Grace (was Re: [LMB] Re:(chat) series and titles)

[James Burbidge]

On 29/03/07, paal at gis.net <paal at gis.net> wrote:
>
> "Peace" and "hope" do not have overwhelming religious connection to them
> as emotional states.  That is, "peace" and "hope" get used secularly as
> state concepts, not so "grace."

There is a reason for this.

In it's religious use, "grace" is not an attribute of a creature, as
"hope" is; it's a characteristic of God.  Therefore there is no
emotional state corresponding to it to be used in a secular cointext.

In secular use, "grace" is an attribute of a person (used of manners,
deportment, etc.), but it's not an emotional state.

So the parallel with "peace" or "hope" breaks down.

I suppose a better parallel would be "Charity River".  The word has a
technical meaning in theology, but it also has a very distinct and
different meaning on a day-to-day basis.  Does use in a context like
that automatically raise religious associations?

James