Why in several threads is the word G-d being written this way?
I think it’s to avoid offense.
Apparently some people can be offended by using God as opposed to G-d.
I dunno, that’s what I’ve read in the past on here.
It must be related to the Commandment saying you’re not supposed to use HIS name in vain. If you type out the full three letters, you used HIS name, probably in vain, and fundamentalists might feel offended.
Some people, particularly Jews, consider themselves forbidden to say the word “God”, and feel that it is wise to type “G-d” just to be on the sfae side.
It’s just being over-cautious of the third commandment. It’s not His actual name, but it is a pretty accurate way to describe Him, so just to be respectful, many Jews write it with the dash.
I’ve never seen it carried over into spoken language; it’s more an issue of “if I write it down, that’s fine, but what happens to the paper afterwards is beyond my control, so better not to risk it.”
No offense to you effac3d, as you can’t search on three-letter terms, but this question should really be in the FAQ, as we get this question about every three months…
Mods?
Zev Steinhardt
Earlier treatments of this question have included:
Quick “God” question (I hope) 06-18-1999
G-d 07-28-2000
Why is it G-d but not L-rd? 09-16-2000
Additional information may be found at:
Who named God? 09-16-2000
(This includes an uncorrected claim that the current Hebrew bible is a translation of an earlier Greek work, but most of the rest of the information is good.)
And amidst a number of smart-alec remarks, What is God’s Name? also provided some good information.
(This question is rather hard to research, since the SDMB search engine collapses “g-d” to “gd” and even “g-d” does not meet the four-character minimum for a search argument. I hope a few folks bookmark this thread.)
I prefer tetragrammaton or Adonai. G-d just looks silly, like someone deflated the vowel.
I admit I freak out when I see people type YMMV because if I read too quickly I think they were writing YHVH.
oops…
Should Jews pray to Allah? 10-10-2001
Another factor is that it’s considered disrespectful to allow His name, in written form, to be destroyed, so anytime you write the Name down, you had best be very careful about what subsequently happens to that paper. If you can’t control what happens to it, you use some form of circumlocution.
Now, there are some nitpicks, here: First, that isn’t one of His official names or titles listed in the Hebrew scriptures (being in the wrong language, for starters). Second, it’s not clear whether posting something on the Internet constitutes writing, and third, even if it does, it’s not clear what constitutes “destruction” in that case. So it’s unclear whether this rule applies. In general, though, when it’s unclear whether a rule applies, the traditional Jewish response is to play it safe.
On the less reverent side, some people say “G-d” (or “G.d.”) when cursing mildly as as an alternative to really taking the Lord’s name in vain. That is, saying you know…“Godfrey Daniel”.