“My” God but “the” sky

                “My” God but “the” sky

                Why do people say “my” God, but “the” sky? Why not “my” sky?

                People often say “my” God, either as an exclamation (mai-GAWD!) or as part of a sincere expression of religious belief; but nobody ever says “my” sun or “my” moon;  only “the” sun and “the” moon. Why?

                Because everyone agrees about the sky, the sun, and the moon. The sky is blue in the day, and black at night, unless there are clouds. The sun is bright and yellow and warm; the moon is cool and white.  Everybody agrees about these facts, because everybody can see for themselves. Whereas try to get people to agree about God! Take ten people, quiz them, and you will get eleven opinions! It gets very personal; that’s the my-ness of the my-gods.

                The more personal a God, the less cosmic; this is inevitable. The cosmos itself appears impersonal; it’s “the” cosmos, not “mine”. The “my” in mai-gawd is an admission of subjectivity.