Well, that’s the whole point.
Yep. It refers to taking the Lord’s name in vain. It says nothing about anger, resentment, callousness, or anything else. Do not take it in vain - which of course applies to all the emotions just listed, but certainly isn’t limited to them. If we are not truly conversing with the Lord, or praying (which could be the same thing), we do not utter his name, unless as some explanatory statement of fact as the subject or object of a sentence (“God loves us, sweetie.” “Jesus died for our sins.” “Jesus had a sweet beard, no?”.I’m surprised by this too. I see some traditional Catholics and other devout religious people including orthodox Jews who say OMG (the whole thing) or Oh my L_ . I’m unsure, but I thought that was considered to be using God’s name in vain??
I remember that thread! (And partly because of that, I’m surprised so many people have said it’s no big deal.)Well, that’s the whole point.
People don’t realize that one of the commandments is to not take the Lord’s name in vain.
You don’t have to be cursing…but throwing around His name indiscriminately.
I made the mistake of using the phrase omg in print one day on this forum a couple of years ago.
All you know what broke loose, and I was “read” by legions of CAF followers about how badly I had sinned. ''When I asked my priest about it, he agreed.
)Since the commandment refers to “in vain”, i.e., uselessness or futility, it would seem intent to blaspheme, while certainly not allowed, is not specifically what the commandment is aimed at. It takes an opposition to an even softer utterance, doing so in vain. of course, there are more than simply the commandments to guide us in these matters, in either case.
That’s a big part of my take also. In another thread here there was a discussion regarding someone retorting angrily to their spouse who’d asked where something was “It’s up your arse!” I was shocked that most CAFers didn’t think this was too terrible. I think if a way of speaking doesn’t fit with the tone of your own family you have a right to discourage it in your own household without too much explanation.
Right, people say OMG… because they’re shocked by something, not because they want to blaspheme God.
Just to clarify: that was in the context of whether that particular incident demonstrated a need for anger management intervention. I don’t think anyone thought is was a constructive way to express a complaint or the kind of talk that ought to go on between spouses. Rather, it was within the boundaries of *bad *behavior that people with typical self-control fall into when they are very angry.
Fair enough, and I like what Fr. Serpa has to say. I am not comfortable with it myself, but I see what he is saying.
People also say GD because their hand hurts from the hammer blow, they aren’t consciously intending to blaspheme God.
The same thing I’d think if I heard them say OMG in farsi. Probably wouldn’t register to me, culturally.
I say somthing worse when that happens.
Basically what you are doing when you say “Jesus Christ” for something is you are try to give force to that statement, but I don’t think it rises to blasphemy.
No I accept that Fr Sherpa says it isn’t blasphemy but I’m still of the generation that regards it as a cultural curse. It’s a much more secular culture now.
I agree, but i think saying “Jesus Christ” is more of a “cultural curse” than saying OMG.
Actually, from someone who works with a majority Muslim population, I hear “Wallah!” on a daily basis (meaning, “I swear to God.”). Sometimes, the person who says this phrase will say it several times in the same sentence.
There are separate neuropathways for thought-out speech and for expletives or blurted-out statements. This can be seen in stroke patients who cannot say what they intend to say except when they blurt something out without thinking. Imagine the frustration of finding it impossible to express yourself no matter how much labor you put into it, only to find yourself speaking with total clarity as you swear in frustration!
