Re: A Parable of Two Carpenters

From: Beth (BethStone21_at_hotmail.NOSPICEDHAM.com)
Date: 12/16/03 

Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 12:40:55 -0000

Annie wrote:
> Beth wrote:
> > ...and, I Hope, feeling refreshed (as, no doubt,
> > "Round Two" is but a thread away ;)...
>
> Nah. Not worth the effort.

Good; I'm too tired, to be honest, anyway :)

> Why do you capitalize words like "hope" and "love?" That's a
> REALLY strange affectation. You're off your medication again,
> aren't you. Hehe!

Right, you'll think me completely "whacko", of course...but,
basically, it is a grammatical convention to write the name of "God"
capitalised...this is a mark of respect but, also, because,
grammatically, "God" is a name...thus, a "proper noun"...therefore, it
is capitalised in English...when talking about "gods", such as the
"Greek gods", it is a description - a common noun - and not a
name...therefore, it is uncapitalised...

Following so far? If someone is a (Roman) Catholic, then that is a
name - or "proper noun" - and is capitalised...but if talking about
"catholic" - the common noun - it's not capitalised...people's names
are always capitalised...as are product names...as are place names...

Note, I also capitalise "Sun" and "Moon", which is something an awful
lot of people don't do and that's, strictly, grammatically
incorrect...they are proper nouns and should be capitalised...whereas,
"sunlight" or "moon-base" are common nouns - merely "derived" from the
proper nouns Sun and Moon - and should stay uncapitalised (it's
probably this convention which has fooled many into thinking that Sun
and Moon do not require capitalisation, when, in fact, they do because
they are names...BUT, if talking about "a moon" rather than "the Moon"
or "a sun" rather than "the Sun" (except it usual to call them "stars"
rather than "suns", if it's not our specific Sun that this doesn't
arise all the time :), then we're uncapitalised again...

These are the basic capitalisation rules - if we ignore other things
like acronyms being all capitals (and there's some "non-standard"
capitalisation for some units of measurement: "dB" and "pH", for
example :) - if it's a "proper noun" then it's capitalised...if it's a
common noun then it is not...

Now, regards my unusual use of captialisation on certain words, such
as Love, Compassion, Hope and so forth...this relates to always
capitalising the name of God, in all contexts, as a sign of respect...

For example, "And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called
Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day" [ Genesis
1:5 ]...you'll note that not only is "God" capitalised in this context
but so is "He"..."he", generally, is a pronoun and is not usually
capitalised...but there is a grammatical exception made in the context
of the name of "God" to capitalise _in all contexts_ as a mark of
respect...Jesus is also usually treated with the same respect...and,
really, if talking about a Deity worthy of respect in other religions,
They should be capitalised in all contexts too (as I've just done
there because, ordinarily, "Deity" and "They" would be
uncaptialised)...this is often forgotten, simply because of religious
ignorance and, well, just forgetting to do it...but it should be done
there also...

Now, those clued up have probably already guessed what's going on, but
I'll spell it out...the name of God should always be capitalised in
all contexts as a mark of respect...well, it is stated in the Bible
that "God is Love"...hence, the first use of captialisation on "Love"
in all contexts...similarly, "Hope" and "Compassion" I capitalise for
the same reasons (a personal opinion there that God interacts also
with Hope and Compassion, as well as Love :)...

"Liberty" is similar but I would capitalise this one as a "mark of
respect" to the concept of Liberty itself, whether or not God was
involved, anyway...

Note, you are actually spared the "full assault", would you believe? I
really should also capitalise any pronouns when they refer to these
things too...but I get lazy or forget and leave the pronoun forms of
these words alone (but, as per convention, NOT with "He" when the
pronoun refers to God or Jesus)...plus, really, "God is everywhere" so
there's even a case that I should capitalise everything...BUT, I
refrain from going that far, as it would make my already "slightly
unreadable" style turn into "What on Earth is this?"...

> Are you still living in SW19?

No, no...I'm in E20...I'll meet you in the "Queen Victoria" pub in
Albert Square...then we can go to the local "discotheque", which is
"Angie's Den" on Turpin Road...

Note, if you have trouble finding it, then just ask a friendly Cockney
to help you out...if they start laughing their heads off at you, don't
worry, they're just one of those 18 million people in Britain who
watches far too much TV...someone will eventually clue you in on where
to go, feeling pity on the "clueless Yank", explaining the extra
special cruelty in the practical joke...

Beth :)