Among the many things that churchy folk do that perplex me is the habit they all seem to have of capitalizing the words ‘him’ or ‘he’ when they refer to God.
Last year I got into a digital fender bender with a student from Patrick Henry College over the fact they had deleted a comment I left on their blog because I hadn’t capitalized the word god, or God if you will.
It seemed like a draconian step to take over what was simply a typo, but the student insisted that my comment had to be removed because by not capitalizing his name I had dishonored the almighty.
Well, fair enough. I can understand capitalizing God, Jesus, Allah, Krishna, Devudu, Shang Ti or any of his other names for that matter. That, after all, would be grammatically correct. But what then is the reasoning behind the rather bizarre practice of capitalizing the H when using the words ‘him’ or he’ in relation to God? Perhaps those churchy folk among you could shed some light on this for me.
—
Wrote the following comment on Nov 11, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Well, should you leave any comments on my blog I promise I won’t delete it for incorrect capitalisation.
However, I do as a rule capitalise pronouns that refer to God (although I may also add a “she” here and there). Basically (for me at least)it is a form of respect and recognition of the otherness of God.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 11, 2007 at 7:19 pm
For me, it’s a matter of not wanting to go to hell … or is it Hell? … damn, now I’m really confused.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 11, 2007 at 9:55 pm
It’s just a sign of respect. I’m sure in the end, God doesn’t have nervous fits because we’re not captilizing pronouns that refer to Him. I think the heart matters more to Him then my grammar.
Things like this are more traditional.. and for myself its a tradition that makes sense so I continue to use it. I like the idea of separating pronouns I use for God from pronouns I would use for everyday people, but that’s just me.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 11, 2007 at 10:46 pm
RYC : I for one am no longer a PHC student. thanks to God. You should read my blog a few blogs back, I have a few things to say about PHC… But MM’s movie isn’t bad.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 12, 2007 at 12:30 am
ok get the “whipping wet noodle out”
Grammatically although pronouns him,she,they and everyone are considered a pronoun, they are only capitalized when at the begining of a sentence. English is a contradictory language as far as grammar.
PS I havent read any previous comments. I just happen to speak/write my language correctly. EXCEPT of course everyone is entitled to “typos” :)
Wrote the following comment on Nov 12, 2007 at 7:53 am
It’s because God is the beginning of all things, and at the beginning syntax demands you put a capital.
So every time you refer to a god, you’re acknowledging a whole new beginning happens somewhere or somehow in the great cycles of death and rebirth – a turn of the wheel of Dharma – by capitalising the god’s name.
And by extension, for good measure because their are more beginnings than times you refer to Gods, you capitalise everything godly.
The Germans got it right by putting a capital at the beginning of every noun.
In Tamil, there are many gods, but no capital letters. I take it it’s because every letter is a capital, to reflect the number of Hindu gods and turns of wheels.
:-)
Wrote the following comment on Nov 12, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Having typed up quite a few song sheets for church groups in my life, I have had many an opportunity to type “He” or “he” in reference to God. I generally use “he” because Microsoft Word complains less about it since – as Barbie said – it is grammatically correct that way. And I don’t think God cares one way or the other.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 12, 2007 at 4:26 pm
i dont think people should be dogmatic about the capitalization (not that anyone HERE is being dogmatic – i mean dogmatic in the sense of coming down on someone else). sometimes i capitalize H because i am differentiating between another someone i’m talking about (example: “Frank loves to talk to Jesus. I watched as he spoke Him in the twilight.”)
sometimes i want to emphasize “he” so i will capitalize. a lot of times, i just capitalize it because i went to a christian school all my life and that’s what a couple of teachers taught me.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 12, 2007 at 4:34 pm
While the practice began culturally as a sign of respect (and a look through old hymnals will show that references of ‘Thee’ and ‘Thou’ are likewise capitalised), it has taken on a more subversive tone in this postcolonial age, as fundie Xians will insist references to THEIR deity be capitalised, while freely referring to Allah as ‘a god’ or ‘him.’
At the other end of the Xian spectrum, there are those who wish to capitalise gender references to God as an attempt to show that God is beyond conventional gender. Of course, to others this seems to create an uber-masculine God, which is even worse.
-ND
Wrote the following comment on Nov 13, 2007 at 12:43 am
In response to ^^^^ Nick or more of a question. Why are you using “X” in Christians? I thought more Christmas felt that was offensive due to taking “Christ” out of the word. This is more of an inquiry, not a criticism…and just out of curiosity.
I thought it ruffled feathers when people began to shorten Christmas by refering it as X-mas. So i am a little curious.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 13, 2007 at 2:09 am
Speaking as a student at a conservative Christian university of the sort that dot the Midwestern U.S. like a pox, I would say that, yes, abbreviations like ‘Xian’ and ‘Xmas’ piss a lot of conservative Christians off.
Speaking as a professing Christian looking for fulltime employment in the church, I would say that many of us simply do not care one way or the other.
-ND
Wrote the following comment on Nov 13, 2007 at 10:03 am
I would think Jesus would be more annoyed about the fact that we’ve depicted him as this home-erotic looking white man when in truth he would have looked more like Osama bin-Laden! Girly gay Jesus with his amazing glowing head has never made sense to me.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 13, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Reply to Nick Don- I live in TX where there are more Conservative Southern Baptist than any other sect. And that prob where I got the “pissed” opinions from. To me, because I am literal and getting older-usually takes me a while to figure out wth the word is :)
Simon- lol. I have never heard anyone call him “girly” Ummm maybe it is the style of art from the day. More than likely Da Vinici era is what youre refering to. I think anything older than that would have been drawings that you cant see very well anyways. The only paintings that make men appear “bad or manly” are of Kings and Tyrants. Maybe it is done on purpose to make him appear “angelic and holy”
Wrote the following comment on Nov 13, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Well in that case san francisco is RAMMED full of angles! :-)
Wrote the following comment on Nov 13, 2007 at 7:47 pm
I just treat “God” as I would any other name and any other name would get capitilisation would never bother with the h caps though.
p.s. – did you mean to say angles instead of angels?
Wrote the following comment on Nov 14, 2007 at 12:50 am
I do the capital thing out of a general respect and adoration, but like Marz I wouldn’t get ‘all up in someone’s grill’ for not capitalizing. That’s just not cricket.
And that rendering of “Christ” you had in your blog post is actually called the Sacred Heart, I believe. It’s sort of a Roman Catholic “iconography”.
By the way, you forgot to mention Ahura Mazda and Waheguru in your deity catalog. ;o)
Wrote the following comment on Nov 14, 2007 at 1:29 am
Actually Jonathon, I just picked a few of the better known names for the Gods. There are of course gazillions of them and you know. As for the painting, you have to wonder what the artist was thinking when he painted Jesus like that. Jesus obviously was the first gay icon.
Wrote the following comment on Nov 15, 2007 at 7:01 pm
– It’s a traditional sign of reverence.
– It’s a literary device that distinguishes God (holy, divine nature) from everything else. The word “holy” means “to be set apart; separated”–just as one would separate that which is deemed sacred from common, ordinary things. The deliberate capitalization of God’s name (and related pronouns) acknowledges this understanding.
In the same vein, we can ask why do many devout Jews write the Lord’s name as “G-d” or “YHWH” (an alternative spelling of “Yahweh”)? Is this a sign that these people can’t spell or that they have something against vowels? Or is it a reflection of an attitude of honour and respect towards Him? For anyone who’s interested in learning more, check out this Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_Judaism
Having been raised in a Christian home and as a regular church attendant, the practice of capitalizing the “h-word” is instinctual. I don’t even have to think twice about it and I would personally find it strange if I didn’t do it. That said, I recognize that not everyone has a Christian/churchy background. They may be wondering, “what’s the big deal?” (which is why I’m glad you asked the question in the first place, Simon). I also realize that in the rush to post/publish something, typos and writing shorthand are bound to happen (the Internet is rife with such examples). Giving attention to small, subtle details can often take a back seat to convenience. Just because someone DOES NOT capitalize the “h-word”, I don’t automatically assume that s/he hates God, has an irreverent, mocking spirit and possesses evil intent. I think I can detect those things by the tone or essence of what a person is actually saying.
I think the student from Patrick Henry College did go overboard. Is this blog open to the public? If it is, then it’s logical to expect that not everyone replying would carry the same views or habits as oneself. I can understand if there were certain rules for posting, such as “no profanity”, “no personal attacks”, “stay on topic”, etc…but to censor a viewpoint simply because you didn’t capitalize an “H”? I thought the purpose of a blog was to enter into DIALOGUE and SHARE THOUGHTS with others. Sheesh!