Taking the Lord's name in Vain

Grates on my nerves!!!

It did back when I classified myself as a "liberal" Christian, too .

It's the same uncomfortable reaction I get when I hear someone make a derogatory comment about my husband or my best friend. I just plain don't like it!!

I can sit through a movie with F-bombs sprinkled liberally throughout the script and not flinch (although I do think that the writers, in most cases, could be a tad more creative with their vocabulary choices!), but if I hear one "GD" or "JC," it ruins it for me!!!

I like to say "why pick on Jesus, what did he ever do to you?"

or "how about Buddahs sake, or Allah..."

FLANDIDLYANDERS said:

I like to say "why pick on Jesus, what did he ever do to you?"

or "how about Buddahs sake, or Allah..."

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LOL!! One of my favorite things to say when someone takes God's name in vain is, "Ya know, what would you do if He actually answered you back?"

lismore said:

Hi

Just wondered what people thought when they hear the lord's name being taken in vain i.e as a swear word? Does it make you sad, mad, whatever?

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i work at a factory. i'm desensitized to any angst against it. i'm used to it. and sadly enough, it has slipped out of my mouth too when i'm having a bad night. that's when i feel the sadness, or anger. but it's something i'm working on, all personal progression, that i've been down before . i'm not blaming my enviroment or the work, but the enviroment and the stress of the job doesn't help any. that's why sometimes, when the line is acting up, i'll yell out, "God Bless it!"

It doesn't bother me when other people say it because it is their life, and as a liberal, I make a conscious effort to avoid judging. What they do or say is between them and God...I have nothing to do with their relationship and I make no opinion about it. I do find it funny to hear some of my atheist friends say it...it's like, "who are you acknowledging? I thought you weren't a believer?"

I myself try not to say it as it is a personal conviction of mine. I would never replace it with Allah or Buddha however! Why would I disrespect another's God in place of my own?! It is so sad how people make a mockery of such things. I wish more people would respect those who have different beliefs outside of their own.

AngylBelle said:

I myself try not to say it as it is a personal conviction of mine. I would never replace it with Allah or Buddha however! Why would I disrespect another's God in place of my own?! It is so sad how people make a mockery of such things. I wish more people would respect those who have different beliefs outside of their own.

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Indeed, which was my point! Over here, people get sarcasm so my demi-deconstructive approach works just fine!

I am not at all convinced that this is what "taking the Lord's name in vain" actually is.

I wonder if what is actually meant is where, for example, a company solicits business from Christians by advertising that it is a Christian firm, and then behaves in an unethical manner towards them?

Or where an individual abuses the trust placed in them because they claim to be a Christian.

I'd have expected God to be far more concerned about that than what we say when we drop a heavy box on our foot.

Like, when I woke up in intensive care to find out the "stomach flu" I had was really an abscessed appendix, and when the doctors went in they also found cancer so what was supposed to be a 40 minute operation ended up running nearly three hours, and what was supposed to be an appendix ended up being the left hemisphere of my colon and two feet of small intestine,

Or when I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and drove a nail straight through the top of my foot (instead of the board),

Or when I was slicing julienne vegetables using the mandoline and cut off the tip of my finger (which is VERY easy to do when using a mandoline).

You know the part of the Lord's Prayer where it says, "And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us?"

This is one of those places where it applies.

Karl - Liberal Backslider said:

I am not at all convinced that this is what "taking the Lord's name in vain" actually is.

I wonder if what is actually meant is where, for example, a company solicits business from Christians by advertising that it is a Christian firm, and then behaves in an unethical manner towards them?

Or where an individual abuses the trust placed in them because they claim to be a Christian.

I'd have expected God to be far more concerned about that than what we say when we drop a heavy box on our foot.

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indeedilydoodilydoo

I've heard such blasphamy enough times in our culture to be past getting mad, or even sad. I've had people let rip a few while I was there, in my collar. I allways hit them with a smile, the sign of the cross and the ever popular "en nomine Pater, et Fillis, et Spiritus Sanctu pax."

Isn't it odd that in our Politically Correct culture you are free to insult God and people's religious beliefs, but alomost nothing else?

UberLutheran said:

Like, when I woke up in intensive care to find out the "stomach flu" I had was really an abscessed appendix, and when the doctors went in they also found cancer so what was supposed to be a 40 minute operation ended up running nearly three hours, and what was supposed to be an appendix ended up being the left hemisphere of my colon and two feet of small intestine,

Or when I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and drove a nail straight through the top of my foot (instead of the board),

Or when I was slicing julienne vegetables using the mandoline and cut off the tip of my finger (which is VERY easy to do when using a mandoline).

You know the part of the Lord's Prayer where it says, "And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us?"

This is one of those places where it applies.

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amen uber!

Rev. Smith said:

Isn't it odd that in our Politically Correct culture you are free to insult God and people's religious beliefs, but alomost nothing else?

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It is also odd that other "heathen" faiths are more concerned about blasphamy than we "holy and comitted" Christians.

lismore said:

Hi

Just wondered what people thought when they hear the lord's name being taken in vain i.e as a swear word? Does it make you sad, mad, whatever?

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Makes me cringe.... Almost like putting nails on a chalkboard.

Karl - Liberal Backslider said:

I am not at all convinced that this is what "taking the Lord's name in vain" actually is.

I wonder if what is actually meant is where, for example, a company solicits business from Christians by advertising that it is a Christian firm, and then behaves in an unethical manner towards them?

Or where an individual abuses the trust placed in them because they claim to be a Christian.

I'd have expected God to be far more concerned about that than what we say when we drop a heavy box on our foot.

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Karl my friend, I think you're on to something............

Misusing God's name is FAR larger than just saying "God Dxxxxx".

Let's look at some Scriptures that tell us something about God's Name, or in the Hebrew Ha Shem.

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the Name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.”

3 central ideas and words in this command:

1st word, nasah – to carry or to take. Misuse, you shall not nasah, not carry or take the Name of God in misuse or vain.

2nd word, shawv – in vain, nothingness or emptiness in the original language, or more detailed definition anything that disappoints the hope which rests upon it.

3rd word, shem – name. God is referred to many times in the OT as “Ha Shem” or “the Name”. There was a sense in ancient times that there was some kind of energy associated with “Ha Shem”("The Name" in English).


What is a Name, and what does God’s Name do?

Ex 23:20-21 “Behold, I am about to send an Angel before you, to guard you in the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Be on guard before Him, and listen to His voice. Do not be rebellious against Him, for He will not forgive your transgressions; for My Name is in Him.”

God speaking of this angle messenger is saying that His Holy Name can be placed in another being.

Deut. 12:11 “And it shall be the place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause His Name to dwell there…”

God’s Name is going to live or dwell somewhere.

Ps 20:1 “May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble. May the Name of the God of Jacob set you up on high…..”

Notice here that God’s Name has power to protect, His Name is doing things.

Isa 30:27 “Behold, the Name of the LORD comes from far away, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke.”

This Name is capable of moving around on its own, and you can see coming from afar, in this case judgment. God’s Name does stuff. God’s Name has this presence about it that in some way God’s Name is present in some way God is there in His fullness as well.

Micah 4:5 “Indeed all the nations may walk in the name of their gods; but we will walk in the Name of the LORD our God forever and ever.”

Check out this concept of God’s Name. God’s Name here is not something you say to get God’s attention, or something that gets placed in people, dwells in a particular location or something that comes from afar. Micah refers to it as something you can walk or live in the Name. God’s Name here is a realm or dimension you can live in. You’re either living in the Name or outside of it living in some other name.

1 Peter 4:14 “If you are reviled in the Name of Christ, you are blessed, because "the Spirit of God and of glory rests on you."

Peter here makes the connection between the Name and something else, that something else is God and God’s Spirit. God’s Name here is synonymous with the actual presence of God and therefore God’s Spirit.

3 John 6-7 “They have testified about your love before the assembly. You will do well to send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, because for the sake of Ha Shem they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles.”

The Name of God gets placed on people, and these people go around and carry the Name of God wherever they go. So a Christian is someone who carries the Name of God on them. If you are a follower of Jesus then the Holy untouchable Name of Ha Shem has been placed upon you.

If this is true then God for some mind-blowing reason entrusts His reputation to people. One of the primary ways God makes Himself known is through people who He places His Name on. If you’re a follower of Jesus, then you carry the Name, the Name of God rests on you. Wherever you go and whatever you do you are carrying the Name of God into that situation, and what you do God is present in your actions. Do it in the Name of jesus Colossians 3:17.

God set it up that a world of people that do not know God would see these people who carry God’s Name around and would see from these people what God is like. This is one of the central ways God teaches the world what He is like.

I have heard people say “I want to be a witness for God.” Technically according to the Scriptures EVERY Christian is a witnesses to God. The question is, are you doing it well? What are you a witness to, a God of grace and mercy? Or a God that is judgmental and harsh waiting to “zap” you. Are you a witness to a God who identifies with the marginalized and the oppressed, minority and brokenhearted, or are you a witness to a God that is only interested in getting more “stuff”? To carry the Name is to witness to what God is like.

Swearing (saying “God Dxxxit“) is generally seen as taking place outside the Christian community. That isn’t the point of the third commandment. If swearing is only “language” and things you say, they you have missed the central component of the third commandment. God is saying to them “I am placing my Name on you, so don’t misuse my Name”, the larger issue is not language the larger issue is how do you live. People are how God tells the world about Himself, and if we misuse His Name, if we live in a way contrary to God, we are not presenting the world with an accurate picture of what God is like. You can swear with your tongue, but you can also swear with your life and how you live. Swearing in the larger sense is claiming to carry the Name and then living in direct contradiction to how God teaches us to live.

My question is: is there more swearing by people inside the church or outside the church? I would say that more people are guilty of swearing are religious people, those who claim to follow God and then don’t do it. People that carry the Name, knowing full well what it means to carry the Name, and then live anyway they want. That is Biblically a more holistic understanding of swearing.

using the Lords name in vain really makes me sad when i hear it. I hear it a lot at school. people just say it without really knowing there r using it in that way. This is really sad.


Christ's Love To All, Kalibeth

I say 'Oh God' quite a lot but for some reason object to 'Jesus Christ' bring used as an expletive. Not logical, but there it is!

Tangnefedd said:

I say 'Oh God' quite a lot but for some reason object to 'Jesus Christ' bring used as an expletive. Not logical, but there it is!

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I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks like that

I am wearing my white wristband Buttermilk! I see you are from North of the Border, one of my sons-in-law is a Scot too.

Karl - Liberal Backslider said:

I am not at all convinced that this is what "taking the Lord's name in vain" actually is.

I wonder if what is actually meant is where, for example, a company solicits business from Christians by advertising that it is a Christian firm, and then behaves in an unethical manner towards them?

Or where an individual abuses the trust placed in them because they claim to be a Christian.

I'd have expected God to be far more concerned about that than what we say when we drop a heavy box on our foot.

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THANK YOU!

I've thought the same thing for a long time... it never made sense to me, the widely-held belief that saying his name with any emotion other than joy meant IN VAIN. I was always more under the impression that it meant blasphemy of the Holy Spirit... hurting others in the name of God, or taking advantage of others in the same vein.

"In vain" and "under duress" are two different things.