Names given to the divine
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In monotheism, there are many names attributed to the personification of the divine, supreme, entity. Different names may refer to the same "God", though be of different languages, or be in varied ways different from other cultural meanings, as prescribed by religious doctrine, for example.
Some of the names are used in approximately the same sense (e.g., when a Catholic uses both "God" and "the Holy Trinity"), but for the most part, the names mark important differences in meaning. Positivists (e.g., advocates of Logical empiricism) should take note that a robust theory of the meaning of Religious Language, however dismissive, ought to be able to account, in some fashion, for these differences in meaning. Among the names used, or ways to refer to the divine, are the following; there are both generic words given for the divine being(s), as well as specific names (used by analogy to names for particular individuals or things) for the divine used in particular religions.
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Generic names for the divine being(s)
God, Goddess, gods, Deity, deities.
Names for specific conceptions of God
Christianity
Yahweh, Jehovah, Jesus, Christ, the Holy Trinity, the Godhead (Christianity), Heavenly Father, Elohim, Jah
Islam
See Ninety-nine names of Allah, Allah.
Judaism
See The name of God in Judaism.
Buddhism
See Vairocana.
Hinduism
See Brahman, Vishnu, and Shiva. A common prayer for Hindus and Vaishnavas in particular, is the Vishnu sahasranama or 1000 names of God.
Polytheism
In polytheistic religions, e.g., Zeus, Jupiter, Ra and Odin.
Other
The Lakota (i.e., Sioux) of the Great Plains called their monotheistic deity Wakan Tanka, "The Great Spirit".
Since the term "Buddha" does not correlate well with European definitions of the divine, it may or may not be considered a "name given to the divine", depending on the specific sect and/or philosophy.
Alternative names used to address or refer to deities
These are used for various reasons: tabuism, glorification, etc. Examples are G*d (tabuistic ellipsis), The Almighty, Pancrator(Pantocrator), Him, He who is called "I am".
Related articles
External links
- Hinduism (http://www.hinduism-today.com/archives/2003/10-12/44-49_four_sects.shtml), Hinduism Today