Is "Oh my God!" considered taking the Lord's name in vain?

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Is it, and was it a sin for me to even write that up there?
 
It’s not a sin for you to write it there in the form of a question 😉 but yes, I do consider that taking the Lord’s name in vain and I avoid it.
 
Is it a mortal sin for one to say it, especially out of habit?
 
The obligation to refrain from taking the Lord’s name in vain is a grave obligation. Some acts offend against this grave obligation to a grave extent, such as by blasphemy or by lying under an oath to God or by breaking an oath to God (such as breaking religious vows). The violation of a grave obligation to a grave extent is an objective mortal sin.

However, other acts offend against this grave obligation to a substantially limited extent, such as saying ‘Oh my God!’ as an exclamation. Such acts are objective venial sins because the violation is substantially limited, it is not so severe as to be incompatible with the love of God and neighbor, and the state of grace.
 
Keep in mind that the Jews of Jesus’ time would’ve stoned anyone to death for just saying “God.” No second chances, no saying, “Ooops.” Just one time, and you were a goner!
 
coolcatholicguy said:
Is it a mortal sin for one to say it, especially out of habit?
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YES. Read you CCC, 2nd Ed.
If you know of anyone who has this habit, you might want to tell him or her so.

If “Oh my God” is a prayer, it is not a sin.
 
As it was not a fully considered action there was no Consent Given; particularily if it was habitual/instinctive. However doing such would still constitute a venial sin.
 
JohnDamian said:
As it was not a fully considered action there was no Consent Given; particularily if it was habitual/instinctive. However doing such would still constitute a venial sin.
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No. Read your “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition”. Sins can be committed even when ignorant.

Using God’s name in vain is a mortal sin. God said so.
Thou shall not use the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Bad habits do not excuse any sin.
 
WatchingMedia said:
No. Read your “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition”. Sins can be committed even when ignorant.

Using God’s name in vain is a mortal sin. God said so.
Thou shall not use the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Bad habits do not excuse any sin.
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Completely untrue. Habitual vice reduces culpability. Look it up. This is especially mentioned when talking of masturbation (but please don’t hijack the thread!).
 
I too am convinced that using and name that we attribute to the Lord as an expletive or an expression of surprise is a very grave sin and since we have control of the words we say, that means consent of the will. Therefor in all cases it would be a mortal sin. I also agree with Marc Anthony that if it habitual, culpability may be reduced a bit. However, I would to amplify his point and add that it is impossible to know how much.

Let us recall that Jews (and Christians) were not even permitted to write the actual name of God, I AM WHO AM, in Hebrew. Even when they record it, they leave out certain characters and it is from this abbreviation we get Yahweh.

The name of God is absolutely sacred, only His actual presence is more sacred. Therefore, we must treat Him properly and with our love and respect and devotion at all times.
 
I believe it is. In my Catholic community the term “Oh my God!” is used habitually, even worse than on TV or by worldly people. They do not even seem to regard it as being anything wrong with it. But its used in normal conversation and therefore it is being used commonly and vainly.

I would add to this all these common phrases
“For Christ’s sake”
“For God’s sake”
“Oh for the Love of God”
“Jesus Christ!”
“Christ Almighty!”

You would have trouble explaining the principle by which any of these phrases are blasphemous whereas “Oh my God!” is not.

The phrase “Oh my God!”
is properly used in the Act of Contrition which goes like this:
“Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins”

The Catechism states:
2161 The second commandment enjoins respect for the Lord’s name. The name of the Lord is holy.

If we wish to avoid breaking the second commandment then we should make every effort to not be flippant or blasphemous to any of the names of God or of the Saints or anything holy. We should use the names of God sparingly and with the greatest respect.

In past generations whenever the word Jesus was spoken, Catholics would nod their heads slightly out of respect. This still happens in some traditional fellowships and you will notice at Latin masses the altar boys have been taught to do this. I think this is a wonderful custom which I would like to see return to our communion to restore the deep, deep respect for the holy names of God.
 
We all know the three things needed for an action to be a mortal sin. Basically, I think there has to be full knowledge in what one is doing when using the Lord’s name as a swear. I know people who truly think “Jesus Christ” is a swear word, like the F word and a few other gems. They beleive this because they don’t even know who Jesus Christ is. New Zealand is an incredibly secular country, and while some people may know of Christianity, they haven’t quite clicked as to who that faith worships. So yeah, you get a lot of people down here who think Jesus is a swear. Those people, I beleive, are covered from the “mortal sin” label by sheer ignorance.

But then I know Christians/ex-Christians who use such words and they know better. So for them it is a mortal sin.

Me, I only really say “God” as a prayer, like when something horrible happens and I feel I need to call out to the Lord, if something horrible happens and I want a swear word, Lord knows I’ve got plenty more in my vocab that don’t resort to blasphemy.
 
I personally do not like to invoke God unless I mean it for something. It is for certain a lack of reverence for God since most who say it hardly ever give a thought about what they are saying. To me, lowering His name to a common everyday trite expression is wrong and something I don’t agree with. There are other words that can be used to express excitement or amaze.
 
It is just as easy to say “Golly!” or “Gosh!” or even “Holy Moses” as it is to do the OMG thing. I’d rather be on the safe side.
 
excubitor said:
I believe it is. In my Catholic community the term “Oh my God!” is used habitually, even worse than on TV or by worldly people. They do not even seem to regard it as being anything wrong with it. But its used in normal conversation and therefore it is being used commonly and vainly.

I would add to this all these common phrases
“For Christ’s sake”
“For God’s sake”
“Oh for the Love of God”
“Jesus Christ!”
“Christ Almighty!”

You would have trouble explaining the principle by which any of these phrases are blasphemous whereas “Oh my God!” is not.

The phrase “Oh my God!”
is properly used in the Act of Contrition which goes like this:
“Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins”

The Catechism states:
2161 The second commandment enjoins respect for the Lord’s name. The name of the Lord is holy.

If we wish to avoid breaking the second commandment then we should make every effort to not be flippant or blasphemous to any of the names of God or of the Saints or anything holy. We should use the names of God sparingly and with the greatest respect.

In past generations whenever the word Jesus was spoken, Catholics would nod their heads slightly out of respect. This still happens in some traditional fellowships and you will notice at Latin masses the altar boys have been taught to do this. I think this is a wonderful custom which I would like to see return to our communion to restore the deep, deep respect for the holy names of God.
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Thank you. This is well thought out and complete. I agree.
Musician said:
It is just as easy to say “Golly!” or “Gosh!” or even “Holy Moses” as it is to do the OMG thing. I’d rather be on the safe side.
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Using the logic of the first post I quoted, I think “Holy Moses” would also be improper.
 
During a baseball game, someone made a good play and a coach from the other team said, “Sweet Lord!”. Would you consider that amortal sin?
 
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