____________ G O D vs G-D _____________
By the way, I want to educate some Christians about something. I didn't know this until I married my husband. When you read something from a Jewish perspective and God is written as G-D or L-ord, it is not meant to be a slam or blasphemy. Quite the contrary:
- *The custom of substituting the word "God" with G-d in English is based on the traditional practice in Jewish law of giving God's Hebrew name a high degree of respect and reverence. God's Hebrew name (and many of the stand-in names used to refer to God) cannot be erased or destroyed when written or printed.
- There is no prohibition in Jewish law against writing out or erasing the word "God" in English. However, many Jews have afforded the word "God" with the same level of respect as the Hebrew equivalents. Because of this, many Jews substitute "God with G-d so that they can erase or dispose of the writing without showing disrespect to God. Some Jews also use G!d in the same way, utilizing the exclamation point to convey their enthusiasm for Judaism and God.*
* reference: http://judaism.about.com/od/judaismbasics/a/Why-Do-Some-Jews-Spell-God-G-D.htm