Originally posted by Dr StrangeloveCapitalization is a convention of the language. Bibles in their original language usually do not have the capitalization - if it's the original Hebrew or Aramaic, these languages don't have any capitals at all.
It's a name - capitalise it in the same way as Bruce or Alan.
edit:bible.com is wrong.
edit2: unless it's an URL.
edit3: every real bible[ie made of paper] I've seen has used He.
Originally posted by Dr StrangeloveIf you were doing an essay for a religious school, then maybe that would be the case, and the right usage.
There's supposedly only one He, whereas any male is a he.
If it is for anywhere else, then a more objective approach, and the use of 'he' would make more sense.
I looked in Writing: A Concise Handbook and it wasn't mentioned at all. I found this online at http://www.sparknotes.com/writing/style/topic_36.html:
Religious Words
The question of whether or not to capitalize religious words is an individual one. SparkNotes capitalizes God but does not capitalize he or his in relation to God.
• In Sunday school, the kids study God and His word.
• In Sunday school, the kids study God and his word.
Originally posted by Dr StrangeloveAs I said, it's a matter of faith. There are numerous religions which wouldn't recognise He as anything more than a grammatical mistake.
It's the same as "earth" and "Earth" - different meanings.
"He" in the middle of a sentence means only one entity.
"he" means any male.
"He" is a name.
Its also a bit pompous of you to assume that everybody knows that you refer to your god as "He". Just another example of the self importance and egotism of some christians.
D
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Originally posted by RagnorakI don't have a God.
As I said, it's a matter of faith. There are numerous religions which wouldn't recognise He as anything more than a grammatical mistake.
Its also a bit pompous of you to assume that everybody knows that you refer to your god as "He". Just another example of the self importance and egotism of some christians.
D
And anyway God isn't necessarily Christian. [or christian]
Originally posted by RagnorakActually, no -- It was taught as a grammar rule in public schools in the US in the 1960s and early 70s at least. We weren't taught "if you're not Christian this doesn't apply to you," so it's nice of the OP to be thinking about it for himself.
Its also a bit pompous of you to assume that everybody knows that you refer to your god as "He". Just another example of the self importance and egotism of some christians.
D
Originally posted by DestinyRestoredIt depends on context. Capitalizing God, He and His is not a grammatical rule as much as custom among believers (and non-believers who choose to conform). The He/His question will become irrelevant when we find out that God is a woman. 🙂
This is not typed using proper grammar so please forgive me. When using pronouns, refering to God or Jesus or another higher spiritual being, is it always appropriate to capitolize these pronouns even if they fall in the middle or end of the sentence. I ask this because I wrote a paper on my personal growth and made several reference to God as He thr ...[text shortened]... anyone know the actual rule. Thanks. Again sorry for the spelling and grammar its 2:41 am here.
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Originally posted by Dr StrangeloveDifferent meanings - yes. A name - no.
It's the same as "earth" and "Earth" - different meanings.
"He" in the middle of a sentence means only one entity.
"he" means any male.
"He" is a name.
Edit: Although "he" also usually means one specific entity, so the difference in meaning isn't very clear either. I think the idea is that some people don't want to use the same word for God as for a mere human.
Originally posted by NordlysFirstly I'm talking about the teaching of grammar in English [or British maybe] schools when I was there.
Different meanings - yes. A name - no.
Edit: Although "he" also usually means one specific entity, so the difference in meaning isn't very clear either. I think the idea is that some people don't want to use the same word for God as for a mere human.
He [capital H] in the middle of a sentence can only mean God, therefore it is a name. On the other hand "he" in the middle of a sentence means the person would have to have been mentioned first for it to make sense.
This has nothing whatsoever to do with religion.
Originally posted by Dr StrangeloveSo, is God's name He, or is it His, or Him? Or maybe Himself? No matter whether you capitalize it or not, it's still a pronoun, a word standing for a name, but not a name itself. Therefore it isn't treated like a name grammatically either, but like a pronoun.
Firstly I'm talking about the teaching of grammar in English [or British maybe] schools when I was there.
He [capital H] in the middle of a sentence can only mean God, therefore it is a name. On the other hand "he" in the middle of a sentence means the person would have to have been mentioned first for it to make sense.
This has nothing whatsoever to do with religion.
Yes, it does have to do with religion. If we'd see God (or a god) as a "he" just like any other "he", there wouldn't be a reason to refer to him in a different way. I can't think of any grammatical reason why "he" should be capitalized when it refers to God. It's a convention, just like spelling "I" with a capital is a convention.