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First World Atheist Problems. (i.imgur.com)
submitted 19 hours ago by varukasalt
[–]junkeee999 42 points43 points44 points 13 hours ago
Capitalizing God is not a statement on whether you believe in God. It's just grammar. You capitalize proper nouns, even if they are fictitious. By capitalizing Santa Claus you are not advocating for his existence.
[–]BankerWhoLeavesAt420 1 point2 points3 points 10 hours ago
if you're talking about the Christian God, then yes. But if you're saying god as in deity, then you don't.
[–]Anonymous3542 0 points1 point2 points 2 hours ago
That's because other gods don't use "god" as a name, so it's not a proper noun. For example, if you were to say "the Christian god," then you're referring to his status as a deity, and not his name (thus, not capitalized.) If you were to say "I don't believe in God," then you're specifying the Christian god using his name. You could argue that technically his name is Yahweh, but from a grammatical perspective it doesn't matter so long as you are using "God" as a name.
[–]BankerWhoLeavesAt420 -2 points-1 points0 points 56 minutes ago
that's wrong. let's say you're an american named bob. would you say that American guy bob? no. If you say I don't believe in god, the g isn't capitalized because you haven't specified that you're talking about the Christian God, you can be talking about any monotheistic religion.
[–]Anonymous3542 0 points1 point2 points 31 minutes ago
What? Bob is a name. It doesn't stop being a name when you add "American guy" to it, so it's always capitalized. I think you're missing the distinction between God as a name and god as a status. "He is God." vs. "He is a god." I'll admit it's a little confusing because the Christian god is a god AND uses it as a name (or at least his followers use it that way).
If you say "I don't believe in God" then it must be capitalized because that's his name, not because he's the Christian god. If you were to say "I don't believe in a god," or even "the god," it's not capitalized because the "god" in this sense is the word, not the name.
Let's take a non-religious example. The exact same rules apply to "dad" and "mom."
If you were to say "I love my mom," then you're just referring to her by her position as a mom instead of by her name, so it's not capitalized. If you were to say "Hey Mom, look at this," actually calling her "Mom," then it's capitalized because you're substituting that for her name. "Mom" isn't actually her name, of course, but that's what you are calling her by, so it's a proper noun. Same applies to other family names, nicknames, etc. In the same way, "God" isn't his actual name, but that's what people call him, so it's a proper noun.
[–]OMNEG -10 points-9 points-8 points 13 hours ago
The term "god" is too generic to capitalize. I will capitalize "Yahweh" just like I would capitalize Zeus or Thor, etc though.
[–]CaptainDickbag 1 point2 points3 points 11 hours ago
Pretty much every single subthread in this post is this exact argument. Are people not reading the comments or something?
The christian god goes by many names. Among them are "Yahweh", "I Am", and "God".
Someone else said that if a person said his own name was "Human", you could address him as "Human".
Hell, my girlfriend has a pet rabbit named "Bunny".
If a rabbit can be named "Bunny", and a person can be named "Human", why can't a god be named "God"?
[–]punt_the_dog_0 3 points4 points5 points 10 hours ago
because then these pedantic assholes have nothing left to argue over.
[–]EN2McDrunkernyou 1 point2 points3 points 9 hours ago
It is at least the laziest name for a god ever conceived.
[–]Msj2705 0 points1 point2 points 5 hours ago
Because a certain book clearly says his name is not God, but that it's his title.
[–]CaptainDickbag 0 points1 point2 points 5 hours ago
You capitalize "Major" or "President". Why not "God"?
[–]Msj2705 0 points1 point2 points 4 hours ago
That was more directed at:
why can't a god be named "God"?
Sorry for the confusion.
[–]CaptainDickbag 0 points1 point2 points 4 hours ago
Little bearing on capitalization, but what are you using as a reference for this?
This explains it well.
http://www.yhwh.com/gingn/gingn.htm
[–]tarrox1992 7 points8 points9 points 13 hours ago
But God is a proper noun in this sense. Almost every single Christian calls their deity by the name "God." Saying that you will not capitalize it because it is too generic is being childish.
[–]junkeee999 3 points4 points5 points 13 hours ago
Being generic has nothing to do with it. It all depends on how it's used in a sentence. A generic proper noun is still a proper noun. "Hello. This is Dog". Correct. "Hello, this is a dog". Also correct. "Hello. This is dog". Not correct.
[–]skeptix 61 points62 points63 points 19 hours ago
When referring to a god, you do not capitalize, because it is just a noun.
When referring to "God" of the Christian creation myth, you capitalize because it is a proper noun.
[–]CakeSmasher 19 points20 points21 points 11 hours ago
I capitalise the God of Christianity.
Because people have names.
Even fictional people.
[–]Capercaillie 3 points4 points5 points 12 hours ago
Exactly. And if the word "god" is at the beginning of a sentence, you're most likely referring to that god (you know, God), since if you were referring to gods in general, it'd be "A god," or "The gods," or "Some gods," or some such.
[–]Owlsrule12 2 points3 points4 points 14 hours ago
I never intentionally capitalize, even for the christian. If my phone automatically capitalized the first letter of a sentence, I leave it. Youre correct though
[–]dustyskulls -5 points-4 points-3 points 12 hours ago
*You're
ಠ_ಠ
[–]nnotserPx -6 points-5 points-4 points 7 hours ago
who fucking cares
[–]andrewsad1 2 points3 points4 points 3 hours ago
dustyskulls cares.
[–]Tonytarium 0 points1 point2 points 10 hours ago
Its irrelevant, you capitalize the names of celestial beings.
[–]tomjen -22 points-21 points-20 points 17 hours ago
You don't capitalize the names of false gods.
That is why I don't capitalize the name of any god.
[–]Pertinacious 35 points36 points37 points 16 hours ago
That's nice, but the rules of proper grammar don't change simply because you're being childish.
[–]tomjen -9 points-8 points-7 points 14 hours ago
On the contrary. The only way to get it to become proper gramar is to write it enough.
Anyway 'dat ass', 'true dat', 'this nigger', is not even correctly spelled, but that doesn't stop millions from talking and writing that way (see twitter).
Grammar can be a useful tool. In this case, it is not.
[–]Doilyn 7 points8 points9 points 14 hours ago
Why isn't it? Gods are characters, written as inspired from texts or folklore, and are to be capitalized just as the name of any character. It's just silly to pretend like they aren't. And you mentioned false gods? Dude, there is no such thing as a false god, or a true god for that matter. They're just characters.
[–]desenagrator 1 point2 points3 points 10 hours ago
You are just as ignorant.
[–]every6accounts -5 points-4 points-3 points 14 hours ago
Perhaps the point is that, as an atheist, the Christian version of the idea of god is lumped in with allllll the other perceptions of a 'higher' power, and therefore we don't capitalize it similarly to how we don't capitalize ghost or boogieman (unless it's a movie).
[–]Pertinacious 4 points5 points6 points 13 hours ago*
All that matters is how you're using the word in a sentence. If you're using it as a proper noun, it should be capitalized. The assertion that "you don't capitalize the names of false gods," is just absurd.
[–]00dysseus7 -3 points-2 points-1 points 11 hours ago
there are so few instances wherein one must use "god" as a proper noun that the point is moot. also, "God" is technically incorrect, as the judeo-christian diety is named "Yahweh."
if one doesn't want to capitalize, they can say "christian god." as "christian" is an adjective, and "god" refers to a broad class of specific nouns.
crisis averted. now i'm off to do other, probably just as pointless, things.
The christian god has many names, including "God". "Yahweh" is just another name. God also goes by "I Am".
[–]Pertinacious 0 points1 point2 points 10 hours ago*
there are so few instances wherein one must use "god" as a proper noun that the point is moot
How is it moot? I responded in challenge to a blanket statement. I'm arguing a point of fact. Also, while they are certainly avoidable, there are plenty of cases in which you should capitalize the word, "God."
Ex: "Christians believe Jesus to have been the divine son of God."
also, "God" is technically incorrect, as the judeo-christian diety is named "Yahweh."
It's as proper as calling my mother, "Mom." That's not the name on her birth certificate, but if I use it as a proper noun, it gets capitalized.
if one doesn't want to capitalize, they can say "christian god."
Correct, though in this example "Christian" should be capitalized.
[–]V4refugee 2 points3 points4 points 12 hours ago*
If there was a ghost named Ghost then you should capitalize it.
[–]skeptix 12 points13 points14 points 17 hours ago
"God" is the name of the fictional Christian god. Because it is a name, regardless of whether that figure exists in reality or not, you capitalize it.
Little Red Riding Hood, Godzilla, Freddie Krueger, etc.
[–]Grindstone50k -6 points-5 points-4 points 15 hours ago
No, it isn't. The name of the fictional Christian god is YHWH or Yahweh. Calling him "God" is the same as calling a Nissian Maxima "Car".
[–]TimetogetDownvoted 5 points6 points7 points 14 hours ago
The christian god goes by the word 'God' often enough that it should be considered a proper noun if used as one.
[–]Grindstone50k -9 points-8 points-7 points 14 hours ago
Ok, I call my dog "Puppy" often enough that it should be considered his proper name. I see how this works.
Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but Wife needs to take Puppy to the vet with Truck. Maybe we can talk another Day.
[–]ReyTheRed 4 points5 points6 points 13 hours ago
Do you introduce your dog as "Puppy"?
Nicknames are also capitalized, and God is one of Yahweh's nicknames.
[–]TimetogetDownvoted 3 points4 points5 points 13 hours ago
'Puppy' would simply be using the wrong name. If a girl's name is 'Jennifer' and I accidentally call her 'Rebecca', and let's say I do this over email or text message, it would be proper grammer to capitalize the 'R' even if that isn't her proper name. Now let's say that instead of 'Rebecca' I call her 'Woman', and let's even say that I genuinely thought while typing that out that her name was 'Woman'. For the same reasons that the 'R' in Rebecca would be capitalized, the 'W' in woman would need to be capitalized.
Now let's say that if instead of finding my mistake of names to be sexist and offensive, it caught on in the office and everyone just started calling Jennifer 'Woman' we would be using it as a proper noun and it would be proper to capitalize the 'W' always if referring to her.
Now if I say something like, "That woman on the street has a red purse" then I am not using it as a proper noun and it should remain uncapitalized.
So, relating this to Yahweh, here's how it would go. His followers saw him as the only god, so they just called him God. They genuinely mistook his name, I'd bet many Christians don't even know that Yahweh is the proper name. And people just started calling him God. In the same way that capitalizing 'Rebecca' is correct, capitalizing 'God' is correct and the fact that the word 'god' describes a concept doesn't make capitalizing the proper noun: 'God' any less correct than capitalizing 'Woman'.
[–]junkeee999 4 points5 points6 points 13 hours ago*
Oh, every fucking time this comes up, Yahweh comes out.
Listen, Yahweh is irrelevant. The fact remains, in common usage God is used as a proper noun. "I give all thanks to God" as a proper noun works. "I give all thanks to god" does not work. It is as incorrect as "I give all thanks to tree", or "I give all thanks to cloud".
If you say "my god", or "a god", or "that god", then no, don't capitalize. But if you just say God, and you are talking about a specific entity, then it needs to be capitalized.
It is a proper noun and Yahweh has nothing to do with it.
[–]Grindstone50k -2 points-1 points0 points 13 hours ago
Apparently a common noun is now a proper noun because people who don't read their own holy book say so.
[–]junkeee999 1 point2 points3 points 13 hours ago
You're adding all this extraneous stuff that has nothing to do with grammar. It doesn't matter if they read their holy book or not. It doesn't matter if they misidentify him and call him a different name.
If I make a mistake and misidentify Sherlock Holmes as Smarty McBrainiac, I still need to capitalize it.
It's more like misidenfitying Sherlock Holmes and calling him Private Investigator. I think the issue is that "God" as a name and not as a class is very much ingrained in our culture that the proper name for the deity is tossed aside as a matter of convenience. Only a guess. I will continue to refer to the Christian god as no less than the Christian god, sometimes even by his actual stated name of Yahweh.
[–]junkeee999 1 point2 points3 points 11 hours ago*
OK fine. I misidentify him, and because I think he is the greatest private investigator I decide his name is Private Investigator. That being the case I should still capitalize it. "The case was solved by Private Investigator",is fine. "The case was solved by private investigator" is just not correct no matter how you break it down.
If they decide his name is God, that's it. It is a name. You don't have to agree with it. You just need to capitalize it.
[–]Owlsrule12 1 point2 points3 points 14 hours ago
Im sure there's some brand of car in the world that the name means "car" in that language.
[–]Grindstone50k 0 points1 point2 points 14 hours ago
Volks Wagen comes to mind. But surely you get my drift.
[–]mamalujo 1 point2 points3 points 13 hours ago
The name of the fictional Christian god is YHWH or Yahweh
Actually Christians for the most part didn't read the bible in the Hebrew. Going back to it was a protestant thing. And in their writings, even the new testament, most frequently he is referred as Theos ie, God. Or Kurios, Lord.
[–]squigs 0 points1 point2 points 13 hours ago
No, it isn't. The name of the fictional Christian god is YHWH or Yahweh.
Find a reference to this name once in the King James Bible.
[–]Grindstone50k 0 points1 point2 points 13 hours ago
Because KJB is the only version of the bible.
[–]squigs 0 points1 point2 points 12 hours ago
It's the version that the majority of Christians seem to use. It's generally seen as an authoritative English language version. The name of God is translated as "God" in that version. It is used as a name.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth". Not "... a god...".
Different languages often have different names for the same entity. Greeks used the name Ares for the god the Romans called Mars.
[–]Highlighter_Freedom 0 points1 point2 points 13 hours ago
Yes you do. Or, you should. Zeus's wife is Hera. Not "zeus's wife is hera."
[–]every6accounts -13 points-12 points-11 points 14 hours ago
because it is just a noun.
Orly?
[–]Doilyn 13 points14 points15 points 14 hours ago
It's true, because you wrote it over an image! Oh wait, it's not, and you're wrong. You can't make something go away because you don't like it; the Judeo-Christian God is just as much a character as Odin or Zeus, and you definitely capitalize those, don't you?
[–]every6accounts -4 points-3 points-2 points 11 hours ago
But you don't capitalize monster, even when you're talking about Bigfoot. Because the word is also synonymous with a regular noun, using god to refer to an overarching higher power, which could be one of many gods, is acceptable in my book. You're just not attributing it a single identity, you're showing disdain by indicating you're talking about whichsoever particular god someone may believe in.
[–]immijimmi 3 points4 points5 points 11 hours ago
Your logic is bad. If there was a human called Human, you would capitalize his/her name but not their species.
The fact that the name of the thing and it's classification coincide does not mean you capitalize neither.
[–]skeptix 9 points10 points11 points 14 hours ago
You would be wrong.
[–]Origami_Bride 9 points10 points11 points 13 hours ago
You capitalize God's name just like any other fictitious character.
[–]Owlsrule12 8 points9 points10 points 14 hours ago
Is Jesus Christ a proper noun? We don't know if he actually lived, but names of people and names of characters in fairy tales are capitalized.
[–]Lyise 5 points6 points7 points 13 hours ago
Harry Potter has a capital 'H' and 'P' even though we know that he is fictional, whether or not Jesus actually existed, "Jesus" is a proper noun.
[–]Quarkanoid 2 points3 points4 points 11 hours ago
Orly
FTFY
[–]froop 3 points4 points5 points 13 hours ago
And this is why I have no faith in the English curriculum.
[–]09112001 -3 points-2 points-1 points 9 hours ago
But see, I never refer to the Christian deity as "God" because it's actually a title — his real name is Yahweh.
Problem solved, and it also educates people about the fact that "Almighty God" is really just another deity with a name, like Zeus or Thor.
[–]stewedyeti 0 points1 point2 points 8 hours ago
That may be the case if you're Jewish, in which case there are several ways to refer to God, but a fair amount of Catholics and the vast majority of Protestants don't use the name Yahweh. Regardless, both Yahweh and God are proper nouns. You don't write nicknames without capitalization, do you?
[–]09112001 0 points1 point2 points 8 hours ago
Regardless, both Yahweh and God are proper nouns.
Absolutely, no argument there. I just prefer to avoid referring to the Christian deity with the title "God", which gives credence to the notion that he is somehow superior to all of the other, "lesser" gods. If for some reason I must use the title, I do capitalize it appropriately.
[–]stewedyeti 1 point2 points3 points 8 hours ago
I've come to think of it this way: You don't capitalize "gods" simply because that is referring to a category or class of something, not something specific like you would do when referring to "God". For example, one would capitalize the word "Queen" when referring to one specific queen, but "queens" when referring to a group of them. Actually, if you think about it, if you're specifically referring to the gods from other mythologies you would treat the name of that collective group as a proper noun as well, i.e. Twelve Olympians for the Greek pantheon, or Æsir for the Norse gods (although I've seen that word used in lowercase, too).
[–]TheDiscoBastard -14 points-13 points-12 points 13 hours ago
Or you can stop giving Yaweh special privileges by referring to him with a word that is a noun for a singular deity.
[–]qlstrange 14 points15 points16 points 13 hours ago
GRAMMAR IS NOT SUBJECTIVE.
[–]TheDiscoBastard -11 points-10 points-9 points 13 hours ago
The english word "god" being used to refer to Yaweh isn't a matter of grammar
[–]qlstrange 16 points17 points18 points 13 hours ago
YES, IT IS.
If you are referring to a particular named god, it is capitalized because it is a PROPER GODDAMN NOUN.
I don't care how angry you are at Christianity, don't take that anger out on the English language!
Signed, A VERY ANGRY ENGLISH MAJOR
[–]TheDiscoBastard -10 points-9 points-8 points 12 hours ago
Yeah "God" is a proper goddamned noun you can use to refer to Yaweh with, but the main issue is when you refer to Yaweh as god or God, you're making the implication that Yaweh is the only god that could possibly exist. Assigning the generic word for a deity as a proper noun is legal grammatically, i know, but people only refer to Yaweh as God and it gives him special privileges
[–]qlstrange 14 points15 points16 points 12 hours ago
Oh, for fuck's sake.
This is not a theological debate. This is a grammatical one. If it's a proper noun, you capitalize it. If it's a common noun, you don't. BOOM. That's it. End of story.
"May God have mercy on us" is still correct whether "God" in this sentence is the God of Abraham, Zoroastrianism, Pikkiwokki the Papua New Guinean god of pigs and coconuts, or Vishnu, because it is a specific god referred to specifically. Capitalizing it has nothing to do with power struggles. IT'S GRAMMAR.
Now go sit in a corner!
[–]Pertinacious 5 points6 points7 points 12 hours ago
I love you.
[–]Stuffyz -3 points-2 points-1 points 12 hours ago
Why do you put "God of Abraham", and then "god of pigs and coconuts". The God of Pigs and Coconuts, is a specific god that is being referred to specifically and GRAMMAR denotes this as a time for capitalization.
=) don't diss pigs and coconuts
[–]TheDiscoBastard -3 points-2 points-1 points 12 hours ago
I'm saying capitalizing it! Just don't use god when referring to Yahweh you penis
[–]footpen 2 points3 points4 points 10 hours ago
SHUT THE FUCK UP
[–]Darkelement 29 points30 points31 points 15 hours ago*
honestly? it takes a real stubborn person to have this problem. its proper grammar for one, as well as it IS a proper noun. if you're talking about Thor, you capitalize it because it is a proper noun. same with God.
EDIT: a lot of people are commenting saying that it isn't a proper noun. im just going to link you to dictionary.com's definition of a proper noun. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/proper+noun
also don't debate me saying that you would capitalize Allah or Radha because they are actual names of gods, God is what christians call their deity, it is his name.
[–]DangerousIdeas 14 points15 points16 points 13 hours ago
I am going to NOT capitalize the "G" in God! Yea, that will show them!
[–]Darkelement 1 point2 points3 points 13 hours ago
more than likely they will think you just have bad grammar.
[–]Sad_Monk 16 points17 points18 points 14 hours ago
I came here to say the exact thing. OP's is a 12 yo.
[–]froop 1 point2 points3 points 13 hours ago
I try to refer to him as 'a god' or 'the christian god' or 'your god'. Never 'God'. But, no force on earth will ever make me capitalize 'him' (unless by some miracle it's head of a sentence). That's just plain incorrect.
[–]squigs 1 point2 points3 points 13 hours ago
Meh. I just refer to him as God and don't let religion dominate my life.
Let it go. It helps nobody and just causes problems for you.
[–]Darkelement -1 points0 points1 point 13 hours ago
hes still a proper noun buddy. you can not believe in him all you want but we capitalize fictional characters too.
[–]froop 2 points3 points4 points 12 hours ago
Yeah, except in this case it's not a proper noun, buddy.
[–]Darkelement 0 points1 point2 points 12 hours ago
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/proper+noun
a noun that is used to denote a particular person, place, or thing, as Lincoln, Sarah, Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Hall.>
well, God is a particular person as much as Harry Potter is.
[–]froop 0 points1 point2 points 12 hours ago
Context. Imagine a country named Country. "I live in a country named Country". Do you capitalize country every time you say "In my country...", just because your country's name is Country? Fuck no.
God is a god named God. If I call him 'a god', 'god' is no longer a proper noun. If I say "Hey, it's God!", suddenly it's a proper noun again.
"I worship a god"
"I worship God"
I sincerely hope you never graduated high school English.
.... this is exactly what i said. there are many gods. but only one God. if you are referring to a specific god, it is a capital, if your referring to many gods, or an unspecific god, its lowercase. end of story.
oh, and of coarse context is everything, if a countries name is Country, you only call it Country when referring to it. you don't capitalize it every damn time you use the word. only when using it to describe THAT Country.
[–]froop 0 points1 point2 points 11 hours ago
Wrong, wrong, wrong! You only capitalize it when you are using its name. "I believe in the Christian god" is correct. I am not using 'god' as a name. "I live in the Countrian country" is exactly the same structure. "I believe in the Christian God" is as wrong as "I live in the Countrian Country".
I'm not going to continue this, because your posts are so staggeringly grammatically broken than you hardly qualify to discuss the subject.
[–]Darkelement -1 points0 points1 point 11 hours ago
than go argue with the english major that is also commenting on this post. however, christians don't call their god the Christian god. they call their god God. this isn't a religious debate, this is proper grammar.
also, "i live in Country" would be correct if you are referring to the name of your country. so, "Believe in god" would be correct if you are referring to the Christian god.
[–]tequilabagel 0 points1 point2 points 9 hours ago
Christians don't typically acknowledge the gods of others, particularly not on equal footing (e.g., saying, "the Christian god and the Muslim god"). What they call their god does not affect English grammar either.
"The Christian god" is absolutely correct (as opposed to "the Christian God"); you wouldn't write "the Muslim Allah" or "the ancient Egyptian Osiris" in the same context as what we mean by saying "the Christian god." Actually, when you say "the Christian God," you are implying that there is a thing called "God" who is not Christian (saying "the Filipino Harry Potter" implies that another Harry Potter, who is not Filipino, exists). That's not your intent, so it would be incorrect.
Like froop said, it's sort of hard to see where you are going with your discussion, or why we should trust your reasoning, when you are not observing the other rules of English capitalization -- such as capitalizing the first letter in a sentence.
Also, I think you misinterpreted froop's first comment:
Here, you both agree about the first sentence. But what he is also saying is that he will not capitalize any pronouns referring to God. This is a common practice, e.g., God said His favorite meal was breakfast. This rule concerns capitalizing the hes, hims, etc. that refer to deities. He does not agree with that practice, and "he" and "him" are certainly not proper nouns, even when we follow the rule of capitalizing them when they refer to deities.
Seems like a bit of misunderstanding and, well, confusion of English grammar.
EDIT: buckwild comma placement whoa
[–]johnturkey 0 points1 point2 points 12 hours ago
No its not a proper noun but Aditi, Adityas, Ambika, Ananta (Shesha), Annapurna (Annapatni), Aruna, Ashvins, Balarama, Bhairavi, Brahma, Buddha, Dakini, Devi, Dharma, Dhisana, Durga, Dyaus, Ganesa (Ganesha), Ganga (Ganges), Garuda, Gauri, Gopis, Hanuman, Hari-Hara, Hulka Devi, Jagganath, Jyeshtha, Kama, Karttikeya, Krishna, Krtya, Kubera, Kubjika, Lakshmi or Laksmi, Manasha, Manu, Maya, Meru, Nagas, Nandi, Naraka, Nataraja, Nirriti, Parjanya, Parvati, Paurnamasi, Prithivi, Purusha, Radha, Rati, Ratri, Rudra, Sanjna, Sati, Shashti, Shatala, Sitala (Satala), Skanda, Sunrta, Surya, Svasti-devi, Tvashtar, Uma, Urjani, Vach, Varuna, Vayu, Vishnu (Avatars of Vishnu: Matsya; Kurma; Varaha; Narasinha; Vamana; Parasurama; Rama; Krishna; Buddha; Kalki), Vishvakarman, Yama, Sraddha are.
[–]Darkelement 2 points3 points4 points 12 hours ago
these are all names of other religions gods, why isn't the Christian god capitalized? as a christian who their god is. they will just say god. God is his name.
[–]LearnAlways 2 points3 points4 points 10 hours ago
His name is God.
[–]Darkelement 0 points1 point2 points 10 hours ago
JUst curious, does that actually matter? im not trying to be rude, id just like to know for next time.
[–]LearnAlways 0 points1 point2 points 9 hours ago
Oh it doesn't really matter to me. It's just the way you said "God is his name" it reminded me of the "his name is Robert Paulsen" scene in Fight Club for some reason so I responded with that thinking someone might catch onto my thinking and respond to me with "His name is Robert Paulsen." Basically, I'm an idiot.
But anyway, my thought on the subject is that if the Christian religion depicts their god as having the name God then he should be referred to as God. He is a god who goes by the name God. If people want to argue that the Christian god's name is not God then I suppose hey can capitalize some other name he goes by like Yahweh or whatever, I believe they would be wrong, however since it is established that one of the names of the Christian god is God.
As a person who has never believed in a god and never been at all religious. I just can't wait for the day when the majority of people aren't religious so the majority of people don't waste so much fucking time on this pointless shit. I've survived all 25 years of my life so far without religion and I am perfectly fine. God fucking dammit. :)
[–]Darkelement 0 points1 point2 points 5 hours ago
thank God you have some sense (hehe).everyone is trying to argue that God shouldnt be capitilized because there are many gods, they fail to see the difference. God is God. he is also a god. its so confusing.
[–]LibertariansLOL 0 points1 point2 points 7 hours ago
it takes a nerd with severe aspergers tbqh
[–]Capercaillie -4 points-3 points-2 points 12 hours ago
Honestly? What kind of person makes a comment about proper grammar and capitalization, then doesn't capitalize his sentences properly?
Me? I'm calling OP a whiny bitch I never said MY grammar was good. What does it matter really? It's not like I'm purposefully making my grammar bad to make a point about God.
[–]Spicy_cherry_soda 8 points9 points10 points 13 hours ago
Hey God? Guess what! I didn't capitalize your name!
TAKE THAT, MOTHERFUCKER.
[–]ristoril 6 points7 points8 points 14 hours ago
Try "The god of Abraham" or "Abraham's god."
[–]TenTonApe 11 points12 points13 points 15 hours ago
I came here to complain about how grammar doesn't pander to your childishness, but I'm too late. Good job /r/atheism
[–]thomasne 5 points6 points7 points 14 hours ago
First word problems
[–]jgunit 3 points4 points5 points 10 hours ago
Yes, atheist douchebag problem...I'd capitalize Zeus but you have a stick in your ass about God
[–]Camizow 3 points4 points5 points 10 hours ago
God is a proper noun, and should be capitalized anyway. Just because something doesn't exist, doesn't mean grammar is irrelevant to it. For example, you wouldn't say "harry potter" would you?
[–]EN2McDrunkernyou -4 points-3 points-2 points 9 hours ago
God is sometimes a proper noun. Sometimes it isn't. The placement in the sentence doesn't designate it a proper noun.
[–]squigs 3 points4 points5 points 13 hours ago
Stop letting God dominate your life. So what if he's no more real than the characters in Wind In The Willows. If I refer to Mole, then I capitalise. If I refer to a mole then I don't, and if I start a sentence referring to moles, then I do.
Same with God.
[–]MNSTRDSTRYR 1 point2 points3 points 18 hours ago*
When referring to an imaginary sky man, you do it anyway you want, because you da boss it isn't real.
[–]tomjen -1 points0 points1 point 17 hours ago
Maybe. But I like to show them that I don't respect their religion and I want to incourage others to do the same.
[–]gousssam -1 points0 points1 point 10 hours ago
I think it's "encourage". Incourage is an archaic form.
[–]IdRatherBeethoven 0 points1 point2 points 6 hours ago
He wants to incourage others to disrespect the current English language, too.
[–]nnotserPx 1 point2 points3 points 7 hours ago
you are so brave
[–]Grinstall 1 point2 points3 points 12 hours ago
I capitalize it when I use it as a proper noun.
[–]sgt_pooperscooper 1 point2 points3 points 12 hours ago
If this seriously is a problem for you, rethink your life.
[–]V4refugee -1 points0 points1 point 12 hours ago
I don't think you understand the concept of first world problems. The joke is that it is only a problem for people who have very little problems.
[–]FrisianDude 0 points1 point2 points 12 hours ago
Jiminy coleslaw, this thing again?
[–]johnturkey 1 point2 points3 points 12 hours ago
A god...
[–]00dysseus7 0 points1 point2 points 11 hours ago
this is why i never start a sentence with "god."
[–]desenagrator -1 points0 points1 point 10 hours ago
And that is why you have terrible grammar.
[–]Taodyn 1 point2 points3 points 11 hours ago
"Goddamn it!"
[–]ptrckbrntt 0 points1 point2 points 11 hours ago
dat hair
[–]MaterMatuta 0 points1 point2 points 10 hours ago
THANK YOU! I was wondering why no one commented on the douchiest hair in the history of the world...
[–]JTHipster 0 points1 point2 points 10 hours ago
How about you don't be a cunt?
[–]Nerdy31415 1 point2 points3 points 10 hours ago
If you are referring to the Christian God, you are meant to capitalize it, because it is a proper noun. You capitalize things like Bowser, Zelda, or Professor Oak, because even though they are not real, they fall under the category of proper nouns. If you do not capitalize God, in reference to the Christian deity, then you are going out of your way and breaking rules of grammar simply to disrespect the beliefs of others. I understand that you don't believe in God, but respecting the fact that some people have different beliefs than you is just the right thing to do.
[–]EN2McDrunkernyou 0 points1 point2 points 9 hours ago
The Christian god is a god. You capitalize when it is used as a proper noun, the name of the Christian god is "God." The name of the Muslim god is "Allah." The name of a Greek god was Zeus. Always capitalizing the word god when referring to one god but not other gods is incorrect. You just named your god "God." Way to go.
[–]zzyzxeyz 0 points1 point2 points 10 hours ago
Wow, you are stupid. When using "God" as a proper noun, you capitalize. It doesn't matter whether you believe in a god. I don't believe in Santa Claus either, but it would be incorrect to write 'santa claus'.
[–]Sketch257 0 points1 point2 points 10 hours ago
repost alert i posted this (with the exact same title, that i made up) a few weeks ago
[–]Corazon79 0 points1 point2 points 10 hours ago
Why does the guy in the pictures hair have those light colored dots in it?
[–]manuel_robot_cleaner 0 points1 point2 points 9 hours ago
It's how you do proper nouns, dummkopf! Or do you want anozzer visit from ze Grammar Police!
[–]Artyom2033 0 points1 point2 points 8 hours ago
Just make the capital G really small.
[–]ClownsInJumpsuits 0 points1 point2 points 8 hours ago
Hey! Nice Repost!
[–]jkff 0 points1 point2 points 7 hours ago
Seriously, guys, who's upvoting this - is this the kind of content what you want to see on the front page? I admit it's slightly funny, but - 1622 upvotes?
[–]joshH7 0 points1 point2 points 6 hours ago
God dammit..
[–]CaliSwag 0 points1 point2 points 5 hours ago
Such an old repost
[–]doublezebra 0 points1 point2 points 4 hours ago
A) Repost
B) Capitalize God like you would any other fictional character and get on with your life. Capitalizing Gandalf's name doesn't mean you think he's real.
[–]alittler 0 points1 point2 points 1 hour ago
I just say "your god", it works with any religion
[–]ranky26 -1 points0 points1 point 17 hours ago
If I'm ever in that situation I'll think of another way to write the sentence so I don't have to capitalize it.
[–]varukasalt[S] 1 point2 points3 points 17 hours ago
Just put "Fucking" first.
[–]Grindstone50k 1 point2 points3 points 15 hours ago
Fucking fixes everything.
[–]TheGbomb95 1 point2 points3 points 14 hours ago
I see what you did there
[–]devonclaire -2 points-1 points0 points 16 hours ago
This is hilarious.
[–]fegd 0 points1 point2 points 13 hours ago
God as a character does need capitalization.
all it takes is a username and password
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