charliesmum | (no subject)

I've been reading Charlie this book called "The Math Wiz". It's about a boy who is really good at math, but terrible during "PE" i.e., Physical education, Sport, or Gym class. In the book he is upset because he is always picked last when choosing up teams (and I can't help but wonder if there is a class all Gym teachers go to where they learn how to be as insensitive and cruel as possible)

I liked the book because it was about a boy who was good at maths like Charlie, but always got picked last in gym class. I have no idea if Charlie has suffered that humiliation yet, but I know I have, and it got me to thinking.

When I got to high school, I finally found a large group of friends, and it turned out they, too, had suffered the humiliation of standing all alone in the gym, waiting until the last team captain rolled his or her eyes and said "I guess I'll take (insert name here). My college friends were comprised of the same sort of people, and that helped me get over the trauma that had been Gym Class grade school through junior high.

Since people on flists are also comprised of a bunch of people who share similar interests, I was curious as to how many of you had the same sort of experience - were you chosen last? First? Don't remember and don't care to? So, I did a poll. (I love polls)

[Poll #518569]

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Uh, Jews don't call G-d Yahweh.

It's a song lyric... what religion does, if not Judaism? I'd like to switch it to a more appropriate picture if there is one.

Jews for Jesus might. Haha. Jews don't.

Your icon isn't seriously comparing Bush to Hitler?

Not except in the sense that they both use(d) religious rhetoric to propagandize.

(Hitler did do some of that at the beginning - less so as the Aryan race became the only thing worthy of worship. To be perfectly honest, Hitler isn't the first image I'd have picked for that part of the icon, but though I picked most of the pictures, the friend who animated it for me chose the final two images. I definitely wanted Bush in there, but Hitler wasn't the first name that came to mind as someone who used religious rhetoric and propaganda to sell hatred and prejudice. However, as he did do some of that, I don't feel it's inappropriate.)

Ancient Hebrews did use "Yahweh," though (well, the Tetragrammaton, but Slammerkinbabe's not bound by the requirement to munge it), and modern Christian scholars sometimes refer to the Jewish God that way, so it's defensibly an association with Judaism.

would Jehovah, Adonai or Elohim be better?

No, they didn't. Yud Hey Vuv Hey (the Tetragrmmaton) was never pronounced literally Yahweh.

We certainly don't call him Jehovah, and Adonai is for prayers thanks very much.

well, yeah, pronunciation in ancient Hebrew and in English is going to differ. It's a moot point, though, as she's *writing* it.

OK, so what *would* be better?

Uh, I think you'll find that if you're talking about Judaism, most Jews just refer to God as God. Lord, Hashem maybe?

It's true. I was just trying to figure out what might be of any use in an icon. :) Though I guess just superimposing "God" or "Lord" on the star of David would get the point across, particularly as she chose "Jesus" to represent the Christians.

(I didn't mean to be confrontational, just hoping to determine what would make an acceptable substitution if she were to correct the icon.)

Catholics call him Yaweh, but also God.

I don't think Jews are supposed to name him at all.

Right, which is why I thought I had backup for Yahweh being the Jewish term when any term is used. The whole bit about the ineffable name of G-d started out with YHWH, which was literally ineffable, and as that's so close to Yahweh I thought Yahweh was an archaic Jewish term.

I was raised Catholic and though I heard the word Yahweh from time to time I never heard anyone actually reference God that way except when they were reading a formal text.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that "Yahweh" is probably used more by Catholics than any other group.

I grew up Catholic too. People mostly said "God" but "Yahweh" was used a lot too, and I think I even heard "Jehova" a few times. (It was a pretty radical church.) But I've noticed that my friends who didn't grow up Catholic often don't even know the word "Yahweh."