# Capitalization as a form of respect **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 29, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354 "2016-11-29T02:20:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/21 "2016-11-29T16:45:29Z")
The thing that pisses me off is the folks who misspell Allah starting with a “g”. They often get the capitalization right but the rest is all wrong. How viciously disrespectful is that? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/22 "2016-11-29T17:01:09Z")
> [@joyfool](#): > > Learn something new every day. I’m a Christian and I had no idea you were supposed to capitalize The Bible. Really? I think it’s supposed to be “the Bible”, but then, it’s also “the Encyclopedia Britannica” or “Gulliver’s Travels”. Titles in English still tend to use more capitals than other types of names. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/23 "2016-11-29T17:38:42Z")
On the other hand, if you refer to the flagship public university in Ohio, you’d damned well better capitalize the article, so that it’s called The Ohio State University. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/24 "2016-11-29T19:54:13Z")
Don Marquis didn’t capitalise his archy and mehitabel poems because cockroaches can’t use the shift key. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/25 "2016-11-29T20:17:09Z")
Don’t some people write “He” when referring to Jesus? Not sure why, other than to give Him more respect. ---
**Author:** ![pianodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e79b87/32.png) [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/26 "2016-11-29T20:53:50Z")
I am learning a lot! Thanks, SD. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/27 "2016-11-29T23:28:29Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Every once in a while I’ll see someone refuse to capitalize “god” or “the bible” in a discussion here. I’m never quite sure what their point is, but I think it looks ignorant and/or petty. I frequently don’t capitalize “god”, but that’s because I’m an atheist. When I refer to “god” I’m not necessarily referring to the deity that you believe in. But maybe I’m wrong. When you refer to Jupiter or Ares, do you refer to them as “Gods” or as “gods”? I do capitalize “Jesus Christ” because that’s a proper name ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/28 "2016-11-30T00:36:33Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I frequently don’t capitalize “god”, but that’s because I’m an atheist. When I refer to “god” I’m not necessarily referring to the deity that you believe in. > > But maybe I’m wrong. When you refer to Jupiter or Ares, do you refer to them as “Gods” or as “gods”? > > I do capitalize “Jesus Christ” because that’s a proper name My attitude precisely. Thor smash unbelievers!! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/29 "2016-11-30T00:40:57Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I frequently don’t capitalize “god”, but that’s because I’m an atheist. When I refer to “god” I’m not necessarily referring to the deity that you believe in. > > But maybe I’m wrong. When you refer to Jupiter or Ares, do you refer to them as “Gods” or as “gods”? > > I do capitalize “Jesus Christ” because that’s a proper name Well, a proper name and a title… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/30 "2016-11-30T00:55:04Z")
> [@joyfool](#): > > Learn something new every day. I’m a Christian and I had no idea you were supposed to capitalize The Bible. Really? “Bible” is usually capitalized when referring to that specific book/collection of books, as you do with all proper nouns. But if you write, I dunno, “_The Complete Joy of Homebrewing_ is the bible for all aspiring homebrewers,” you would leave it lowercase. Stylistically, it depends on if you’re using it as a proper or common noun. “Bible” in lowercase refers to a text considered authoritative to a particular subject. Uppercase it refers to either the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) or the Old and New Testaments in a Christian context. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/31 "2016-11-30T01:29:35Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Don’t some people write “He” when referring to Jesus? Not sure why, other than to give Him more respect. Probably more than “some people”…I think it’s pretty much the standard among Christians, at least in the English-speaking world. In every version of the Bible with which I’m familiar, references to God (including references to Jesus or the Holy Spirit) which use pronouns (He, Him, His) are always with a capital H. And, similarly, any printed material I’ve ever seen in a Christian church (hymnals, prayer books, bulletins, etc.) do the same. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/32 "2016-11-30T04:04:05Z")
Thanks, all. I’ve never capitalized it, but I always do with He or Him or His. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/33 "2016-11-30T04:39:22Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Don’t some people write “He” when referring to Jesus? Not sure why, other than to give Him more respect. [The Holy Observer Guide to Christian Capitalization](http://www.holyobserver.com/detail.php?isu=v01i08&art=caps) advises > [@](#): > > As a general rule, when in doubt, Capitalize! Writing about God is serious business, and it would be better to capitalize a word that does not refer to God than to miss out on blessings by not capitalizing. 😉 > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Probably more than “some people”…I think it’s pretty much the standard among Christians, at least in the English-speaking world. > > In every version of the Bible with which I’m familiar, references to God (including references to Jesus or the Holy Spirit) which use pronouns (He, Him, His) are always with a capital H. And, similarly, any printed material I’ve ever seen in a Christian church (hymnals, prayer books, bulletins, etc.) do the same. That may depend on what kinds of churches you’ve been going to. I think it’s less common nowadays than it used to be. To me it looks sort of old-fashioned. I found [this cite](https://www.evangelicalpress.com/doug-pronouns/) on the Evangelical Press Association website noting that different people do it differently. > [@](#): > > Like you, I was raised to capitalize pronouns that refer to God. And like you, I’ve seen a shift away from this practice. That writer notes that the King James Version does not capitalize pronouns that refer to God. According to what [BibleGateway](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205&version=KJV;NIV;NKJV;RSV) shows me, neither the KJV, the New International Version, nor the Revised Standard Version (all commonly used by Protestant Christians) capitalize pronouns for God; but the New King James Version does. (Though I don’t know whether what shows up on that website reflects all printed editions of those Bible versions.) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/34 "2016-12-02T09:40:18Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I frequently don’t capitalize “god”, but that’s because I’m an atheist. When I refer to “god” I’m not necessarily referring to the deity that you believe in. > > But maybe I’m wrong. When you refer to Jupiter or Ares, do you refer to them as “Gods” or as “gods”? > > I do capitalize “Jesus Christ” because that’s a proper name I’ve seen two different schools of thought on this. Some treat “God” as the English name of the Judaeo-Christian god, due to a lack of any other accepted names. (And some will treat Allah the same way, as it is arguably the same God, but Allah is only a Muslim concept.) Others treat God as the term for any monotheistic God, and reserve the lowercase for a polytheistic system. So Jupiter is a god, but, say, [Shangdi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangdi) is God. And, yes, when capitalized, it is used more like a name, since an indefinite article implies there can be more than one. (Though, as the article says, Shangdi is more often translated as Heaven. But still capitalized.) ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/35 "2016-12-02T18:11:45Z")
Just stopped in to say: I RESPECT THE HELL OUT OF ALL OF YOU!!! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/36 "2016-12-02T18:24:33Z")
Thank you for that! We all know the SDMB is woefully undercapitalized. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/37 "2016-12-02T18:51:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The thing that pisses me off is the folks who misspell Allah starting with a “g”. They often get the capitalization right but the rest is all wrong. How viciously disrespectful is that? 😃 They misspell Allah as “[Gallah](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gallah)”? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354/38 "2016-12-02T19:29:19Z")
In the same vein, it kind of bugs me when people refer to “Black” people or “White” people (rather than “black” or “white.”) In some circles, they capitalize “Black” but not “white.” I don’t think either should be capitalized (they’re not proper nouns nor official names of races) but if it’s going to be done it should be consistent (and also include “Brown” people). I assume it’s supposed to be a respect thing, but it just seems a little odd to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalization-as-a-form-of-respect/773354.md?page=1)