Reflections

If I am honest with myself and others, I would have to say one of the main reasons I was inspired to begin blogging will be found in this section that I have created called Reflections. I wanted a place to express my feelings that may otherwise not have an appropriate venue. Obviously, one is able to write a "Letter to the Editor", but some of the things that I might want to write about, may not be appropriate there. Facebook could be another option, but for me, that is a place to have fun, connect with friends, and escape the burdens of life for awhile. With a blog, such as this one, no one has to read it, nor is anyone forced to come back if they do not like it.

It's a nice thought to think that maybe one can make a difference in trends, or politics, or simply just cause someone to think about something in a different light. That may or may not happen, but this will also be a place to gather my feelings, and formulate what I believe. I like to keep up on all things political and I am a strong believer in the written word as a strong source of communication. I'm sure this will become a place to change my thoughts on some issues as well. But that won't happen this time. This first subject that I want to write about is something that has been on my mind for years, and it is a trend that I have observed becoming more and more prominent. So here we go...

When I was a kid, I was taught in school (and that would be public school) that any words having to do with God should be capitalized. That would include the pronouns referring to God, such as "His", and "Him"; proper nouns, such as "Father", "Son" and "Holy Ghost"; and of course "Bible"; but even more than that, also the adjective "Biblical" should be capitalized. The rule I learned was one of those set rules like " 'I' before "e" except after 'c'." We all learned it. It stated simply: "Capitalize all words referring to the Deity and the Bible." I have found one source today that still teaches this rule and that would be A Beka Publications. I'm sure there are others, but it is no longer a common practice.

It is very rare these days, to see the word "Biblical" capitalized. It is also becoming more common to see the word "Bible" in lower case letters, even among Christian writers. While this may seem like a little thing, I truly believe it is not; nor do I believe it is unintentional. With the advent of the computer and "Spellcheck" we have little need to worry much about our spelling and grammatical errors. However, I don't believe it is coincidental that Spellcheck is not set to correct the error of "Biblical" being written without capitalization. The reason my generation and preceding generations were taught this rule, is because it was common belief that God and everything about Him was to be respected and to be treated as Deity. The Bible was known as the very Word of God, with little dispute. The capitalization of these words insured that it was unmistakably the Divine Creator of the Universe Who was being honored. To not capitalize Bible or Biblical at this time, is merely to make it just another book and remove the holiness and sanctity of this Book from the common perception.

I write this mainly to Christians. You may say, "God's Word will never be degraded in my mind, I don't care if it is capitalized or not." But the truth of the matter is when we allow it or condone it, we are a part of the agenda to make it just another writing. I am amazed at well-known Christian authors that have let this new standard change their writing habits. Christians of all people, should not be willing to let the world turn the Holy Bible into just another book. No one will ever convince me that that is not the intent of this digression. Let's all make efforts to get back to the higher standard that everyone was once taught. The Bible has been removed from public schools and so has the teaching that it is to be respected above all other literature.