Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
- Burning ghost
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
Still tickles me today! XD
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
Um, I've been banned from pretty much every atheist forum on the net for my inconvenient challenges to their memorized dogmas, so it seems the answer is yes, it really is necessary to get so offended.Eduk wrote:I guess the point I'm trying to make is that is it really necessary to get so offended?
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
But that is not true. I've heard people on the street or on television exclaiming "My God!" about something completely trivial as if, as it seems to me, they pretend to be passionate about the triviality.LuckyR wrote:I guess to me the OP's question is self evident. Folks blaspheme... because they are emotional (at that moment) and are seeking to shock, thus blasphemy.
My impression is that individuals who exclaim it are young and noisy exhibitionists who are following a trend because they feel stronger in groups who speak the same slang.
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
Your observation is, of course accurate. Though IMO the off-hand OMG, is habit and not a commentary on the standing of the Almighty within the broader context. True, historically there was once a time when such speech was shocking, but that is in the very distant past. To be frank, at the current time the word "blasphemy" is more noteworthy and memorable than using a god's name in vain (or in vanity).Belindi wrote:But that is not true. I've heard people on the street or on television exclaiming "My God!" about something completely trivial as if, as it seems to me, they pretend to be passionate about the triviality.LuckyR wrote:I guess to me the OP's question is self evident. Folks blaspheme... because they are emotional (at that moment) and are seeking to shock, thus blasphemy.
My impression is that individuals who exclaim it are young and noisy exhibitionists who are following a trend because they feel stronger in groups who speak the same slang.
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
I don't believe when I drop a plate on the floor and say "god damnit!" I'm using the lord's name in vain, as they say. To apply that phrase exclusively to swearing makes it incredibly trivial. When the Westboro Baptist Church (for those familiar with them) go around claiming "God hates gays", and protesting military funerals, etc. etc. because they feel God has called them to hate, they are, in my belief, using his name in vain. They're misusing the authority of a god to justify and proclaim their own awful beliefs.
I don't think the original intent of the phrase had anything to do with expletives. It seems like a silly thing to make a commandment about (although next to eating shellfish I suppose it's not that crazy, but my point stands).
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
There might be a difference according to where one lives. Here, in middle England , I who am old swear more than my sons, daughters in law, and grandchidren none of whom swear at all to my knowledge.True, historically there was once a time when such speech was shocking, but that is in the very distant past. To be frank, at the current time the word "blasphemy" is more noteworthy and memorable than using a god's name in vain (or in vanity).
-- Updated January 28th, 2017, 5:52 am to add the following --
Although OMG is not my habit which tends to occasional common or garden coarseness.Belindi wrote:Lucky wrote:
There might be a difference according to where one lives. Here, in middle England , I who am old swear more than my sons, daughters in law, and grandchidren none of whom swear at all to my knowledge.True, historically there was once a time when such speech was shocking, but that is in the very distant past. To be frank, at the current time the word "blasphemy" is more noteworthy and memorable than using a god's name in vain (or in vanity).
- Sy Borg
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
Your final point is telling. Many of us were prepared to believe that there was a juvenile rule about names because literal interpretations of the metaphorical expression of ancient people are crazy, hence the unstable and unhinged nature of fundamentalists. If we took Shakespeare literally we might figure that Julius Caesar was a fantasy titan:Ozymandias wrote:To build on what Fooloso said,
I don't believe when I drop a plate on the floor and say "god damnit!" I'm using the lord's name in vain, as they say. To apply that phrase exclusively to swearing makes it incredibly trivial. When the Westboro Baptist Church (for those familiar with them) go around claiming "God hates gays", and protesting military funerals, etc. etc. because they feel God has called them to hate, they are, in my belief, using his name in vain. They're misusing the authority of a god to justify and proclaim their own awful beliefs.
I don't think the original intent of the phrase had anything to do with expletives. It seems like a silly thing to make a commandment about (although next to eating shellfish I suppose it's not that crazy, but my point stands).
So yes, the commandment appears to effectively be a copyright claim on the faith rather than a rule forcing aggrieved people to say "gee" and "gosh".The Bard wrote:He doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus; and we petty men walk under his huge legs, and peep about to find ourselves dishonourable graves.
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
In my experience the less one curses, the more impact you project on the rare occasion when you do. As an aside, when I play tennis an exclamation of "golly!!" is commented upon more than four letter words by other players.Belindi wrote:Lucky wrote:
There might be a difference according to where one lives. Here, in middle England , I who am old swear more than my sons, daughters in law, and grandchidren none of whom swear at all to my knowledge.True, historically there was once a time when such speech was shocking, but that is in the very distant past. To be frank, at the current time the word "blasphemy" is more noteworthy and memorable than using a god's name in vain (or in vanity).
-- Updated January 28th, 2017, 5:52 am to add the following --
Although OMG is not my habit which tends to occasional common or garden coarseness.Belindi wrote:Lucky wrote:
(Nested quote removed.)
There might be a difference according to where one lives. Here, in middle England , I who am old swear more than my sons, daughters in law, and grandchidren none of whom swear at all to my knowledge.
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
I feel that this conversation is now melding into the conversation about consciousness among AI machines. These lack the need to establish social status and power relations between individual machines so if they swear they won't be swearing to impress others. In other words, AI machines don't live in societies, but only as aggregates. Swearing and blaspheming are peculiarly human and exist as small rebellions against the hegemony of religious elites and the imperatives of fickle fortune.
- Hugh of Borg
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
******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.
- Sy Borg
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Re: Why do people take the Lord's name in vain?
More likely, you will face God's feminine wrath for claiming her to be a man :PHugh of Borg wrote: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.
I think it highly unlikely that ancient patriarchies that treated women like male possessions would claim God to be any other than male, otherwise they'd be claiming God to be their possession, which I suspect would be frowned upon as blasphemous by those claiming to know the mind of God better than others.
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