Part right and part wrong. It goes back to Jewish custom- yes. The consonants in YHWH have not been left out; it's the vowels, and that's because real Hebrew (not the stuff for kids and newbies) is written without vowels and this is true of any word- sacred or ordinary. The reason why God is spelled G-d by Jews is not because of the vowel or in imitation of Hebrew treatment of YHWH; it is because the word is considered sacred and sacred words must be cared for as though they will last indefinitely. Generally in Judaism, if something with a sacred word on it is ever damaged and retired, instead of being thrown out, it must be given a burial like a human. With that in mind, unless a person is a scribe reproducing a holy book by hand, there is never a reason to spell out sacred words entirely. Alluding to those words is sufficient. I suspect Pence did this because the deceased and/or the mourners are Jewish. I doubt Pence does it in other contexts.
Part right and part wrong. It goes back to Jewish custom- yes. The consonants in YHWH have not been left out; it's the vowels, and that's because real Hebrew (not the stuff for kids and newbies) is written without vowels and this is true of any word- sacred or ordinary. The reason why God is spelled G-d by Jews is not because of the vowel or in imitation of Hebrew treatment of YHWH; it is because the word is considered sacred and sacred words must be cared for as though they will last indefinitely. Generally in Judaism, if something with a sacred word on it is ever damaged and retired, instead of being thrown out, it must be given a burial like a human. With that in mind, unless a person is a scribe reproducing a holy book by hand, there is never a reason to spell out sacred words entirely. Alluding to those words is sufficient. I suspect Pence did this because the deceased and/or the mourners are Jewish. I doubt Pence does it in other contexts.
I can't believe I switched Consonants for Vowels. I must not have been awake yet. Thanks the more clear and detailed answer.