JW's taking the Lord's Name in vain?

[~esther~]

Hi All

I couldn't find any real answers online, or maybe I just didn't search by using the correct words.

Do Jehovah's Witnesses consider it to be taking the Lord's Name in vain when specifically using the expression "OMG"? (Sorry I cannot type it out as it just feels wrong and even typing the acronym makes me cringe, but I don't know how else to specify that I'm searching answers on).

Reason for my question is that we have 4 JW's at our work, but one of them always expresses herself by saying those words, and if it is a no-no for them, then I would like to challenge her on it - i.e. if they believe so-and-so, then why is she taking the Lord's Name in vain. However, all I could find online suggests that they don't really see it as taking the Lord's Name in vain.

Can anyone else shed some light on this?

Thanks

[ayin jade]

Sorry es, I have no idea.

[Guest shiloh357]

3 hours ago, ~esther~ said:

Hi All

I couldn't find any real answers online, or maybe I just didn't search by using the correct words.

Do Jehovah's Witnesses consider it to be taking the Lord's Name in vain when specifically using the expression "OMG"? (Sorry I cannot type it out as it just feels wrong and even typing the acronym makes me cringe, but I don't know how else to specify that I'm searching answers on).

Reason for my question is that we have 4 JW's at our work, but one of them always expresses herself by saying those words, and if it is a no-no for them, then I would like to challenge her on it - i.e. if they believe so-and-so, then why is she taking the Lord's Name in vain. However, all I could find online suggests that they don't really see it as taking the Lord's Name in vain.

Can anyone else shed some light on this?

Thanks

I had a JW tell me once that they don't consider "God"  to be His Name.  They only refer to him as Jehovah.   The only problem is that Jehovah isn't a Hebrew word.   You never hear Jews using that term because it doesn't exist in the Hebrew language.   Jews only use Adonai or Hashem.   

"Jehovah" is a Gentile invention.   It takes the consonants YHVH and combines them with the vowel points of Adonai and that creates the word "Yah-Ho-Vah."  Jewish people never pronounce YHVH, so you will never hear the name "Jehovah" from Jewish lips.

[Omegaman 3.0]

I do not have much of an answer for you either Essy. I will offer a couple of thoughts though anyway.

First, I would point you to an article.

That is not JW specific, but it does address some thoughts in general. However, since the idea comes from God Himself, and is in fact one of the 10 commandments, is seems reasonable to think that whatever the phrase means, it is important to have His perspective. That perspective should be the same whether it is a JW or not, but it is also true, that the ten commandments were addressed to the Israelites, not to mankind in general.

Still, I think we could make the case, that taking the Lord's name in vain, is something anyone who takes His name, who claims Him as their God, should want to follow. Seems like a person calling them-self a Jehovah's Witness, would want to take that name with the utmost of respect or reverence.

I am curious though, why you would want to challenge your co-worker on the point. What I mean is, that is one of hundreds of sins, that she could commit in the course of a day, any one of which is enough to require the savior to rescue her from eternal separation from God.

Seems to me that is where to focus needs to be, and that would be equally true whether she a Jw, a Mormon, a Buddhist, a Muslim, and Atheist, or an Agnostic. All mankind is in that same boat, we are all sinners lost in sin, apart from the saving work of Jesus.

Jesus bodily Resurrection, is a topic the New Testament focuses on, and Paul speaks to it in the most important terms:

Rom 10:9 if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

and 1 Cor 15:

 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

      12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 

Now, those passages highlight mostly, the significance of the resurrection, His BODILY resurrection. They also happen the have words like vain and worthless.

Seems to me, that the highest act of taking the Lords name in vain, is that it is vain, it is worthless, to take His name to no end. In other words it is all in vain. Paul told Timothy there would be those who hold to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. That is the JW. Yes, they have a form of godliness, but they deny it's power, the power of the resurrection.

The Jesus of the JW, is Michael the arc-angel, and did not rise bodily from the dead in power and glory. The Jesus of the Watchtower, is not the Jesus of the Bible, it is a counterfeit version of Jesus, and a counterfeit gospel, and that sad state, is really taking the Lord's name in vain, in my opinion.

More info

[enoob57]

6 hours ago, ~esther~ said:

Hi All

I couldn't find any real answers online, or maybe I just didn't search by using the correct words.

Do Jehovah's Witnesses consider it to be taking the Lord's Name in vain when specifically using the expression "OMG"? (Sorry I cannot type it out as it just feels wrong and even typing the acronym makes me cringe, but I don't know how else to specify that I'm searching answers on).

Reason for my question is that we have 4 JW's at our work, but one of them always expresses herself by saying those words, and if it is a no-no for them, then I would like to challenge her on it - i.e. if they believe so-and-so, then why is she taking the Lord's Name in vain. However, all I could find online suggests that they don't really see it as taking the Lord's Name in vain.

Can anyone else shed some light on this?

Thanks

To consider all The Lord has and will do... one would be foolish to speak His Name without the utmost within
them of reverence and awe! But they deny God as they deny His Son... so point is moot altogether!
Love, Steven
 

[The_Patriot21]

I'm sure even among jws, just like Christians you will find different levels of maturity among them including those that are JW in name only. It's probably not worth a confrontation in my opinion, because I don't think jws are Christians, and confronting them like this would serve little to no purpose as it wouldn't draw them to Christ.

[missmuffet]

9 hours ago, ~esther~ said:

Hi All

I couldn't find any real answers online, or maybe I just didn't search by using the correct words.

Do Jehovah's Witnesses consider it to be taking the Lord's Name in vain when specifically using the expression "OMG"? (Sorry I cannot type it out as it just feels wrong and even typing the acronym makes me cringe, but I don't know how else to specify that I'm searching answers on).

Reason for my question is that we have 4 JW's at our work, but one of them always expresses herself by saying those words, and if it is a no-no for them, then I would like to challenge her on it - i.e. if they believe so-and-so, then why is she taking the Lord's Name in vain. However, all I could find online suggests that they don't really see it as taking the Lord's Name in vain.

Can anyone else shed some light on this?

Thanks

The abbreviation OMG can be taken as Oh My God or Oh My Gosh. I will not use the abbreviation because of the confusion.

[other one]

3 hours ago, missmuffet said:

The abbreviation OMG can be taken as Oh My God or Oh My Gosh. I will not use the abbreviation because of the confusion.

well when I write that it means OH MY GOODNESS.    In caps on purpose.

Some people are so legalistic that they think you are really swearing when you raise your voice....   so anything in all caps is swearing.

Take the "S" word....   that came as a shipping acronym.....    seems that when shipping cow dung in ships if it was below the waterline and got moist, it created methane gas and would blow the boat up.....     So they started labeling it Ship High in Transit...   and later just shortened it into the acronym.  Was a very common word for decades until one of the word Nazi's decided it was unacceptable....    still packs a good meaning today ..... shame too for it expresses a lot in a very short amount of effort.

[Just a Mirror]

15 hours ago, ~esther~ said:

15 hours ago, ~esther~ said:

Hi All

I couldn't find any real answers online, or maybe I just didn't search by using the correct words.

Do Jehovah's Witnesses consider it to be taking the Lord's Name in vain when specifically using the expression "OMG"? (Sorry I cannot type it out as it just feels wrong and even typing the acronym makes me cringe, but I don't know how else to specify that I'm searching answers on).

Reason for my question is that we have 4 JW's at our work, but one of them always expresses herself by saying those words, and if it is a no-no for them, then I would like to challenge her on it - i.e. if they believe so-and-so, then why is she taking the Lord's Name in vain. However, all I could find online suggests that they don't really see it as taking the Lord's Name in vain.

Can anyone else shed some light on this?

Thanks

I'm sure I'll catch flack for this but, oh well.

We dont know what our God's name is, or even the pronunciation of what we claim is The Name, YHWH or YHVH or however your studies lead you to believe.

I can tell you one thing for certain though, His NAME is NOT God.

God is a title, not a name. Kinda like ba'al was the name of a canaanite god.

Your bible translations are wrong, on purpose I might add. Genesis 1 and 2 does not say God, it says ELOHIM, later in Genesis 3 we see the author which has to be an author Moses or after Moses because now we see "The Lord" (YHWH) "God" (Elohim). We know this because Elohim revealed Himself as EHYEH ASHER EHYEH or "I AM THAT I AM" to moses up on the mountain.

Then we find later in Genesis Abraham is speaking with ELOHIM, because Abraham was before Moses, soo no YHWH name yet.

My personal opinion from studying The Name is that the exact pronunciation has neen lost, but we like to think we know something to make ourselves feel better, soo I pretend like the closest pronunciation is similar to, YEHOWEH, (yeh-ho-way)

But heres the trick I believe, our God reveals Himself in many ways, therefore He has a name for each way He reveals Himself, Soo Jesus, which isnt even close to His real name, His name was YEHOSHUA, but even with that name you have controversy, is YEHOSHUA, YEHSHUA, YESHUA, it really never ends with peoples people's opinions.

Therefore they changed the Names in your bibles to lessen the arguments on pronunciation and meanings.

In conclusion, GOD is not a name, not YHWH's name, not anythings name, its a title. Soo there you go, now you can calm down when someone types OMG. 

Peace to you.

[Omegaman 3.0]

5 hours ago, missmuffet said:

The abbreviation OMG can be taken as Oh My God or Oh My Gosh. I will not use the abbreviation because of the confusion.

I doubt there is much difference. In my OPINION, it is the same think. We come up with what I call Christian swear words.

"God damn it", we do not deem polite, where worry that is is taking the Lord's name in vain. So we create a loophole, as if that changes our heart, and then we morph phrases into "Gosh darn it", "gol dang it", "dag nab it", etc.

Seems to me it is just a way for 'polite' people to legitimize swearing!  We even have ways to say the F word when we want to, or we pretend that inserting a "#" in place of a vowel,  or changing on letter (like f%#$) is okay. Well, it isn't. 

It is either alright to say the real word, and stop being silly, or it is better to find other ways to express ourselves with out PC version of expletives, don't you think?