- Torah and Jewish Thought
- Torah Teachings
Words Which Are Names of Pagan Gods
Question
Egypt had a pagan god named Amen.
In Exodus 23:13 ...The name of the gods of others you shall not mention, nor shall your mouth cause it to be heard.
We see the word amen used through out the scriptures.
What is the difference in the words Amen the pagan god and amen used in scripture.
Should we stop using the word amen?
Answer
Egypt's god was named Amon or Ammun (Larousse) and only rarely called Amen. In any event, the prohibition is against specifically referring by name to gods presently worshiped. Even if Amen were the Egyptian's god's name, someone who used the word to mean something else would not be violating the prohibition. If one, for example, were to discover a tribe in Mongolia that worshiped a god called "pizza", you could still use the word in ordering pizza from your local pizza parlor.

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