Followers of Islam, Jews, and Christians all believe in one god.
Should the word "god" be capitalized?
Posted by ricree101 (Member # 7749) on :
Edit: Odd.. for some reason I read the question as "can the word god be capitalized". Kind of ruins the joke when read in the correct way, so I got rid of it.
[ October 14, 2008, 02:39 PM: Message edited by: ricree101 ]
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
Depends on context. I probably would not capitalize god unless I was specifically referring to God in a religious context and assumed that my audience would make that leap as well. For example, if I were using that sentence as part of a liturgy or a prayer.
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
I only capitalize it if I'm using it as a proper name.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
How do you know that people who follow Jews and Christians believe in one god? Who says that the monotheists have a monopoly on stalking?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
It depends on whether you are living in the 19th century or not.
Seriously, in that sentence, arguments about its veracity aside, I would not capitalize the word "god."
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
(I am puzzled as to why you didn't say "Muslims" though. I would either say "followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity" or "Muslims, Jews, and Christians." Though "adherents" might be better than "followers.")
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
By "one god" do you mean they all believe in the same god, or that each religion is monotheistic? There's a bit of ambiguity in the way you said it.
I would keep "god" lowercase.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: (I am puzzled as to why you didn't say "Muslims" though. I would either say "followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity" or "Muslims, Jews, and Christians." Though "adherents" might be better than "followers.")
I don't actually teach Islam for two days, I don't want to confuse my students so I am trying to use the same term for tomorrow.
Sounds like lowercase wins, that is what I was going to do. However the sentence on the test uses uppercase.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Well, then, I would say "followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity."
Otherwise you get Noemon's situation with stalkers. Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by advice for robots: By "one god" do you mean they all believe in the same god, or that each religion is monotheistic? There's a bit of ambiguity in the way you said it.
I would keep "god" lowercase.
In this case I am saying they are monotheistic.
When I teach Islam I will say that Muslims believe that they all worship the same god.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: Well, then, I would say "followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity."
Otherwise you get Noemon's situation with stalkers.
I will switch it to Judaism, that does make more sense.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: Well, then, I would say "followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity."
Otherwise you get Noemon's situation with stalkers.
Yep. That was what I was trying to get at (albeit in a fairly oblique sort of way).
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
Now....to explain to my class with a Jew for Jesus in it that Judaism doesn't believe in Jesus....
Wish me luck!
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Don't use the phrase "Jews don't believe in Jesus", go with "Jews do not believe Jesus was the son of God or the Messiah." You could add "Judaism teaches the absolute oneness of God and considers it a sin to worship other God's or manifestations of God like Jesus."
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
"God's or"? Is that a heraldic or, as in "Gules, a lion rampant or crowned or bearing an axe or bladed argent", or some other kind of or belonging to your god? And I must say I think the Jews have a point, if I thought a god existed I wouldn't waste my time worshipping its 'or', whatever kind it was.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Oh I dunno. If I were innocent, I'd direct my prayers to God the Just. And if I were guilty, I'd send 'em to God the Merciful. Etc.
Same thing with most Hindus, except different Aspects of the One God are more clearly differentiated.
[ October 16, 2008, 12:46 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
How about, "Adherents of the Islamic, Christian, and Judaic religions are all monotheistic."
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yes, but then they might have to break out a (gasp!) dictionary. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Scott R: How about, "Adherents of the Islamic, Christian, and Judaic religions are all monotheistic."
How about "Adherents of the Islamic, Christian, and Judaic religions are all monotheists."
It's the religions themselves that are monotheistic.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Noemon's right-- it's better phrased like this, I think:
Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are monotheistic.
I would have said 'monotheistic religions' but that seems a bit redundant.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Rabbit: Don't use the phrase "Jews don't believe in Jesus", go with "Jews do not believe Jesus was the son of God or the Messiah." You could add "Judaism teaches the absolute oneness of God and considers it a sin to worship other God's or manifestations of God like Jesus."
Actually, no. I'd go with "Jews don't believe in Jesus". Your version allows too much ambiguity.
Posted by ricree101 (Member # 7749) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lisa:
quote:Originally posted by The Rabbit: Don't use the phrase "Jews don't believe in Jesus", go with "Jews do not believe Jesus was the son of God or the Messiah." You could add "Judaism teaches the absolute oneness of God and considers it a sin to worship other God's or manifestations of God like Jesus."
Actually, no. I'd go with "Jews don't believe in Jesus". Your version allows too much ambiguity.
Yeah, that version seems (to me, anyways) to strongly imply that Jewish people accept Jesus as a manifestation of their god, but don't believe in worshiping him.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Exactly.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
I wouldn't bring up Jesus in reference to Judaism at all.
If someone asked I'd say something along the lines of "Jesus is not a part of the Jewish belief-system."
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by dkw: I wouldn't bring up Jesus in reference to Judaism at all.
If someone asked I'd say something along the lines of "Jesus is not a part of the Jewish belief-system."
Yeah, but he was talking about a class with a J4J in it. They exist to blur the distinction, and unfortunately, they sort of force the issue.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
And you'd like Stephan to invalidate that student's belief system for him?
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Well, yes. Of course I would.
But even setting that aside, Stephan wrote: "Now....to explain to my class with a Jew for Jesus in it that Judaism doesn't believe in Jesus.... Wish me luck!" We weren't discussing whether he should do that or not; we were discussing how to do it.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I think implicit in that question is "how to do this tactfully, without offending or challenging the faith of the student involved."
Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
Well, in that case, he might do better to make a distinction between those who are religious Jews and follow the Jewish faith, and those who are cultural Jews, like J4J, and are Jewish in background only. At least that's how I've always seen J4J. I could be wrong. They're still Jewish in that they were born and raised that way, but they follow Christianity.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: I think implicit in that question is "how to do this tactfully, without offending or challenging the faith of the student involved."
Why? I mean, I get the tactfully part, but if the student's "faith" is simply a technique for trying to get Jews to apostasize, challenging it can only be a good thing.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
quote:
quote:I wouldn't bring up Jesus in reference to Judaism at all. If someone asked I'd say something along the lines of "Jesus is not a part of the Jewish belief-system."
Yeah, but he was talking about a class with a J4J in it. They exist to blur the distinction, and unfortunately, they sort of force the issue.
Except it would be most true in the sense that people don't believe chairs. "...chairs exist! But I don't go around believing in them..." -- Nanny Ogg
[ October 26, 2008, 08:38 AM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tinros: Well, in that case, he might do better to make a distinction between those who are religious Jews and follow the Jewish faith, and those who are cultural Jews, like J4J, and are Jewish in background only. At least that's how I've always seen J4J. I could be wrong. They're still Jewish in that they were born and raised that way, but they follow Christianity.
Actually, most J4Js aren't actually Jewish. Some are, yes, but most of them are Christians who claim that their Christian faith makes them the true Israel. Some of them admit this; others don't.
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tinros: Well, in that case, he might do better to make a distinction between those who are religious Jews and follow the Jewish faith, and those who are cultural Jews, like J4J, and are Jewish in background only. At least that's how I've always seen J4J. I could be wrong. They're still Jewish in that they were born and raised that way, but they follow Christianity.
I don't know any J4J personally, but I was under the impression that this is rarely the case.
Edit: or, what Lisa said (who'd a thunk I'd ever say that! )
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
I work with one J4J, and my wife works with 2 that that all converted into it from a Christian faith.
Turns out it wasn't an issue for me anyways. The boy was adopted by Jewish parents, and is being raised Baptist by his biological grandmother. I made the wrong assumption based on statements he had made.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
I did have fun today, being an Atheist teaching the history of Christianity to a mostly Christian class.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:if the student's "faith" is simply a technique for trying to get Jews to apostasize, challenging it can only be a good thing.
I'm pretty sure it's not the job of a teacher to decide which faiths deserve to be publicly invalidated.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Seriously?!
Crap!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Icky, what did you do now?!?
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Don't distract me--I'm looking out for noodly appendages!
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson:
quote:if the student's "faith" is simply a technique for trying to get Jews to apostasize, challenging it can only be a good thing.
I'm pretty sure it's not the job of a teacher to decide which faiths deserve to be publicly invalidated.
Though in my opinion (and the opinion of many Christian groups by the way) J4J is inherently deceitful, I would never say so to a child. In this case I do agree with you.
I know the subject will come up one day in my class. I will simply tell the student the same thing I tell my Jehovah Witness I have this year. While I do teach Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, it would be impossible to teach every movement, sect and branch of each. I tell my students I will teach them what the vast majority of each religion believes in.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Stephan: While I do teach Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, it would be impossible to teach every movement, sect and branch of each. I tell my students I will teach them what the vast majority of each religion believes in.
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Yep. That was what I was trying to get at (albeit in a fairly oblique sort of way).
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