There are enough words in our vocabulary that we use absolutely thoughtlessly, out of habit, without delving too much into their meaning. One such concept is "god." The meaning of the word implies both literal and figurative interpretation, and this largely depends on the degree of faith of the one who speaks. This concept has penetrated literally into all spheres of life, so it is almost impossible to get rid of it or at least abstract it. The paradoxical presence of âGodâ even in an absolutely materialistic consciousness leads to a logical conclusion: it is worth understanding the origin of this word, meaning, definition. This will allow you to consciously form the vocabulary and more flexibly perceive generally accepted formulations.
âGodâ: meaning of a word and definition according to dictionaries
All explanatory dictionaries agree on the main thing: God is a kind of mythical higher being endowed with absolute power, strength and dignity, which governs everything in its divine design. It can be a single God, as in Christianity or in Islam, or a certain divine community, to some extent connected by family ties, as in the more ancient polytheistic beliefs.
In all religions of the world, one way or another, God is present. The meaning of the word in this case coincides with the main parameters. Most often, this is a certain higher spiritual person, a demiurge, that is, a creator. In monotheistic religions, God simply arranges the order of things, but in polytheistic religions , each of the Gods is personally engaged in such routine matters as sending rains or droughts, producing thunder and lightning, and also patronizing all kinds of sciences and crafts.
The origin and pronunciation of the word in Russian
Not all linguists share the belief that the word "god" came into Russian from Sanskrit or Iranian. However, it is worth noting that the common roots are traced here, therefore, this version has the right to life. If we consider this as a derivative of the word âwealthâ, in the material sense, then it is precisely the part of the root âgodâ that stands out clearly - the meaning of the word in this case is considered as a âgiver of wealthâ, âwealthâ. Logically, the creator of everything should distribute all this among the afflicted, it turns out that God at his own discretion distributes the blessings.
The pronunciation "boh", with the muffled last consonant, is considered obsolete, although it is permissible in colloquial terms. However, it is worth noting that the deliberately sonorous âgâ is clearly audible only when the noun is declined: âGodâ, âGodâ. The deliberate selection of the last consonant is typical for the Odessa dialect and practically does not occur in other regions.
The use of the word "god" in different meanings
This word can be heard so often that the listener begins to suspect the literary fear of literally everyone around him. What do people mean when they say âgodâ? The meaning of the word in this case depends on the context. For example, when they say "but God knows him," the speaker most likely means that no one knows.
Is this wording evidence of atheist sentiment? In fact, this is a stable expression that is pronounced almost automatically, without religious connotation.
How did man come to the concept of âgodâ?
It is believed that a person turns to a supernatural only if he can not explain what is logically happening. For example, if a stone is thrown accurately at someone, the victim will fall, and if it is a large stone and a strong throw, it is possible that it is dead. Why did this happen? A person will be able to answer and explain, because the whole logical chain of thoughts is quite visual, it is literally before your eyes. And why, during a thunderstorm, lightning strikes the sky, this cannot be explained by clear facts, nor can this phenomenon be associated with the thunder. Not only as someone powerful threw a lightning bolt, as a hunter fires an arrow.
It is unlikely that in ancient times people wondered: âWhat is a god?â - the meaning of the word was explained to the children quite blurry. The gods are omnipotent, they see everything, hear everything, and if in doubt, they will be punished. This postulate that unbelievers are punished, literally runs through all human beliefs.
First human gods
Researchers believe that even the beginnings of shamanism and all kinds of magical practices were already associated with certain divine personalities. Perhaps the meaning of the word âgodsâ among primitive people was firmly connected with natural phenomena, it is possible that the line between âspiritsâ and âgodsâ was blurred. A good example is the Slavic bear, which was avoided by his real name - ber.
He can come and eat everyone who knows his name. Therefore, in the Slavic dialects the euphemism âbearâ - the one who knows honey, has firmly established itself. However, the name of the dwelling gives out the true name of the beast: the lair, i.e., the ber lair.
Of course, the bear was not a god, but it already clearly showed supernatural talents, at least the ability to find out who, when and to what extent disrespectfully pronounced his real name. The logic of ancient people was quite simple: if the bear is a mystical creature, but obeys the changing seasons and hibernates, then someone controls it. Who! Most likely, some kind of god or powerful spirit. Nature was deified for a reason, it gave people the opportunity not to be tormented by uncertainty, developing the first rules of survival.
Pantheon of gods
In polytheistic beliefs, there is a whole community of various divine essences. If we consider the Greek pantheon as an example, then such a division becomes logical: each of the gods patronizes various occupations and lifestyles. For example, Athena was considered the goddess of wisdom, she was worshiped by everyone who wanted to hone their own minds - philosophers, scientists. Hephaestus was a blacksmith god, patron of artisans. Aphrodite was asked for help in love, and Poseidon was highly respected by mariners as the sovereign of the seas.
An interesting point from the Bible is worth noting here, because Christianity is a monotheistic religion. The words âI am your Lord, God-zealot, are attributed to the Creator. May there be no other gods in your face. â Many draw a simple conclusion from this: the Christian god is not the only one, he is jealous and will not tolerate the worship of other gods. Theologians deny the presence of other gods and interpret this as an urgent recommendation not to turn their eyes to another faith.
Another section of the Bible speaks of a certain place, which has a certain name - âhost of godsâ, its meaning does not mean at all that it is some kind of collection of other divine entities. Bible interpreters attribute this to translation errors. In the original, we are talking about a strictly defined place, which had a name, subsequently translated as "host of the gods."
Divine nepotism
People have always tended to identify themselves with the gods. Perhaps that is why the divine pantheons had clear signs of nepotism. The same gods of Olympus were in one way or another connected by family ties, their relationship was seething with passions: betrayal, debate, murder, forgiveness and punishment - everything is like on earth. From this a mythological epic was formed. The gods seemed to be leading an endless chess game, with the figures being people. Shifting responsibility for events to divine providence - this technique is found literally in all religions of the world.
In the polytheistic religion, the meaning of the word "gods" most often boiled down to the phrase "divine family." This is characteristic of the most famous cults of the past: Egyptian mythology, Greek and later Roman. Clear signs of nepotism are also observed in the Hindu religion.
The most popular pantheons of gods in modern culture
Ancient mythology is now experiencing a repeated peak of popularity, this is especially noticeable in the cinema. When screenwriters were fed up with small supernatural beings, and art was oversaturated with vampires and elves, they boldly moved to a higher category. Thanks to this, a lot of rather interesting interpretations appeared.
For example, the science-fiction film Stargate and the series that followed the full-length film presented the pantheon of Egyptian gods as an alien race of powerful Gouauds, a highly developed civilization that once visited our planet. The external surroundings are emphasized Egyptian, the names of the rulers corresponded to the names of the gods: Osiris, Seth, Anubis and others.
Interestingly, even with this approach, the meaning of the word âgodsâ is almost completely preserved - powerful creatures that have powers that are not subject to the human mind.
Monotheism as a counterweight to ancient beliefs
Of course, it would be wrong to consider monotheism a relatively young category of religion. On the contrary, the first monotheistic religion is considered one of the most ancient - Zoroastrianism just refers to the typical representatives of monotheism and is even considered the founder of all Abrahamic beliefs.
The youngest of the world's monotheistic religions is Islam. Allah, that is, God (the meaning of the word and concept differ little from Christian) is the creator and ruler of all things.
Can atheism be considered faith?
In common parlance, atheism is considered to be the absence of faith, although this is not a completely correct definition. If we consider faith in a broader sense, then it is convinced atheists who are carriers of faith in the absence of divine providence. If you ask an atheist: âExplain the meaning of the word gods,â then the answer will include such concepts as prejudice, folklore, delusions.
At the same time, militant atheists remember God almost more often than churches who remember the Creatorâs desire not to remember his name in vain. If we consider the main sign of faith to be the desire to turn all those around it into it, to bring them the light of truth and, sadly, aggressively suppress the manifestations of any other faith, then militant atheists fit perfectly into this category. It is much easier for agnostics to live, who admit that there is a certain power from above, but do not go in cycles in dogmas and in any one direction of faith.
The use of the word "god" in isolation from religion
In Russian, the traditional mention of God to the place and out of place. It is unlikely that this seriously aggravates the position of the believer, if we remember that âGodâ is not a name, but ... a position. The phrase âGod helpâ literally calls for supernatural powers to help, but in practice it is more likely that the wishes of success in the labor process are more common.
If we consider the meaning of the word "gods" briefly, then it is a powerful invisible force, omnipresent and omniscient. Perhaps that is why the expressive exclamation "Oh gods!" or "Oh God!" has nothing to do with prayer. It is rather the shortest expression of emotional intensity, transmitted in the most acceptable form.
Everyday and slang use
For thousands of years, humanity has relied on the gods, so there is nothing surprising in the constant use of this concept, even in those areas of life where nothing divine can be defined. However, it is worth noting that the use of this concept in everyday speech makes it possible to more expressively express emotions, emphasize their midtones.
In philological works, an attempt is often made to explain the meaning of âGod did not give an age to his sonâ - this is a quote from Marshakâs poem âDictionaryâ. This is a vivid example of the use of the word âgodâ in artistic creation. And although the poem and stanza were not dedicated at all to religion, but to the âcenturyâ in the sense of time, this phraseological unit is often used as a sad illustration of the transience of human life.
It is worth noting that in slang expressions the word âgodâ is not so common, but this is typical of the Russian language. If we consider American English , it is there that slang is rich in references to divinity in conjunction with completely unexpected phrases that emphasize the utmost expression of expression.