Dear Geist, Is it necessary to capitalize “he,” “his” and so on when referring to God? I know it's traditional to capitalize them in pious texts, but what about other writing? In my novel-in-progress, fictional characters talk informally about God in dialogue. Does a character's religion make a difference? If I capitalize these pronouns, does it call more or less attention to a passage? —Roni S, Vancouver BC Dear Roni, As you surmise, it's appropriate to capitalize He/His, etc., in some religious writing, or any writing meant for readers who may be offended or confused if you don't. The principle here, as with other writing and editing principles, has less to do with particular religious beliefs than with the delivery of a smooth, distraction-free read for intended readers. As with any community, religious groups differ on the question of capitalizing the “reverential pronoun,” as it is called. But it's interesting to note that the King James Bible, the New International Bible, the Revised Standard Version and other widely read works prefer to lowercase pronouns referring to deities, and have done so for many years. According to The Christian Writer's Manual of Style (4th edition), that is the convention familiar to most readers and writers “both inside and outside the church.” While we're on the subject, we'll mention that other common terms and expressions including "God" are lowercased: oh my god, good god, godforsaken, godmother and so on. —The Editors
