God or god?

Newaglish

It's grammar time!

Is it correct when writing to say God or god? I always write God not out of respect but because I think it's a proper noun, referring to a specific person (well, not a person, but you get me).

I'm pretty hesitant to say 'He' instead of 'he' though. Referring to "Him" also looks weird to me.

Does anyone know the rules here?

mikhail

Newaglish wrote: »

It's grammar time!

Is it correct when writing to say God or god? I always write God not out of respect but because I think it's a proper noun, referring to a specific person (well, not a person, but you get me).

I'm pretty hesitant to say 'He' instead of 'he' though. Referring to "Him" also looks weird to me.

Does anyone know the rules here?

I think it's correct to say that God is the name of the god of the Catholics. He doesn't need his pronouns to start with a capital letter if you're not Catholic or starting a new sentence.

Dades

Usually "God" if it's singular as it denotes that we're talking specifically about the great popular monotheistic deity that is usually being addressed.

Use "god" or "gods" to denote any other non-specified deity or bunch of them.

I kinda apply the same to mod(s).

legspin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wogta8alHiU

Pay particular attention to the refrain.

robindch

Where I use the word at all, I tend to use 'god', by reference to 'gods', since the range of deities adored by the many sets of religious believers is more of a pantheon, than one specific character with an agreed set of specific attributes. Hence it's more of an improper noun, than a proper one.

That said, generally, I try to avoid using the term 'god' at all, and instead refer to the 'christian deity', the 'catholic deity', the 'islamic deity' and so on.

I disagree, btw, with the habit of taking a general term that applies to a range of objects/characters and applying it to a specific instance, then doubling-back and claiming that all objects/characters are instances or aspects of the specific. It's a common language trick of the religious and I think it should be discouraged

small g

but then it's me, i usually don't use capitals :pac:

Robert ninja

It's god for me as you can see by my post history, I'm usually always mentioning god as an idea, thing, it or the word used to describe the deities of all religions in the english language. I don't think it needs a capital letter unless it's the actual name of the god. Isn't it Yahweh for the god of the bible?? (and even that isn't confirmed). I would say Yahweh with a capital Y for the same reasons I write fictional characters' names from books and so on with capital letters.

The Mad Hatter

I usually get around the problem by referring to Yaweh, which is the proper name of the god of Christianity. I think referring to the Christian god as God suggests that he has some qualities of godliness that set him apart from the gods of other religions, and he doesn't.

mikhail

Robert ninja wrote: »

...Isn't it Yahweh for the god of the bible?? ...

Technically, sure. Good luck finding a Christian in this country who's ever used that name.

[-0-]

bluewolf wrote: »

small g

but then it's me, i usually don't use capitals :pac:

+1.

The only fictional character I will capitalize is Santa. I love that fat bastard.

MagicMarker

Tetragrammaton.

God is a Transformer.

Zombrex

God to refer to the Christian god, god to refer to a god and gods to refer to well gods.

English is kinda difficult in that, being heavily influenced by Christianity, uses the same word for the specific being and the general concept.

If I am concerned about confusion I would say deity.

It is fun to say "your god" to a Christian though when you know the answer will be "excuse me there is only one God"

Daftendirekt

I only capitalise the word when using it to refer to the Christian deity, since it's one of his names.

So if you're a Christian, I don't believe in God, but if you aren't, I don't believe in your god either.

bluewolf wrote: »

small g

but then it's me, i usually don't use capitals :pac:

The Grammar Gestapo will want a word with you. :eek:

The Mad Hatter

Daftendirekt wrote: »

bluewolf wrote: »

small g

but then it's me, i usually don't use capitals :pac:

The Grammar Gestapo will want a word with you. :eek:

bluewolf runs the Grammar Gestapo!

Yeah, I am the grammar gestapo. I just have a thing about capital letters sometimes.
:pac:

Undergod

MagicMarker wrote: »

Tetragrammaton.

God is a Transformer.

I may be wrong, but I assume it's meant to be a lion of judah.

Malari

Small g. But then I never really use god as a proper noun. I refer to "a god" all the time, as in "I don't believe in a god".

Jimoslimos

God
Zeus
Prophet (as in a title)

Even if you believe in none of them, they are proper nouns.
You could call me an evangelical grammarian!

Malari

Jimoslimos wrote: »

God
Zeus
Prophet (as in a title)

Even if you believe in none of them, they are proper nouns.
You could call me an evangelical grammarian!

Zeus, yes; God, only if you choose to use it that way.

Jimoslimos

Malari wrote: »

Zeus, yes; God, only if you choose to use it that way.

Yes when God is the god Christians are referring to. Otherwise a god, gods, etc.

Subject pronouns, he, his and him, should always be used with lowercase, unless at the beginning of a sentence.