Billbert’s Short Display Name
Okay, here’s a question. Let’s say you, or a third party, or a character in a story, are taking the name of the Lord in vain. The Holy Trinity is considered an entity, so when you refer to God, begging forgiveness or cursing misfortune, you use a capital G.
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Apr 2 at 7:12pmFedica
Show threadBillbert’s Short Display Name1d ago

Or do you? Because one thing I noticed in *cough* SOME BOOKS I’VE BEEN READING RECENTLY *ahem* is oaths formatted like: “Oh god!”

Well, THAT’s a choice. Is this an assertion that the Father/Son/Holy Ghost doesn’t actually exist? Or exclaiming to any Greek god within earshot?
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Show threadCharles Castleberry1d ago

@billbert I always refer to “gods”, plural. Because (a) I’ve seen monotheisms do too much harm, and (b) my tiny, finite, incarnate mind can’t possibly comprehend whatever the vastness of the divine is, so it seems like the rankest hubris to claim that I can name and number it.

Thus, “oh gods”, “gods damn”, etc. It throws some folks, but I can live with that. 😇

In my fiction writing, my characters have similar reasons, unless they’re specifically monotheists, and then it’s Capital-G “God”.