Thursday, August 14, 2008

Pope Bans "Yahweh" from Catholic Churches

This is remarkable.

Pope Benedict was a known "traditionalist" when he was elected as the Pope. We all knew he was gonna be a bit, er, um,
conservative.

Now we know he is just to the right of the Spanish Inquisition.

First it was his ban on "modern" music, e.g, anything composed after the
Magna Carta was signed. No more tambourines and banjos during Sunday Mass. That would mean no piano, guitars or drums either. No Contemporary Xian music & definitely no Southern Gospel, though the latter was condemned as "worldly & Devil's Music" back 120 years ago when it first grabbed hold here in the South, though it never was accepted elsewhere. Still, I'm sure there were a few pieces written in the 18th century the Pope kinda likes; bet he doesn't want anyone to know that he taps his foot with those Baroque hits from the likes of Jacopo Peri & Domenico Scarlatti.

Now, he has decided that saying God's "name" during the mass is a no-no. That's right: saying the name is too, well, uh,
modern.

According to the article from Religious News Service:



Catholics at worship should neither sing nor pronounce the name of God as "Yahweh," the Vatican has said, citing the authority of both Jewish and Christian practice.

The instruction came in a June 29 letter to Catholic bishops conferences around the world from the Vatican's top liturgical body, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, by an explicit "directive" of Pope Benedict XVI.

"In recent years the practice has crept in of pronouncing the God of Israel's proper name," the letter noted, referring to the four-consonant Hebrew "
Tetragrammaton," YHWH.

That name is commonly pronounced as "Yahweh," though other versions include "
Jaweh" and "Yehovah." But such pronunciation violates long-standing Jewish tradition, the Vatican reminded bishops.

"As an expression of the infinite greatness and majesty of God, (the name) was held to be unpronounceable and hence was replaced during the reading of sacred Scripture by means of the use of an alternate name: `
Adonai,' which means `Lord,"' the Congregation said.




There you have it, folks. The Pope has decided that just like Israel of 4000 years ago, the possibility of saying God's name in a flippant manner means we should ban even the pronouncement of the name. Never mind the a lifestyle that mocks the Name. Never mind an internal attitude that denies the Name. Never mind the callous actions that bring reproach on the Name. Forget all that. Just don't
say the Name & you won't have to worry about violating the 3rd Commandment.

Yesiree. It is all about external facade. Returning to the legalism is sure gonna make better disciples.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

See Exodus 22:20 The Name of Yahweh is placed in the scriptures 7000 times the name yahweh is in the bible, and yet we are told NOT to use it, yet to pronounce the Name of Satan is OK?I prayerfully hope the Church will re-consider this, because the Name of Yahweh is the key to unlock all the truth in the Sacred Scriptures.Yahweh is the Creator, surely we can call upon His Name.HalleuYah! it is the revealed, personal Name of the Heavenly Father important? Does it matter to Yahweh what you call Him? Does He need to have a name for proper worship, as the rest of the world’s faiths demand?
Some say He knows who you mean no matter what you call Him. How many Bible believers would fall on their knees in times of desperation and call out to Vishnu? Or Baal? Or Zeus? How can one expect the one true Father Yahweh to respond to a plea to a false god? What about your name in the Book of Life? Does it matter if it is correct or not? You bet it does! You see, names do matter. And because only a nonspecific title is called on, widely divergent beliefs and practices can and do result. Does this make any sense in light of dozens and dozens of Scriptures commanding us to honor and call on His personal Name and follow only one true way of faith connected with that Name (Ephesians 4:5)?
More importantly, how close is He to those who refuse His personal Name? A typical argument is, “I don’t call on Him by His Hebrew Name because I speak English.” Does a person change his name when traveling to foreign lands in which a different language is spoken? Or is his name the same everywhere he goes? Does he get a new passport with the corresponding name change at each new port of entry? Or is John Doe called John Doe everywhere he goes? Clearly, the name is the same everywhere. If names do in fact change then what would be the English equivalent of Vladimir Putin? It’s none other than Vladimir Putin?there is No English equivalent exists because it’s not needed! Names don't change in going from one country to another or one language to another.
If the argument is, I speak English therefore I use an English name for the one I worship, then please provide the English name for Satan – because that name is Hebrew and it never changed in our English Bibles. Can you supply the English form of Abraham? This is another Hebrew name right out of the Hebrew Scriptures and carried over virtually unaltered into our English translation.
What’s the English equivalent for the Hebrew name Daniel? How about Sarah and Martha? These are all Hebrew names that are unchanged in the English text because names are not translated. We have no trouble using these Hebrew names without an English equivalent because there is no English equivalent. Why should Yahweh’s Name be any different? Besides, “G-o-d” is not a name anyway but only a generic title. Calling on Him by this title is like calling out to your neighbor, “Hello human being!”

Anonymous said...

If one sticks to the position that because we speak English we should not use Hebrew name forms, then we shouldn’t use any of the aforementioned, Biblical names, either, because they are all Hebrew names and we don’t speak Hebrew. It would not be right to apply that argument just to Yahweh’s Name and not to all the other Hebrew names and words in the Bible – like Sabbath, a Hebrew term, and Messiah, another Hebrew word.
What about all the Biblical cities like Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, and the names of rivers, seas, deserts, and mountains? These would all need to be changed to some English form to be consistent with the argument for the exclusive use of English. The problem is, there are no equivalent English forms for these Hebrew names! Neither is there a proper equivalent or substitute name for Yahweh’s great Name.Biblically, the person and his name are virtually equivalent and inseparable. The word “name” in Hebrew is shem. Shem means a mark or a memorial – a person’s individuality. His name implies his honor (or dishonor), his authority, his character. In fact, scripturally a name describes and defines a person in all aspects of his or her persona.The Name Yahweh has great importance because of what it signifies. Intrinsic to Yahweh’s Name is the very verb of existence. In Exodus 3:14 He tells Moses: “I am that I am,” or “haYah asher haYah” in the Hebrew. It means I am existence itself. I cause everything to come into being. His Name Yahweh describes Him, defines Him, and expresses His attributes as the one who causes us to exist in this life and the one who can give us everlasting existence, too.Joel 2:32 prophesies that the day will come when whoever shall call on His Name will be delivered. That meaning is central to the definition of His Name: “I am” or “I will be.” “Yahweh” also has the connotation, “I will be there (for you),” especially to be your deliverance.His Name is a family Name. His people, His very Chosen, are a family called by His Name: “O Yahweh, hear, O Yahweh, forgive; O Yahweh, hearken and do; defer not, for your own sake, O my Elohim: for your city and your people are called by your name” (Dan. 9:19). His people take on this wonderful Name because they are in covenant union with Him – obeying Him and pleasing Him in all that they do. His Name Yahweh is found an astonishing 6,823 times in ancient Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible. It simply cannot be ignored or dismissed.

Anonymous said...

this just strengthens my faith in calling on the personal revealed name of my heavenly Father. Praise you Yahweh...Hallelujah!

REGGAE DELUXE said...

Well said Anonymous...!!!!!! :-)

Silvia R said...

The word of Jehova never fails. he told Moses his name will be forever. And his son Jesus said
we must sanctify that name. Exodus 3:15. 9:16. Ezekiel 36:23. 38:23.John 17:11,12,23. He is the creator therefore he needs to be different from all the false Gods humans have created and INVENTED. Every time we Evoque his name and live according to his principles and commands we sanctify his Holly Name. Are we supposed to obey and follow men's traditions, orders, and rules, instead of the law and principles of the creator and true GOD, Jehovah, as written by his Holy Spirit? The church leaders definitely have no idea of the purpose or the main message of Jehovah through his written word and the consequences of disobeying that message and commands to let His name be known as Jesus His son did? John 17:17. Revelation 22:7,12,13.18,19.