Does God Have a Personal Name?
By dravenwriter
@dravenwriter (232)
March 17, 2007 11:47pm CST
What is a name anyway? A name is just a combination of speech tones and/or written characters that represent something.
The name of "God" is a nested symbol within a symbolic idea of a deity which created and manages the universe because most people can not comprehend otherwise.
Call the color red by a different name. Tell me the apple is purple. Does the change in choice for a symbol make a difference to the true nature of the subject being described? Of course not. Names and all symbols of any sort are merely approximations and associations made by intelligent and semi-intelligent beings in an attempt to make better sense of what we experience.
There are my 2 pennies for you, don't spend them all in one place.
Draven the Respectful Atheist
http://dravenwriter.blogspot.com
2 people like this
10 responses
@ballerina (56)
• India
22 Mar 07
What you have just said refers to a personal god. But GOD does not have a name, a form, he is everywhere and he is everything.It is how we perceive things that matters.It is how we relate to him that matters.You can pick a stone and say its God who will stop you. The perception of every single human being is different and God manifests to them in the form that they desire,the form that they relate to .But truthfully he has no name and form he is like liquid you can put him in bottle that has different shapes and he will take on that form you can give him names he will accept it without question.Once you release him from the bottle he no more has a form or name.
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@dravenwriter (232)
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22 Mar 07
So in your opinion god lives in the mind, eye, and heart of the beholder? Your definition sounds more like an imaginary god to me than anything.
Draven the Respectful Atheist
http://dravenwriter.blogspot.com
2 people like this
@ballerina (56)
• India
22 Mar 07
What i mean is God cannot be given a definition. we cannot take him and say he is this, this , and this.For the perception is so large and vast it cannot be contained in one holy book. See for example air is all around us right then we can just take a bicycle and ride it. But it is not possible we need to take that air and fill it in the cycle tube then only we can ride the bicycle. So it is with god. I feel that he is omnipotent and omnipresent but to realise his essence we have to create a bond with him in whatever way we choose and then he automatically begins revealing himself to us in various ways.
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@raj9433327675 (1241)
• India
22 Mar 07
Yes God have many personal name.You should know when a baby borns everybody calls him/her as different name.His/her mother ,father ,brother and even his/her neighbour calls him/her with a different name.Like this we also calls God as different name.We means people of different religion.Everyone wants to put a name with their choices.And like the baby God also respond to each of them.But in certificate or passport God also have one and only good name,by which everybody identify him,as he is one and only supreme power of whole universe.Thanks.
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@dravenwriter (232)
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22 Mar 07
So what is God's one true name?
Draven the Respectful Atheist
http://dravenwriter.blogspot.com
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@dravenwriter (232)
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3 Apr 07
Tommy408, those designations may not be "names" as such, but they are similar to names in that they are symbolic. In the case of a name, a specific entity is involved, whereas with titles like brother, sister, etc. there is more of a general connotation and as you said, more socially driven norms in terms of responsibilities, etc associated with titles.
Using a symbol elicits a representation of the entity (specific as in a name, or general as in a title) and its properties, which can include physical properties, responsibilities, general emotions one feels towards them, etc.
So, I can see what you are saying, but we're really just talking about different forms of symbolic references.
I get the impression raj may have miscommunicated, as I see references to a relative name and an absolute name in the same post.
Draven the Respectful Atheist
http://dravenwriter.blogspot.com
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@tommy408 (361)
• Malaysia
2 Apr 07
A little bit out of topic. But, I feel the urge to challange your view that Father, Mother, son, brother, sister are all names.
There are more like a responsibility (or a liability perhaps) that are being bestowed upon you by one or some very specifi person/s
Like, lets say Bob is a father. and he is your friend. Would you call him dad? I am quite certain, you won't. He will be refered to as dad only by his children, no? And lets say Bob is not yet a dad, will he be refered to as dad by anyone? Nope. Because that referal comes when you are liable for it. Its more like ocupation, or role playing. not name.
Ok. Now you can answer Draven's question. What is God's real name (the one printed on His birth certificate :) )
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@dravenwriter (232)
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22 Mar 07
That is interesting. I thought Jesus was the son of god and/or a component of god, not the name of god itself?
Draven the Respectful Atheist
http://dravenwriter.blogspot.com
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@edujccz (929)
• Philippines
23 Mar 07
dravenwriter, i will try to answer you in the way you interpret things. You ask if God has a personal name, but how can it be sin God is not a person, not human. Jesus was his son in the flesh for human to understand, he was given a name, "Joseph son of David do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife for the child concieved in her is from the Holy Spirit, she will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus , for he will save his people from their sins".
He said his people, maybe not me either.
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@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
22 Mar 07
A personal name? Like Bob? Or Pooky? It depends, is G-d married? If so, his wife should have a pet name for Him.
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@dravenwriter (232)
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3 Apr 07
Or perhaps her husband should have a pet name for her.
Draven the Respectful Atheist
http://dravenwriter.blogspot.com
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@monica1981 (466)
• United States
21 Mar 07
Your point of view reminds me somewhat of that song "What if God was One of Us?" Personally I'm not sure where I stand at the moment on religious issues, but that song always makes me think about how god is different in everyones head, kind of like how some people see the color read and think it's purple.
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@dravenwriter (232)
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22 Mar 07
I think I see where you are going with that, although I don't relate to it personally. That song seems to me more of an appeal towards universal altruism based on a religious belief that god could be watching your actions at any and all times.
Draven the Respectful Atheist
http://dravenwriter.blogspot.com
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@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
24 Mar 07
A name is merely a tag which serves to identify. Why do we have names, because we are driven by the need to achieve and in our achievement the need to be associated with the same. We as intelligent beings like recognition, so we need names. Having a name isn't all bad, hey you just doesn't cut it....:}
@vijigopi (991)
• United States
4 Apr 07
yes, i agree with you, God is an entity which we call by different names just to refer to somebody. We need a language to communicate and when we refer to the Supreme, we call it God or whatever the religion we are following calls it. Everything in this world is given a name by humans so that they can understand about what they are communicating to each other... otherwise why do we need a name ourselves if not to differentiate between all of us.
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
24 Mar 07
As far as god having a name, I have never heard of anything specific in that regard, which is rather funny if you think about it. The supreme being, the embodiment of everything we know and there is no name just an indefinable concept for him.
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@arcadian (930)
• United States
3 Apr 07
naming is claiming. It implies definition. To name is to take possession. The elevated part of a person if there is one, say-apart from the reptilian, the inspired aspiring aspect of a person naming the model of that inspiration is creating (or borrowing someoneelse's creation of) a name to symbolize themselves at their best and perhaps a bit beyond.
@dravenwriter (232)
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3 Apr 07
So if I say "mud pail", or "manure", or "John"; how do these labels fit into your assertions of a claim, or symbolic perfection?
Draven the Respectful Atheist
http://dravenwriter.blogspot.com
@EvanHunter (4026)
• United States
24 Mar 07
Ya we call god and angels aliens now a days. My theory is they were doing genetic experiments and cultivated the earth as a giant lab experiment with us as the rats. Was it to gain knowledge? No they have that, to grow good food soon they will come back (very soon now since we have grown so fat and lazy) and harvest the crop...lol, just kidding as you can tell I watch way too much scifi.
We have 3 major religeons based off of the same god and people cant get enuff of killing each other just so they can claim their version as being the right one. When the planet is destroyed and the last humans are left alive thats when you will get your answer as to what gods name is.
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@pangeacat (619)
• United States
3 Apr 07
"Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo... What is in a name? A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet..."
God has a name for many people. And, it is rarely ever the same: Allah, I Am, Lord, Father, Bast, Ra, Odin, Zeus, Hera, Venus, Jesus, etc.
Some people believe in the divine, because they've felt a personal connection with it. Perhaps that can be explained as a surge of energy, within the realms of science. Perhaps it can only be explained by the presence of a god or supreme being. Honestly, there is really nothing that we have which can tell us for certain one way or another.
The part that's sad for me is that people start wars, and commit hate crimes, based on this differing opinion on what the name of the divine is.
@jennysp8 (855)
• United States
3 Apr 07
I see what your saying. I do personally believe in God. I call him God and not Jesus God because they are not the same. Anyone can call him whatever they want as it is true a name is just a name. Those who get too hyped up over things like what to call him - don't generally know much about faith so therefore they try to stand firm on something that is easy to pick fights about it.
Don't ever ask if I am God fearing.
For I will answer no and watch your jaw hit the floor.
For you only "fear" what you do not understand.
@dravenwriter (232)
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3 Apr 07
I will not stand aghast at your lack of fear in a god. Personally, I have always felt it a great irony that something which is supposed to have created us and love us is something that we should live in fear of, especially in such a way that it is a badge of honor to do so. I have never feared any god, even when I was trying at exactly that.
Draven the Respectful Atheist
http://dravenwriter.blogspot.com
