Taking God's name in vain?

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anon98328916

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A thought occurred to me earlier as I was reading various apparitions from Our Lady, why do we take God’s name in vain? When did it actually start? The Apparition of Our Lady of La Salette (1846), Our Lady said “Those who drive carts cannot speak without putting the name of my Son in the middle”.

“It was quite the opposite when you found bad potatoes, you swore oaths, and you included the name of my Son.”
I’m just curious why we continue to do this?
 
We were talking about this today. Invoking the name of Jesus, thus invoking Jesus to help is like your 9/11 to God.

Prank calls are taking the lord’s name in vain
 
I think its just ingrained in the vernacular of our culture at this point. It’s very difficult to change even the smallest elements of an established culture.

The more curious question to me is to how it started in the first place. Who on Earth thought to use God’s name as a swear word. It doesn’t really make any sense at all, when you think about it. But obviously it’s an ancient problem, being in the ten commandments and all. Unless the commandment only referred to the tetragammaton or something–doubt it though.
 
Sadly this is true, it is like second nature to many.
chessnerd321 said:
The more curious question to me is to how it started in the first place. Who on Earth thought to use God’s name as a swear word. It doesn’t really make any sense at all, when you think about it.
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I agree, who would have thought it was perfectly fine to do so, I do not understand why. I was guilty of this myself before I came back to my faith, it was then I started to become very aware of how wrong it was and when others used it it really stood out to me. I wish it would stop, it is offending Our Lord terribly.
 
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Exactly, becoming aware of the fact we are doing it and with many it is out of habit.
 
It makes me angry when I hear people do it, there is one person where I am who says “Christ on a bike” when she is shocked at something, if they knew Our Lord then I believe they would’nt do it.
 
Of course, and nor is my statement one of apathy or hopelessness. Just a recognition that it will be an uphill battle. We all know how hard it is just to change oneself. Changing others is tough.
 
One thing I know of people doing that I don’t have the guts to do… yet, is say “blessed be the name of Christ” or whoever it is they blasphemed as an act of reparation right in front of them.

I do it in my head when I remember to. Someday I’ll be brave though.
 
I imagine it started out as it still sometimes is…in prayer. I am so accustomed (as are many) to calling out to God in moments of frustration, sadness, happiness despair etc. for His help that these prayers short as they may be, could be and may well be misconstrued as ‘swearing’ if heard by others. I fortunately usually pray these prayers in my head, but there may be occasions where I might not. Our priest told us a simple prayer such as ‘Jesus’ is quite sufficient when in need. If one were to say this out loud when say upset or frightened… then another hearing may think it swearing. He/she could either be appalled or perhaps copy a person or think if it’s ok for her/him its ok for me etc. or children may copy their parents etc. and the meaning or prayer part of it be lost in time and so it becomes undivinised (if such a word exists). I think that likely how it began and indeed how it persists. I do also think we can train ourselves out of it, especially by redivinising ourselves through reintroducing the love of God and prayer into our lives. The greater community who perhaps do not do this, will not care to drop such ‘expressions of non prayer’ which are taking our Lords name in vain, from their vocabulary because it will likely mean nothing to them.
 
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