Thirty-Four Other Names for G-d

Some readers have asked me why I spell the word for the Unmoved Mover without the vowel. I explain that it is out respect to Orthodox Jews who do not feel that His name should ever be mentioned in vain or made vulnerable to destruction.  If it is written in full on paper and the paper is thrown away or burned, then the name itself is mistreated.  But G-d is not even His name.

When Abraham first spoke to G-d, he was said to be the first to realize the enormity of the situation, while Adam and Noah had taken it for granted.  Abraham after being told to leave his homeland in what is now Iraq (good advice then and now), asked G-d for His name.  G-d said “I am that I am.”

Later in the Bible, Moses describes his encounter with the Almighty.  When G-d tells Moses that He wants him to go to Egypt, where Moses is wanted for murder, and tell the Pharaoh, his adopted father, to free the Israelite slaves in Egypt, Moses asks who shall he say said so.  G-d told him his name.  It was “I will be what I will be.” Then Moses told G-d to choose someone else to do the job.  G-d insisted.

Over the past 4,000 years, G-d has had many names.  Even in Hebrew there are several words for the Lord and G-d.  The Hebrew spelling of “adenoi,” which is translated as Lord and G-d, spells another name entirely, His name that cannot be spoken.  To many Jews, He is referred to as Hashem, as though that were His name. But “hashem” means “the name.”

There have been several religions formed to worship the creator of the universe.  These religions seem to have all lost their way becoming caricatures of the religious experience.  It is hard to see anything divine in our world’s most popular religions.  One is now known for its monumental hypocrisy by abusing  children and covering it up for probably hundreds of years while preaching the terrible immorality of much more minor transgressions.  The other popular religion is known for its involvement in unimaginable levels of cruelty and violence inspiring ignorance and fear among its faithful.

The image they project of G-d is surely tarnished almost beyond recognition.

Meanwhile an anti-religion has been fostered that mocks not only religion but also the existence of its primary character - G-d.  Believers in political liberalism tend to hold political beliefs above their religious ones finding the latter too restrictive in their definitions of morality.  They object to the absoluteness of His laws as defined by the various high priests of the many faiths.  “Who is to say what is right and what is wrong?”  “If it feels good, do it!”

These people do not like the very idea of G-d as they have been taught.  “If He is a being like us but much bigger, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, then why does He allow poverty, crime, war, sickness, cruelty or really bad T.V.?” they demand to know.  “Look at the terrible suffering throughout Africa, Central America, Asia, the Middle East and Detroit,” they implore. 

They conclude that there is no G-d and they do not want to hear His name or have his blessings or do His will or celebrate His holidays.

It is for them and all those of us raised in one of the many world religions that this listing is for.  We want a different name for the first Cause of the universe.  So I have prepared a list of 28 alternatives to the relationship between G-d and Man. 

G-d : Man =

Infinite : Finite
Cause : Effect
Subject : Object
Energy : Matter
Unconscious : Conscious
Universal : Individual
Intrinsic : Extrinsic
Inside : Outside
One : Many
Sky : Earth
Mind : Body
Spirit : Nature
Abstract : Concrete
Idea : Form
Id : Ego
Eternal : Temporary
Ocean : Wave
Being : Becoming
Essence : Existence
Unity : Diversity
Love : Fear
Light : Shadows
Unified : Separate
Background : Foreground
Void : Form
Nothingness : Somethingness
DNA : Body
Potential : Kinetic

And as a bonus for all those out there who left traditional Western religion and sought the non-dualism of Buddhism thinking that they don’t believe in G-d, here are some of their names for Him.

Big mind
Nothingness
Void
Tao
Buddha Nature
Chi

But what about non-dualism?  How can there be both G-d and Man, if there is only one?  OK, there is only G-d and we are the illusion.  That’s the unintended essence of solipsism another refuge for the non-theists.

So there you are.  You have a total of at least 34 ways to refer to that which you don’t want to call anything as religious - sounding as G-d.

A rose by any other name.

Quickly Solving the Foreclosure Crisis

There are said to be almost two million homes that are either in foreclosure or about to go into foreclosure.  It is estimated that more than one million homes will be foreclosed on this year alone. 

There are three main reasons for the foreclosures. One is that the interest rate on the adjustable mortgage has gone up making the payments for interest and principal too high for the homeowners to pay.  A second cause is financial hardship due to our damaged economy and high unemployment rates.  The third main reason is that the homes are now worth less than the money owed on it.  In some cases, the homeowners took out second mortgages to buy personal items figuring their homes would continue to grow in equity.  When they went down in value, not up, the debt exceeded the collateral’s worth.  Some of these homeowners elected to stop making payments since it appeared to be a losing effort.

In all three cases, everyone loses.  The homeowners ruin their credit rating, must move their family from their home and go rent something somewhere else.  The neighbors lose because each foreclosure in their area reduces their own home’s value and tears at the neighborhood.  The lenders lose because they must go months without payment and then must get the families out, fix up their homes and try to sell the homes at as little a loss as possible.


Most of the current programs to reduce this problem are themselves problematic.  The government spending money to help the homeowners is unwelcome now that we face such huge deficits.  To many, government intervention or banking forgiving part of the debt seem unfair remedies for the vast majority who do not have this problem.  Why should banks or taxpayers suffer because a few million families made financial miscalculations?  And how many people buy cars and pay loans on them that always exceed the car’s value, some might ask?

So what can be done to end this problem immediately? You say you don’t know?  You say that there is no way? Hello?

Rent the foreclosed homes to the homeowners until they can make the regular mortgage payment.  The rent would be equal to either the interest of the mortgage, the current mortgage interest rate or the current rental rate, whichever is the least.  The mortgage would be frozen with the principal and interest waiting to be paid when the family is able or when values increase allowing the family to sell without losing a lot of money.

The family gets to stay put.  They do not ruin their credit rating,  do not have to find a new place to rent, and no one has to be the wiser.

The neighborhood gains because it keeps the same neighbors and does not get a group of renters moving in.  The property values are unaffected because there is no foreclosure and the neighborhood maintains its feeling of community.

The bank gains because it continues to be paid for the place, does not have to foreclose and hurt the family, does not have to fix it up and sell it and does not look like the heavy forcing a helpless family to lose their beloved home.  The bank also avoids having other homes in the area lose their value which might make them more likely to foreclose.  

It’s a win-win-win. And it is a pretty obvious solution.  So my only question is why has this not been done?