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Topic subjectwhich religions name their gods?
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=22&topic_id=31135&mesg_id=31158
31158, which religions name their gods?
Posted by ZachG, Sat Aug-13-05 01:53 AM
In taking literary Arabic, taught by a Pakistani professor, it was considered incorrect to translate "allah" as "allah"; it was preferrable to translate it as "god". The word "allah" is (as was esxplained) the very same concept as as the word "god", although the dogma and practice are clearly very different.
The Hebrew Scriptures have several words for god because of the various authors who contributed at different times, but none of them can be considered as true "names"; rather they are just other words that mean the same thing as the english word "god". The only exception is the Tetragrammaton, assumed to be pronounced something like "Yahweh", but is traditionally replaced in all religious practice with the word "Adonai", translated as "the lord". The other main word for god is "Elohim", translated as god.
So neither Judaism, Christianity, or Islam use real "names" for their gods other than "god". I don't know much about eastern or African religions or classical pantheons. I think that Hindus have a variety of gods with a variety of names (Brahma, Vishnu?) but that's for someone else to say.