Why do some people write the word “God” as “G-d” and “Lord” as “L-rd”?
The practice of replacing a vowel in the words God and Lord with a – comes from the Jewish tradition of not writing out the names of God where there is a chance that the paper (or computer file) will be discarded (or deleted). This is derived from the command Thou shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. It is their belief that if you write out the name and then discard it you are taking his name in vain. Any book, such as a Bible or Prayer Book, that does spell out the name of God, cannot be discarded but instead must be buried.
