In Hindi/Urdu, should third-person references to God be in plural for respect?
I have been taught to use plurals for respect, both in second (आप, तुम) and third person (वे, ये). This also extends to other items that inflect for number (such as verbs). This is the consistent usage where I live. I also know that in both Hindi and Urdu second person references to God are typically made in the singular (तू). This seems to be consistently practices in Holy writings. However, I am confused about third person references to God (when speaking of only one god). Should these be singular, or plural? In Christian writings, it seems that the singular is usually used. In Hindu writings, there seems to be some inconsistency (even when only referring to one god). In Muslim writings (I have only looked at Hindi translations of the Qur'an), the singular seems to be consistently used. My Hindi instructor claims that the plural should always be used in the third person. Is there any standardized usage? I don't want to seem to disrespect God!