Can we say other people's gods names?

[coolcatholicguy]

I remember reading somewhere in the Torah as part of my Biblical Literature class that God told the Israelites not to invoke the names of other gods (i.e. say them is how I interpreted it). I am doing a presentation on part of The Odyssey of Homer next week and will probably have to say certain Greek gods names in order to make it better for a grade. Is this allowed?

 

[Skeptic92]

I remember reading somewhere in the Torah as part of my Biblical Literature class that God told the Israelites not to invoke the names of other gods (i.e. say them is how I interpreted it). I am doing a presentation on part of The Odyssey of Homer next week and will probably have to say certain Greek gods names in order to make it better for a grade. Is this allowed?

Your misunderstanding the meaning of invoke, invoke would be like pray to, summon etc, not just saying the name, so yes, just speaking the name of the Ancient Greek gods is allowed, it’s if you actually prayed to them, we would then have a problem

 

[faithfully]

From webster.com

in·voke verb \in-ˈvōk
in·vokedin·vok·ing
Definition of INVOKE
transitive verb
1a : to petition for help or support b : to appeal to or cite as authority
2: to call forth by incantation : conjure
3: to make an earnest request for : solicit
4: to put into effect or operation

 

[Joe_Kelley]

The Bible contains the names of several false gods. One would be unable to read these sections without repeating the names.

41 And on the morrow Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal; and from there he saw the nearest of the people.

Numbers 22:41

13 They forsook the LORD, and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.

Judges 2:13

23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.

Judges 16:23

There is more mention of these throughout the Bible, and there are probably more names. These came quickly to mind.

 

[thistle]

I remember reading somewhere in the Torah as part of my Biblical Literature class that God told the Israelites not to invoke the names of other gods (i.e. say them is how I interpreted it). I am doing a presentation on part of The Odyssey of Homer next week and will probably have to say certain Greek gods names in order to make it better for a grade. Is this allowed?

There is only one God. All other gods are false so you can call them whatever you want.

 

[Contarini]

I remember reading somewhere in the Torah as part of my Biblical Literature class that God told the Israelites not to invoke the names of other gods (i.e. say them is how I interpreted it). I am doing a presentation on part of The Odyssey of Homer next week and will probably have to say certain Greek gods names in order to make it better for a grade. Is this allowed?

You’re giving this the Jewish interpretation. I don’t think Christians generally understand it this way.

I take my World Religions students to a local synagogue every semester, and on one occasion the rabbi introduced the reading of the Torah by pointing out that Jesus is described as taking part in this in the New Testament (he was saying this for the benefit of the Christian students, of course). Afterward one member of the congregation (who, according to what the rabbi later told me, had recently started attending and held much more conservative views than most others in the congregation) came up to me and expressed concern that the rabbi had “mentioned the name of another god” by mentioning Jesus in the synagogue service. I pointed out that the rabbi certainly did not think of Jesus as God or as a god, but as a Jewish rabbi, and that was the context in which he was mentioning Jesus. The guy seemed sort of convinced by this. I thought it was odd that he came up to me (the Christian visitor) instead of talking to the rabbi, but I suppose he saw me as the trigger for the rabbi’s remarks and so addressed his concerns to me.

 

[Sonny69]

Your misunderstanding the meaning of invoke, invoke would be like pray to, summon etc, not just saying the name, so yes, just speaking the name of the Ancient Greek gods is allowed, it’s if you actually prayed to them, we would then have a problem

This is correct and would also include saints, angels or anything except God, for He Himself says “I am a jealous God”.

If you read Scripture you will notice that anytime a man protrates himself before an angel or another man he is commanded not to. Isaiah, Paul and Peter come to mind immediately.

 

[Sonny69]

The Bible contains the names of several false gods. One would be unable to read these sections without repeating the names.

Numbers 22:41

Judges 2:13

Judges 16:23

There is more mention of these throughout the Bible, and there are probably more names. These came quickly to mind.

Well done!

 

[puzzleannie]

I remember reading somewhere in the Torah as part of my Biblical Literature class that God told the Israelites not to invoke the names of other gods (i.e. say them is how I interpreted it). I ?

why do you assume that merely saying the name of a pagan god is the same as invoking that god as if he were real. Look up the meaning of invoke in the dictionary

 

[LCMS_No_More]

I remember reading somewhere in the Torah as part of my Biblical Literature class that God told the Israelites not to invoke the names of other gods (i.e. say them is how I interpreted it). I am doing a presentation on part of The Odyssey of Homer next week and will probably have to say certain Greek gods names in order to make it better for a grade. Is this allowed?

Out of curiosity, since the constellations, planets and many of the stars are named after ancient gods, how do you refer to them?

 

[thistle]

Out of curiosity, since the constellations, planets and many of the stars are named after ancient gods, how do you refer to them?

If you check all the threads by the OP he thinks everything is a sin.
He seems to be very scrupulous. Many in the forums have advised him to talk to a priest about it.

 

[coolcatholicguy]

What about a company like Nike, that is named after the Greek goddess of victory?

 

[Mintaka]

1. The folks who founded Nike didn’t believe that Nike was a real goddess.
2. The normal Greek word for victory is “nike”. Many derivatives of it show up in the Bible, but the word itself shows up in 1 John 5:4:

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory [nike] that has overcome the world: your faith.”

1. Timothy’s mom’s name was Eunice (eu + nike).
2. Tons and tons of Christians had pagan given names which they still used after becoming Christian, and which became Christian names. For example: St. Dionysius, St. Brigit, St. Asclepiades, every Marcus and Martin and Martianus, St. Thorfinn and St. Thorlakr Thorhalli; etc. etc.

Don’t fear the names of old dead gods that never existed, or the “spoils of the Egyptians” that our scholars have taken from them. Things like the Iliad and the Odyssey and the Aeneid are the patrimony of humanity’s great minds, which we have every right to use, and which in some cases acted as a preparation for the Gospel by teaching certain natural virtues. Great saints have discussed the Iliad; so can you.

You are a child of the Living God. You have the power and discretion to use the things of this world in the service of the next. Don’t be afraid; just do what comes to your hand to do.

 

[thistle]

What about a company like Nike, that is named after the Greek goddess of victory?

What about it???