There are enough words in our lexicon that we use absolutely thoughtlessly, out of habit, without delving into their meaning too much. 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 deeply 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 "God" 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 your vocabulary and more flexibly perceive generally accepted formulations.
“God”: the meaning of the word and the 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 controlsall things according to their divine plan. It can be a single God, as in Christianity or Islam, or some kind of divine community, more or less connected by family ties, as in older polytheistic beliefs.
In all religions of the world, one way or another, God is present. The meaning of the word in this case coincides in the main parameters. Most often, this is some kind of higher spiritual personality, the demiurge, that is, the creator. In monotheistic religions, God simply arranges the order of things, but in polytheistic ones, each of the Gods personally deals with such routine matters as sending rain or drought, producing thunder and lightning, and patronizing all kinds of sciences and crafts.
Origin and pronunciation of the word in Russian
Not all linguists share the belief that the word "god" came to the Russian language from Sanskrit or Iranian. However, it is worth noting that common roots can be traced here, therefore, this version has the right to life. If we consider this as a derivative of the word “we alth”, in the material sense, then it is precisely the part of the root “god” that stands out clearly - the meaning of the word in this case is considered as “the giver of blessings”, “welfare”. Logically, the creator of everything must distribute it all among those who suffer, it turns out that God distributes blessings at his own discretion.
The pronunciation "boh", with the last consonant muted, is considered obsolete, although it is acceptable in common parlance. However, it is worth noting that the deliberately voiced “g” is clearly audible only when the noun is declined: “god”, “god”. The deliberate emphasis on the last consonant is characteristic of the Odessa dialect and is practically not found 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 literally everyone around him of a rare piety. What do people mean when they say "god"? The meaning of the word in this case depends on the context. For example, when they say “God knows,” the speaker most likely means that no one knows.
Is this wording evidence of atheistic sentiments? In fact, this is a stable expression that is pronounced almost automatically, without religious overtones.
How did man come to the concept of "god"?
It is believed that a person turns to the supernatural only if he cannot explain what is happening logically. For example, if you throw a stone at someone accurately enough, the victim will fall, and if it is a large stone and a strong throw, it is possible that he is dead. Why did this happen? A person will be able to answer and explain, because the entire logical chain of thought is quite clear, it is literally in front of your eyes. And why during a thunderstorm lightning lines the sky - it is impossible to explain with visual facts, as well as to connect this phenomenon with peals of thunder. No other than someone powerful threw lightning, like a hunter shoots an arrow.
It is unlikely that in ancient times people wondered: "What is a god?" - the meaning of the word was explained to the children sufficientlyblurry. The gods are omnipotent, they see everything, hear everything, and if you doubt, they will punish you. This postulate that unbelievers are punished runs like a red thread through literally all human beliefs.
The first human gods
Researchers believe that even the beginnings of shamanism and all kinds of magical practices have already been associated with some divine personalities. Perhaps the meaning of the word "gods" among primitive people was firmly connected with natural phenomena, it is possible that the line between "spirits" and "gods" was blurred. A good example is the Slavic bear, which was avoided to be called by its real name - ber.
He can come and eat anyone who knows his name. Therefore, in Slavic dialects, the euphemism “bear” is firmly established - the one who knows honey. However, the name of the dwelling gives out the true name of the beast: a lair, that is, a lair.
Of course, the bear was not a god, but he already clearly demonstrated supernatural talents, at least the ability to find out who, when and to what extent disrespectfully pronounced his real name. The logic of the ancient people was quite simple: if a bear is a mystical creature, but obeys the change of 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 different divine beings. If we consider the Greek pantheon as an example, then such a division becomes logically clear: 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 mind - philosophers, scientists. Hephaestus was a blacksmith god, the patron of artisans. Aphrodite was asked for help in love, and Poseidon enjoyed great respect among sailors as the ruler of the seas.
Here it is worth noting an interesting point from the Bible, because Christianity is a monotheistic religion. The words are attributed to the Creator: “I am your Lord, a jealous God. May you have no other gods before Me. 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 existence of other gods and interpret this only as a strong recommendation not to look towards another faith.
Another section of the Bible speaks of a certain place that has a specific name - "a host of gods", while its meaning does not mean at all that it is some kind of collection of other divine beings. Bible interpreters attribute this to translation errors. In the original, we are talking about a strictly defined place, which had a name, later translated as "a host of gods."
Divine nepotism
People have always been identified with the gods. Perhaps that is why the divine pantheons had clearfamily traits. The same gods of Olympus were more or less connected by family ties, their relationships were seething with passions: betrayals, disputes, murders, forgiveness and punishment - everything, as on earth. From this the mythological epic was formed. The gods seemed to be playing an endless game of chess, with people acting as figures. 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 came down to the phrase "divine family". This is characteristic of the most famous cults of the past: Egyptian mythology, Greek and later Roman. There are also clear signs of nepotism in the Hindu religion.
The most popular pantheons of gods in modern culture
Ancient mythology is now experiencing a second peak in popularity, especially in the cinema. When the writers got fed up with petty supernatural creatures and the art became oversaturated with vampires and elves, they boldly moved on to a higher category. Thanks to this, a lot of rather curious interpretations have appeared.
For example, the science fiction film "Stargate" and the series that followed the full-length picture presented the pantheon of Egyptian gods as an alien race of powerful Guauds, a highly developed civilization that once visited our planet. The external surroundings are emphatically Egyptian, the names of the rulers corresponded to the names of the gods: Osiris, Set, Anubis and others.
Interestingly, even with this approach, the meaning of the word "gods" is almost completely preserved - powerful beings with powers beyond the control of the human mind.
Monotheism as a counterbalance to ancient beliefs
Of course, it would be wrong to consider monotheism as a relatively young category of religion. On the contrary, the first monotheistic religion is considered one of the most ancient - Zoroastrianism just belongs to the typical representatives of monotheism and is even considered the ancestor of all Abrahamic beliefs.
The youngest of the global monotheistic religions is Islam. Allah, that is, God (the meaning of the word and the concept differ little from the Christian one) is the creator and ruler of all things.
Can atheism be considered a faith?
In common parlance, atheism is considered to be the absence of faith, although this is not quite the correct definition. If we consider faith in a broader sense, then it is convinced atheists who are the bearers of faith in the absence of divine providence. If you ask an atheist: "Explain the meaning of the word gods", then the answer will include such concepts as prejudices, folklore, delusions.
At the same time, militant atheists commemorate God almost more often than church-going people who remember the Creator's wish not to commemorate his name in vain. If we consider the desire to convert everyone around us into it, bring them the light of truth and, regrettably, aggressively suppress the manifestations of any other faith, then militant atheists fit perfectly into this category. Life is much easier for agnosticswho admit that there is some power from above, but do not get hung up on dogmas and any one direction of faith.
Using the word "god" in isolation from religion
In Russian, it is traditional to mention God both appropriately and out of place. It is unlikely that this seriously aggravates the position of the believer, if we remember that "god" is not a name, but … a position. The phrase "God help you" literally calls for help from supernatural forces, but in practice it has rather a common sense of wishing success in the labor process.
If we consider the meaning of the word "gods" briefly, then this is a mighty 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, conveyed in the most acceptable form.
Everyday and slang usage
Thousands of years mankind 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 by definition. However, it should be noted that the use of this concept in everyday speech makes it possible to express emotions more capaciously, to emphasize their semitones.
In philological writings, there is often an attempt to explain the meaning of "God did not give his son a century" - this is a quote from Marshak's poem "Dictionary". This is a prime example of the use of the word "god" in artistic creation. And although the poem and stanza were by no means devoted to religion, but to the “age” insense 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 "god" is not so common, but this is typical for the Russian language. If we consider American English, then it is there that slang is rich in references to divinity in conjunction with completely unexpected phrases that emphasize the ultimate expression of the expression.
