Using theLords name in vain

[Guest Biblicist]

If only these kids knew what a Valley Girl was and how often they used OMG!!

I think they'd probably, like, stop, like, ya know, totally. Fer sure! They'd think it was like totally bogus! Gag me with a spoon!

[Guest]

[Fraught]

i once asked a person who said this if he was praying. he replied: "no, i was cursing". hhhmmm

[LadyRaven]

the phrase is also one of my pet peeves. on message boards that i have set up for others, i always set the filter to change "oh my god" to "oh my goodness" (or gosh), and also set the filter to change the shorthand version to OMGosh. maybe someone could suggest that to the man in charge here?

What is a gosh?

Isn't saying Omgosh instead of using the original phrase the same thing as substituting "sugar" for the *s* word? In fact, it's probably worse because...when people say sugar instead of *s* they are deliberately changing the nature of what is said (sugar is sweet, *s* is disgusting). Gosh was a word invented to substitute for the word God in minced oaths is it not?

Why not set the filter to Oh My! ?

However, I do not believe that using references to God as a cuss word is taking the Lord's name in vain. I believe it is making oaths that you dont intend to keep in his name or swearing by his name that what you say is true when it is not.

It is, however, still a cuss word.

For me, what makes something a cuss word is when you use a word of any sort to either bring the idea of something else down in value (calling a woman a *b* or using the word *s* to describe someone's possessions) or to use the name or idea of something of high value (God, Jesus, Holy, whatever) to express something of low value (anger).

And it is also disrespectful to the one Person I should have the utmost respect for. This, IMO is what makes it worse than just saying "sugar" or even *S*. In the end, though, it isn't our words which are so bad, because we could say good gravy and still be just as angry.

The words are a reflection of what is in our heart and if our hearts are angry that is the problem, not the words we use to express it. I haven't always had the cleanest mouth in town, I am also a very angry person (though way better than I was years ago, I still have a long way to go). I never regarded using God's name as any different than any other cuss word, though I used it less because it just seemed more wrong. Then I came to the realisation that, out of the mouth the heart speaks means exactly that. If my heart is full of...dung...that is what will pop out when I'm not careful.

I trained myself to say "Sweet Jesus help me I am so angry" and then it got shortened to "sweet Jesus" Then I had to train myself to go back to at least Jesus help me, because people misunderstood me. It wasn't a cuss word, it's a prayer.