Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Discuss philosophical questions regarding theism (and atheism), and discuss religion as it relates to philosophy. This includes any philosophical discussions that happen to be about god, gods, or a 'higher power' or the belief of them. This also generally includes philosophical topics about organized or ritualistic mysticism or about organized, common or ritualistic beliefs in the existence of supernatural phenomenon.
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Ozymandias
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Ozymandias »

Hugh of Borg wrote:
Greta wrote:As with expletives, blasphemous words provide a satisfying breaking of taboos.

Think of it as God kindly providing some extra help for Her weak minions. She has donated Her name to them so that they can release their frustrations rather than unhealthily repressing. If She didn't forbid it then there's be no taboo and it wouldn't work. There's no point being God if you're not a few steps ahead of your creations.
******
Not wishing to offend but words like God. Lord, Christ are MALE words.
You seem to be a little confused.
The word for a woman is "goddess".
You should be careful about this kind of thing, you may get into trouble.
Blasphemies against God are blasphemies against God.
Just a bit of friendly advice, you do not want to feel the Wrath of God now do you and he may get very angry if you imply he is a woman.
The image of God is extremely controversial, and thousands of different interpretations of him/ her/ it have existed in human history. To pick one gender and declare it to be the official gender affiliated with "god" is contrived. My understanding has always been that since God is non-corporeal, God is not subject to such physical attributes as "male" or "female". Even if you do have reason to claim that God has male attributes and not female attributes, there is no reason to bring it up in this discussion. The pronouns by which Greta refers to God don't change the themes or ideas of this thread.

So I fail to see why you find it problematic, and I'd like to know if there's something I'm not aware of.
Eduk
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Eduk »

Not wishing to offend but words like God. Lord, Christ are MALE words.
You seem to be a little confused.
The word for a woman is "goddess".
You should be careful about this kind of thing, you may get into trouble.
Blasphemies against God are blasphemies against God.
Just a bit of friendly advice, you do not want to feel the Wrath of God now do you and he may get very angry if you imply he is a woman.
This was meant to be a tongue in cheek joke right?
Unknown means unknown.
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Ozymandias
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Ozymandias »

Eduk wrote:
Not wishing to offend but words like God. Lord, Christ are MALE words.
You seem to be a little confused.
The word for a woman is "goddess".
You should be careful about this kind of thing, you may get into trouble.
Blasphemies against God are blasphemies against God.
Just a bit of friendly advice, you do not want to feel the Wrath of God now do you and he may get very angry if you imply he is a woman.
This was meant to be a tongue in cheek joke right?
Hm, I didn't read it that way but now you say so, I hope it was? It seems quite a silly thing to take seriously. Everyone knows that the idea of god is a broad, interpretational thing.
Eduk
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Eduk »

Everyone knows that the idea of god is a broad, interpretational thing.
That's not true. Many billions of people would say that their version of God wasn't interpretational.
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Ozymandias
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Ozymandias »

Eduk wrote:
Everyone knows that the idea of god is a broad, interpretational thing.
That's not true. Many billions of people would say that their version of God wasn't interpretational.
I understand that many people hold the belief that their god is the true god and is therefore not an interpretation, but the real thing. However, there is no collectively agreed upon version of God, and therefore no reason to correct people in such an objective manner upon their interpretations of him. I have my own interpretation of God, and I call God a him, though that's just for grammatical convenience. While I believe that my interpretation of God is true/ the best one out there, I recognize that others have different interpretations and when discussing religion, I respect their own interpretations of him, rather than thrusting my beliefs on those around me and demanding they adhere to my interpretation.

If you are trying to discuss religion in a productive manner, you can have your own ideas about what God is, but you cannot thrust your ideas on other people for no reason other than you wish them to cater to your beliefs. If you believe God is male and you can provide actual support for the idea that God is male, then certainly tell people. But apart from that, your belief that God is male is nothing more than a hypothesis and should therefore be brought up as a suggestion, not as a correction.
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Lark_Truth
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Lark_Truth »

Let's get back on topic here, people. This is a discussion for why people take the Lord's name in vain, not what is the collectively agreed upon version of God. If you want to debate on that, then open up a new discussion.
Have fun.
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Ozymandias
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Ozymandias »

Lark_Truth wrote:Let's get back on topic here, people. This is a discussion for why people take the Lord's name in vain, not what is the collectively agreed upon version of God. If you want to debate on that, then open up a new discussion.
Have fun.
Fair enough, my apologies.
Eduk
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Eduk »

If you are trying to discuss religion in a productive manner, you can have your own ideas about what God is, but you cannot thrust your ideas on other people for no reason other than you wish them to cater to your beliefs. If you believe God is male and you can provide actual support for the idea that God is male, then certainly tell people. But apart from that, your belief that God is male is nothing more than a hypothesis and should therefore be brought up as a suggestion, not as a correction.
This I do agree with :)
Let's get back on topic here, people. This is a discussion for why people take the Lord's name in vain, not what is the collectively agreed upon version of God. If you want to debate on that, then open up a new discussion.
My apologies also. How this does pertain to the original question though, is that in my opinion it highlights some of the issues. Different people will define blasphemy differently irrespective of their other beliefs. For example you could dismiss an Atheist blaspheming as you could say he doesn't believe in your God so to him it isn't blasphemy. But in my experience many religious people will take the Lord's name in vain not because they don't believe in the Lord but because they don't believe in the interpretation.
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Lark_Truth
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Lark_Truth »

Eduk wrote:
in my experience many religious people will take the Lord's name in vain not because they don't believe in the Lord but because they don't believe in the interpretation.
Ouch!

You are probably right there, Eduk, it all comes down to people's opinions.
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Philosch
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Philosch »

Haven't been on the forum in awhile and I remember why. I can't believe such silly questions are even entertained on a serious philosophy board. The answer is quite simple....that people who commit, as you call it blasphemy, simply don't believe in such religious notions and deity's, if they did they wouldn't do what you are pointing out. No need to examine it any further. And no I'm not worried about being struck down or smited, not since I was 12 anyway. Not sure how the question has any relevance whatsoever to philosophy. Maybe if you're looking for the psychology behind such notions I guess. I think responders have been quite generous in even responding to such a question.

Seems more like a topic for a forum dedicated to the promotion and understanding of the Abrahamic religions.
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Lark_Truth
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Lark_Truth »

Well, as you see fit, Philosch. But is the answer that you gave there the only answer to this question? People probably have lots of opinions on this sort of topic, and they must all be considered before coming to a definite conclusion.

It occurs to me that I haven't answered my own question on the thread that I myself posted. So, I'd say the reason why people take the Lord's name in vain is because they haven't been taught to speak in respect to their God by their parents/guardians, and/or they pick it up from people who are their friends or who they admire, and then it just becomes habit for them. A very unfortunate pitfall.
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Philosch
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Philosch »

Let me be even more blunt. You assume the existence of gods or a god is well established and the determining the "why" of taking their names in vain is a meaningful philosophical endeavor and I assure you it is not. The proof of the mere existence of such beings is not a matter of philosophy any longer, it's a matter of faith. Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, it's not the study of religious doctrine taken as fact and then discussed. So your question is say politely, not worth discussing on an argumentative philosophy forum.
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Lark_Truth
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Lark_Truth »

Okay, I see your point there. And I quite agree with you.
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Felix
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Felix »

In the Old Testament, One of the commandments Jehovah gives to Moses is to not take the Lord's name in vain.
First off, you'd have to know his true name, not the various pen names attributed to him. Do you know his true identity? Has he showed you his ID?
"We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are." - Anaïs Nin
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Lark_Truth
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?

Post by Lark_Truth »

You have a point Felix. I don't have a clue what the true name of God or Jesus Christ are, and if those are their true names, then ... but still the commandment was given for a reason.
Would it be respecting deity if you used their name like a swear-word?
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