ARE YOU COMFORTABLE USING G-d?

[RabbiO]

Originally Posted by running

there is pages and pages of weird posts by shipulin. WTH. i dont get it. some language i never seen before. lol

Obviously I’m not understanding something. Care to explain?

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by running

there is pages and pages of weird posts by shipulin. WTH. i dont get it. some language i never seen before. lol

Probably what you are 'seeing' is Hebrew.

[BigJohn]

The first creation account, which is written in the Elohist viewpoint (Elohim), begins at Genesis 1:1 and ends at Genesis 2:3. This should have been noted as being all of Genesis 1 and the second creation account should begin at Genesis 2:4 and that scripture should have been labeled as the first scripture in Genesis Chapter 2.

The second creation account is written from the Yahwist viewpoint.

[BigJohn]

Numerous people have noted the two creation accounts were not put in their respective chapters which leads me to suspect that the ones who came up with verse numbers, chapters, etc. may have done it without realizing there are two separate creation accounts.

[Miss Hepburn]

8-9 pages of pure SPAM on this thread!
Please report these things to an Admin or a Mod immediately!
We are not able to see every thread and what's going on.
I have deleted exactly 50 posts here so far...and there are more!
93 total...thank God, Native stepped in!
And these were huge posts...not like one liners!

[BigJohn]

The thread looks okay now.
Terrible what 1 spammer can do.
Thanks for the fine work you have done.

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Are you comfortable using the word G-d?

Do you use other names for G-d?

Yes
Yes - Truth, reality, eternity, heaven.

[NoOne]

The Jewish perspective on this is interesting.

From what I understand and I may be wrong, it is the Tetragrammaton (Y-H-W-H) which falls under this prohibition, as in the olden days it might have been used to perform magic and that was seen as disprespectful by the priesthood. Even writing it down was prohibited and it could only be uttered by the High Priest under certain circumstances, during a specific ritual.

The word God is really neutral and generic, it can be applied to any god, not just the one is is usually used to signify.

As for Elohim, I doubt that would fall under a similar prohibition as the Tetragrammaton, but do correct me if I'm wrong. Elohim is also a pretty generic word, it can signify multiple gods or an entire pantheon. Other semitic people, such as the Arabs, still use the singular form of Elohim, Eloh or Allah, as a name for their singular god. This is where it gets a bit murky, because Arab Christians also use the term "Allah" to describe their Christian god, but I'm not sure if they would use the same term to designate other gods. E.g., say, when describing Vishnu, would they say that he is an Allah or is that term specifically reserved just for the singular Abrahamic god? It is probably the latter, but I'd love to see some confirmation of that from an Arabic speaker.

BTW, this is from the wikipedia entry on the tetragrammaton:

The Tetragrammaton (/ˌtɛtrəˈɡræmətɒn/) or Tetragram (from Greek τετραγράμματον, meaning "[consisting of] four letters") is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ (transliterated as YHWH), the name of the national god of Israel.[1] The four letters, read from right to left, are yodh, he, waw, and he.[2] While there is no consensus about the structure and etymology of the name, the form Yahweh is now accepted almost universally.[3]

The books of the Torah and the rest of the Hebrew Bible except Esther, Ecclesiastes, and (with a possible instance in verse 8:6) the Song of Songs contain this Hebrew name.[4] Observant Jews and those who follow Talmudic Jewish traditions do not pronounce יהוה‎ nor do they read aloud proposed transcription forms such as Yahweh or Yehovah; instead they replace it with a different term, whether in addressing or referring to the God of Israel. Common substitutions in Hebrew are Adonai ("My Lord") or Elohim (literally "gods" but treated as singular when meaning "God") in prayer, or HaShem ("The Name") in everyday speech.

[RabbiO]

Originally Posted by NoOne

1)The Jewish perspective on this is interesting.
2) From what I understand and I may be wrong, it is the Tetragrammaton (Y-H-W-H) which falls under this prohibition, as in the olden days it might have been used to perform magic and that was seen as disrespectful by the priesthood. Even writing it down was prohibited and it could only be uttered by the High Priest under certain circumstances, during a specific ritual.
3) As for Elohim, I doubt that would fall under a similar prohibition as the Tetragrammaton, but do correct me if I'm wrong.

1) Yes, the Jewish perspective is interesting and more complex than you seem to be aware.
2) You talk about "this prohibition", but you have not specified which prohibitions you are referencing - spoken or written.
3) There are seven names of G-d, of which the tetragrammaton is one, the sanctity of those is such that prohibitions apply. Elohim is another one.

[NoOne]

Originally Posted by RabbiO

1) Yes, the Jewish perspective is interesting and more complex than you seem to be aware.
2) You talk about "this prohibition", but you have not specified which prohibitions you are referencing - spoken or written.
3) There are seven names of G-d, of which the tetragrammaton is one, the sanctity of those is such that prohibitions apply. Elohim is another one.

Thanks for your reply, excited to hear from an actual Rabbi. I am just a layperson and I know relatively little about Judaism, so I always enjoy the opportunity to learn more about it. I am more of a Mesopotamian Polytheist myself, but there is some connecting tissue between the two traditions, not least in terms of some ancient myths that are common to both traditions (such as the Flood, Garden of Eden, Creation of Man, etc...)

Regarding the prohibition to say God's name out loud, I wasn't aware that it applied to all 7 names, that is good to know. If I read that correctly, it would also apply in writing, not just in speech, am I right?