called at you 'hey you', or ''excuse me sir/madam'?

Isn't it much more loving when someone calls you by your name, or even more so if it's a nickname like 'Spacey'. At least I feel like that way anyway.

Hare Krishna :-)

Das

Of course saying G-d's name wouldn't allow someone to have power over Him ... I'm just saying that I believe the origin of the practice comes from that superstition (present in many cultures, including some Native American cultures) that the saying of someone's true name allows the speaker to have power over the person named. :)

As far as what G-d prefers, who knows? The practice is really more for reminding the person saying "Adonai" that G-d is ultimately beyond our comprehension. From "Meaning and Mitzvah":

Holding the mystery open and not imposing an image on it is such an important practice that even in English some of us write 'G-d,' 'G!d,' or, as I do, 'G*d,' to indicate that what is meant only points towards the most encompassing term for G*d in our tradition, ayn sof, 'Without End,' "the place to which no eye can penetrate, being most hidden and difficult to fathom." (Zohar 232b)

Personally, I find "G*d" or "G!d" to be quite distracting ... and the latter makes me laugh since it seems rather affected, which is why I prefer "G-d." On the other hand, for someone to whom it didn't seem an affectation, using a star or an exclamation point could really make the bland English word take on another dimension of joy. :)

Originally Posted by Elen0Sila

The practice is really more for reminding the person saying "Adonai" that G-d is ultimately beyond our comprehension.

But does that mean that we can

[quote=Space_Man]

Originally Posted by Elen0Sila

The practice is really more for reminding the person saying "Adonai" that G-d is ultimately beyond our comprehension.

But does that mean that we can

Poppies: "I can imagine the idea of calling the Architect something like "G-d" - treating him with a sort of distant respect....
but I can't imagine referring to the Oracle like that - she's so involved and passionate that (IMO) she wouldn't want to be treated in such a distant, 'respectful' way...... I can't help but feel that she'd want to be so much a part of life, that her name would be a part of everyday conversation.... "

From the Vedic perspective Krishna gives the choice, if you'd rather love Him with distant respect, (awe and reverence) then you can worship His forms of Lakshmi & Lord Narayan. If you'd rather have a more intimate relationship then you can worship Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. It depends on the mood of the particular devotee. The different Names of God in Sanskrit, reflect these differences in mood of worship...