In case you don’t know “the rules” for capitalizing everything that’s sacred, here ya go.
Yeah, I know; I’m in the habit of capitalizing pronouns that refer to God. It’s an old habit. It’s not that I absolutely have to—or that anyone has to—I just started doing it long long ago and never stopped.
A rather stupid habit I’ve seen among Christians is that many of them don’t capitalize Satan. Which is a proper name, but this is their way of getting back at it for all the times that people don’t capitalize God. Even though “God” is not a proper name; Yahweh is, or Jesus is. I capitalize God for the same reasons I capitalize His pronouns. Otherwise I would put “God” in lowercase just like I put “human.”
Some time ago I read The Holy Observer’s tongue-in-cheek guidelines for capitalization, which bear reprinting:
As every Christian knows, it is vitally important to respect God’s Holiness in all we do. That includes the way we write! Few areas of Christian life have become as stagnant as Christian Capitalization. It’s a simple act of devotion and worship to a Holy God. Or is it? Sometimes it’s hard to know what to capitalize, especially in these days of disrespect for the Almighty. Nowadays, even some (apostate) Bible translations are failing the capitalization test. How can an everyday Christian know what to capitalize and what to leave lowercase?
THO can help sort out this confusing but critical matter. So whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the faith, or a beginner in need of a crash course in capitals, theTHO Guide to Christian Capitalization can help you!
- Capitalize all personal pronouns (“He” and “His,” for example). This is the most basic rule of Christian capitalization. Almost every Christian knows enough to capitalize these pronouns, but some shameful people neglect it, and we are sorry to report that they may be taking their cue from their own B
IBLE !- Capitalize other, less common pronouns. These include relative pronouns such as “Who” and “Which” as well as any other pronoun that might refer to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. Remember, if a word refers to God, it must be capitalized!
- Capitalize titles that refer to Him, like Holy Father, Most Holy One, Bread of Life, and The Almighty. That way, people know you’re talking about God, not some pagan deity.
- Words that describe God’s attributes should be capitalized. This includes His Name, His Face, His Hands, and other such descriptors, as well as His Holiness, Goodness, Justice, etc.
- Just to be sure, capitalize words on either side of the Word God; This shows how His holiness spreads to all that surrounds Him.
- Make sure not to capitalize proper names of the evil one. Just as Christians must show reverence for God’s name, we must show disapproval and lack of respect for the devil. Don’t do him the service of capitalizing the word “satan.” This rule goes for hell, too.
- When writing about Jesus Christ, you may sometimes want to capitalize all letters of HIS Name for added emphasis.
- As a general rule, when in doubt, Capitalize! Writing about God is serious business, and it would be better to capitalize a word that does not refer to God than to miss out on blessings by not capitalizing.
There you have it! With a little practice, anyone can be a Holier writer. May God bless you as you continue to seek His Holy Face.
And the Christian Mishnah continues to develop….