God...not G-d

[grumple]

In light of the many perversions and jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayton asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding the attacks on Sept. 11). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?" In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school ... the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. The school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued (there's a big difference between disciplining, touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.). And we said OK. Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said OK. Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said OK

Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. Agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.

Then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body. And we said OK. And then someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then further again by making them available on the Internet. And we said OK, they're entitled to free speech.

Then the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. Let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes. And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they WILL think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in!

[HairOfTheDog]

How can God be offended by someone respectfully spelling his name that we human use for him?

You are misconstruing the motive.... I am not one that follows this belief, but I find it quite reverent and interesting. I said this also above, but I will expand a little here:

In this belief, Holy books spell out the word God, and they are treasured and not discarded without respect. The tradition is to not put God's name on writings that are temporary and informal, not to be kept, that will be thrown away. In this way, God's name appears only on what is holy, and is never made trite or common. If one is reading the word God, they will know that they are indeed reading a serious and holy book.

It is like the truists regarding the American flag, those who think it is improper to put the image of the flag on clothing or other items that will not treat that image with the respect a flag should have. These garments are allowed to touch the ground, get dirty, aren't always folded and when worn out are thrown in the trash. To some, this is disrespectful of the image of the flag. Not all patriots follow that etiquette to the letter, feeling proud to wear the flag on a bandana or a shirt... But some do follow it, and their failure to not wear a flag shirt is not a failure to be a good patriot by any stretch. Same with the writing of the word G-d.

[bondserv]

Thanks for your responses. You have made some good points in this post.

I believe an examination of Christ's method of persuading others to believe the truth was foremost in the founders minds. Many of them felt that by creating a haven for free thought, including Christian thought, many would come to know Jesus.

Eliminating Christian thinking in schools would be considered insanity for the Republic by the founders.

As you know Jesus did not go to Rome and conquer the Romans, rather He persuaded people to be personally accountable and to rely on God's strength and goodness to change their lives.

[hellinahandcart]

There are some here who are simply never going to get past how the spelling "seemed" to them, even after they've heard the explanation. But, kudos for trying...

[CrystalClear]

You sir are correct...I'll bet many Freepers on this thread leave their flag flying every night without a light on it.

I have seen many Freepers pics here on threads "wearing" clothing that looks as tho it was "fashioned" from a flag. Bandanas are one of the more offensive items seen.

IT is disgraceful to WEAR a flag as a piece of clothing.

I also use G-d, out of respect to G-d and I am not using a written item to "represent him" on paper. His name belongs on the lips of the faithful and in the Holy Bible.

[HairOfTheDog]

I have found it to be a really cool tradition since the first time I heard it explained. There are many very cool small rituals that people do that show reverence and continued devotion to their belief system.... This is just one of those.

[hellinahandcart]

Frankly, if I were God, I'd be miffed that someone wouldn't spell it out.

Wow. We'll just copy that sentence right into the dictionary under "reverent", if that's okay with you.

[HairOfTheDog]

I thought it was a good analogy to help people 'get it'....

You're welcome! but for the record I am a 'miss' or a 'ma'am' [shudder], but never a sir! (Hehe)

[bondserv]

"George Washington was a model for us of Christian persuasion as opposed to Christian Bible thumpage."

Why do you say that?

President Washington spoke the truth often and with love. One can have the most brilliant, unassailable arguments, but if those arguments are not made in the context of love and dignity it is a clanging cymbal to those who disagree.

The Founders understood that Jesus put a premium on freedom, for He is the giver of free will. If Jesus wanted to force the truth on the world He would have took Rome.

I am reminded of G.W. Bush's speech at the Chinese University in China. He schooled them on the meaning of freedom, planting the seed of no longer having to be a slave to this world.

Jesus wants us to freely choose to spend eternity with Him, those who choose to reject or ignore what He has to say are free to choose their destiny.

The United States has been a Haven for freedom and Christian thought, believing anything else is denial of the truth. Not that I am claiming you (MEGoody) have denied that claim.

[William Terrell]

I'd reckon this would make it tough for Israel to have a Navy.

Likewise make it tough for anyone to hold a straight face.

[William Terrell]

Bibles can be discarded. Happens all the time. One person's holy book is another's novel. I don't think God has been consulted in the matter.

[HairOfTheDog]

Bibles can be discarded. Happens all the time.

So can flags. But those who believe in reverence and respect towards them have rituals for doing that in a way that continues to show that respect.... Torahs and bibles are buried in ritual, I believe, in the same mood as worn and torn flags are burned quietly.

[bondserv]

I agree with you on some level. Clearly they were being careful not to allow a Single Christian group to rule the government, because of all of the issues with this in Europe.

However they were being more cautious to limit the freedom of religious expression both among Christians as well as other beliefs of conscience.

An interesting piece that deals with the religious amendments Congressional Debates: Religious Amendments, 1789.

[bondserv]

to limit = to not limit

[William Terrell]

Deu 12:3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

Deu 12:4 Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.

I was simply noting some references in response to your request

But I didn't see any examples in your post, just someone talking about the reason it is done, not when. But this passage, the name of God whould not be written on buildings, money or anything else because they are material and pass away. Even holy books writings are discarded, and whose to say they are not discarded "disrespectfully"?

Precisely when did the Jews adopt the practice of not writing out the name of God? Can you provide a Hebrew or Greek example? When is the first occurance of an example in another language? The above passage is old, do we have some examples as old?

Did the practice start upon the inscription of that passage? Were there Jews condemed to Hell for writing the name of God between the time that passage came down and when the custom went into effect?

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't think God has been consulted in the matter.

Asked aften, but perhaps not everyone feels adequately answered all the time.

This 'G-d' detail is not a belief system, but one of hopefully many rituals of life that ground us a little in our daily lives, and remind us what we believe in some small way.... All surviving cultures have their traditions... it holds them together.

"You may ask, how did this tradition get started? - I'll tell you.... I don't know!

But it is a tradition, and because of our traditions, everyone of us knows who he is, and what G-d expects him to do." ~Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof.

[PatrioticAmerican]

A little judgemental, are you?

[CrystalClear]

OK lil missy!

:)

[Hinoki Cypress]

I've always wondered about this; thanks for the explanation.

[PatrioticAmerican]

And for the same reason, people bow their eyes before kings.

It is a silly tradition to overstate a persons subordination out of some distorted belief that doing so is respectful.

We don't preach about God enough as it is, and there are people willing to not even say or write his English name. There sis no wonder there has been a loss of involvement with God in our society, we are even afraid to say his name.

[MEGoody]

"There sis no wonder there has been a loss of involvement with God in our society, we are even afraid to say his name."

I agree, the name of Jesus should be spoken by the faithful as often as possible.

But I would like to point out that God is not His name, but a statement of His nature, (e.g. we are human, He is God). Not that it makes any difference. He knows who we are talking to. :)