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Page: Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 ... 11, 12, 13 Next |
Red_Dragon
Location: Dumbf*ckistan
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Posted:
Jan 2, 2012 - 5:43am |
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new personal rule for posting on rp: never, ever capitalize anything.
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ScottFromWyoming
Location: Powell Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 2, 2012 - 5:39am |
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sirdroseph 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. 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.
But you can certainly capitalize your phrase too, because it can be read something like "I'm not a happy Scott." But that just goes back to it being used as a proper noun. Mono- vs. polytheistic gods doesn't even matter. Either.
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winter
Location: in exile, as always Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 2, 2012 - 5:25am |
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kurtster 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
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.
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sirdroseph
Location: Not here, I tell you wat Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 2, 2012 - 5:09am |
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kurtster wrote: Whereas capitalizing the names of ficticious characters is not an admission of a belief that they are real, capitalizing God is usually taken as an acknowledgement of His existence. Otherwise, god is just a generic notion, or dog spelled backwards.
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.
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ScottFromWyoming
Location: Powell Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 2, 2012 - 4:53am |
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winter wrote: (I don't know why I find myself thinking of donkeys just now. How curious.) That's some funny shit right there.
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ScottFromWyoming
Location: Powell Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 2, 2012 - 4:52am |
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kurtster wrote:At one time I believed in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. 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.
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ptooey
Location: right behind you. no, over there. Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 2, 2012 - 4:40am |
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kurtster wrote: Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.
Why capitalize, you ask? Because it's accepted literary convention.
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Red_Dragon
Location: Dumbf*ckistan
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Posted:
Jan 2, 2012 - 4:35am |
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w. jw.
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kurtster
Location: where fear is not a virtue Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 11:34pm |
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winter 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.
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
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winter
Location: in exile, as always Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 10:12pm |
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kurtster 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.
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.
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Lazy8
Location: The Gallatin Valley of Montana Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 10:05pm |
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kurtster 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. 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.
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kurtster
Location: where fear is not a virtue Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 9:54pm |
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winter 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 idea worshipped by the Judeo-Christian sects; god = any deity.
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.
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winter
Location: in exile, as always Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 9:44pm |
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Lazy8 wrote: winter wrote:Certainly not archy, mehitabel, e.e. cummings, or my own username.
I have a tidy little book of e.e. cummings' poetry published by Norton. They capitalized his name on the cover. Bastards.
Of course. They are not apoetists.
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winter
Location: in exile, as always Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 9:42pm |
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ScottFromWyoming wrote: k d lang. I suppose you capitalize her just to tick her off.
i forgot her. Hopefully that doesn't say anything about my beliefs.
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Lazy8
Location: The Gallatin Valley of Montana Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 9:40pm |
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winter wrote:Certainly not archy, mehitabel, e.e. cummings, or my own username.
I have a tidy little book of e.e. cummings' poetry published by Norton. They capitalized his name on the cover. Bastards.
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ScottFromWyoming
Location: Powell Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 9:28pm |
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winter wrote:
Certainly not archy, mehitabel, e.e. cummings, or my own username. k d lang. I suppose you capitalize her just to tick her off.
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winter
Location: in exile, as always Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 9:16pm |
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oldslabsides wrote: but no others.
Certainly not archy, mehitabel, e.e. cummings, or my own username.
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winter
Location: in exile, as always Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 9:14pm |
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kurtster wrote: Whereas capitalizing the names of ficticious characters is not an admission of a belief that they are real, capitalizing God is usually taken as an acknowledgement of His existence. Otherwise, god is just a generic notion, or dog spelled backwards.
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.
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Manbird
Location: La Villa Toscana Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 9:10pm |
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oldslabsides wrote: i wasn't talking to You. you better not be sending more Droppings
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Lazy8
Location: The Gallatin Valley of Montana Gender:
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Posted:
Jan 1, 2012 - 9:09pm |
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oldslabsides wrote:i wasn't talking to You.
You who?
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