new personal rule for posting on rp:  never, ever capitalize anything.

 sirdroseph wrote: 
Grammatically speaking, that example should probably be lowercased because it's not referring to a specific god AND there's a lowercase word that can stand in for the capitalized. By that I mean

• There are a lot of Smiths in the phone book. I wonder how many of them are smiths.
• If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you may have to further specify that you live in The City.

 kurtster wrote: 



Here's how you set me off: you doubted the sincerity of my convictions. It's one thing to disagree with what I believe. That in itself doesn't offend me: most people are theists of some stripe, and that's fine by me. But it's a whole other matter to suggest I'm "hedging my bets" - that I lack the courage of my convictions, that we atheists are all cowards waiting for the right catastrophe to convert us.

People make cracks about atheists and foxholes. But if I were to suggest that it's easier to lose faith than find it, that there are more atheists converted by prayers not answered and justice not done than there are believers reborn in foxholes, I'd have believers all over me in the time it takes to type the post. It's not that discussing beliefs leads to arguments. It's that a failure to respect others' beliefs does.

I don't need to convince anyone that I'm right about atheism. Belief is a personal choice for every individual. But I won't stand by and have my integrity questioned over something as idiotically infinitesimal as whether I capitalize a word.

 kurtster wrote: 
I always thought it was proper grammar to denote the difference between polytheistic gods or a monotheistic God. That is the way I was taught in English never even considered it as having anything to do with belief at all. Quite frankly I don't even know where you come up with a notion like that.

 winter wrote: 
That's some funny shit right there.

 kurtster wrote: 
ha ha ha it amuses Me that you capitalize them. you must actually believe.
 
============

winter gave an exposition on why the usual name for the god of the Christian faith is often capitalized and it's all correct but the crux of it is: it is a proper noun.
 
winter also introduced the idea of respect for (tradition, others' beliefs) which I do think is irrelevant in this god/God case, but definitely applies when people capitalize the H when writing of He who is most high and His deeds. You may be amused by this or simply understand that it hews to tradition. It's not the "gotcha" that you seem to think it is.

 kurtster wrote:
 

 
Why capitalize, you ask?  Because it's accepted literary convention.

w. jw.

 winter wrote: 
My original remark was aimed at no one in particular.  I backscrolled and found many people who expressed disbelief in God yet capitalized the name at the same time.

It amused me, it really did.  I took it as a kind of hedging ones bets as Stu alluded to. 

I meant my original remark as a poke, not an attack.  I did not think that it was insensitive.

I guess that anytime one makes comments about others beliefs, even in general, they risk offending others.  Discussions of beliefs are destined to be circular and inconclusive.

At one time I believed in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

Now, the only two things I believe in 100% are Karma and a spiritual continuation after this corporeal existence.  I'm open to a higher power and if it is 'God', I'm OK with that.  The Golden Rule is an excellent moral guideline to aspire to.  Karma keeps me on the high road and avoiding the notions of hate and revenge. 

But I could be foolish and stupid.  It really might be he who has the biggest pile of toys at the end wins.  It might be that the ends justify the means.

In the end, I have learned that only Uncle Lomax needs to be capitalized, all else is optional and not to be misconstrued with assumptions.

 

g'nite

 kurtster wrote: 



I gave you several examples of beings whose existence no-one maintains, and whose names are yet properly capitalized. Perhaps if you are not too busy chuckling at my beliefs or questioning my grasp of appropriate English usage you could take a moment from your mirth and backscroll.

When we speak of God, we speak of one particular deity: not Zeus, not Allah, not Crom, but the deity revered by Christians. In that context, God is a proper noun, just like Donkey from the Shrek movies. (I don't know why I find myself thinking of donkeys just now. How curious.)

As for your proffering - I would proffer that you are demonstrating nearly equal skill in both linguistics and psychology. Add sensitivity to the nuances of human interdynamics and one could easily call you a polymath.

I don't speak for all atheists. For myself, I don't claim that the non-existence of gods is a proven fact. I assert that their existence is unproven, and I choose my beliefs accordingly. And I don't claim a monopoly on truth or reason. But I will claim an equal right to the respect of others for my beliefs, values, and sincerity.

 kurtster wrote:
Ohferchrissake...

Hard to tell what you're getting at, what with the winkie and all, but capitalizing "god" doesn't show respect to the deity (and what proven fact disputes any gods' existence?) it shows respect to that god's worshipers. Some of them get all bent when you cross them and burn your newspaper down.

Lack of proof of existence is not proof of lack of existence.

There are many gods to go with many religions. I don't believe in any of them...which is only one more than you.

 winter wrote: 
FYT

If one does not believe, then there are no dieties of any kind, worthy of respect or mention as real.  Why respect something contrary to a proven fact ?  There is no proof of a Judeo - Christian god, therefore he does not exist. 

I would proffer that capitalizing god by a non believer is a form of mocking the believer, especially when made in the same statement of non belief.  Even though Zeus and Jupiter were the top dogs of their respective believers, when they are discussed, they are never called God, they are refered to in the lowercase.  There is no more proof that the Judeo - Christian god exists than the Roman or Greek gods exists(ed).

I still find it amusing for non believers to capitalize god as if he is real.  To be consistent to non belief, the appropriate way to identify the nonbeing being discussed would be identify it as the Judeo - Christian god.  It is not disrespectul, it is honest.  There is no one true god if their is no belief in the first place.

 Lazy8 wrote: 



Of course. They are not apoetists.

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 



i forgot her. Hopefully that doesn't say anything about my beliefs.

 winter wrote:
I have a tidy little book of e.e. cummings' poetry published by Norton. They capitalized his name on the cover. Bastards.

 winter wrote: 
k d lang. I suppose you capitalize her just to tick her off.

 oldslabsides wrote: 



Certainly not archy, mehitabel, e.e. cummings, or my own username.

 kurtster wrote: 



Capitalizing God is a way to specify the individual deity worshipped by Judeo-Christian faiths in a respectful way - since many adherents of those faiths believe his name is sacred, and not to be used.

To sum up - God = the being worshipped by the Judeo-Christian sects; god = any deity.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
you better not be sending more Droppings

 oldslabsides wrote:

You who?