Oh my God

[Kishkumen]

Does this phrase have a different meaning to you now? As a TBM, I believed it was profane to say this. It was taking the name of the lord in vain.

You might have better luck letting the occasional F bomb slip compared to saying Oh my God!

I still don't like this phrase/expression, but not for same reasons as before. I don't like it now because I don't know exactly what it means and I don't what God has to do with whatever is causing someone to say it.

However, my son says it on a rare occasion. He's picking it up from school and just being around people. We don't really correct him by telling him "We don't say that!" But we try to steer him away from the phrase regardless.

What say ye?

[alas]

Well, my mother taught us that people use such phrases because they are uneducated and have a small vocabulary. She would not crook the us by shaming us on using the lords name in vain, but on being too lazy to find real words to express what we wanted to say. "You sound like you grew up in the gutter."

So, I had to teach myself to "talk normal" so people didn't think I was goody two shoes. When we were so poor I didn't have any shoes, at least in the summer. I got no new shoes until school started.

[Dravin]

Does this phrase have a different meaning to you now?

In the past I would have considered their use moral infractions. Now, it is one of multiple religious invective or exclamatory phrases that are part of the culture I exist in, just one more wrench in the linguistic tool belt. Though honestly I don't use "Oh my God" very often, or "Jesus Christ", other phrases (religious or otherwise) tend to be my go tos.

[wtfluff]

Does this phrase have a different meaning to you now?

Yep, the phrase has a different meaning to me now. I wonder which version of god someone is referring to.

And honestly in this day and age, no-one has to actually say it out loud. Just drop an "OMG" and a couple of "WTF"s and whoever hears you can decide how to translate...

[Linked]

I grew up pretty TBM, though both parents would occasionally use light swear words. When I was a teenager I was with my dad and he stubbed his toe in the garage and said, "God, dammit!" My eyes got really wide and I was legit shocked to hear those words come out of my dad's mouth. He could have screamed the F word and I would have been less shocked. He saw the look in my eyes and got mad at me for judging him. Not one of his better moments.

The phrase definitely has a different meaning now, intellectually I agree with Dravin. However, I still don't say it except experimentally when I'm alone, and my first emotional reaction when I hear it is to recoil. But that's what swear words do, if they didn't then they wouldn't be swear words.

[wtfluff]

Hmmm. Applicable?

[Ghost]

I think that if I decided to systematically break every rule that I had learned in church and do the opposite, strong language would be one of the most difficult ones for me.

[No Tof]

Oh my god is such a useful phrase.

It can mean nearly anything from cries of ecstatic joy to disappointment or even contempt.

I never dared say it a few years ago but now find it quite funny to use.

“Oh, MY god” is the way I would describe my understanding of the whole god concept. It’s the one in MY head so it’s MY god.

[2bizE]

ive always heard people say this is taking the lords name in vain, and i used to think this until several years ago. it isnt. Taking the lords name in vain means claiming the lord said something when he really didnt. Nonetheless, it isnt even Gods name. Its a made up name to replace saying the lords name. So how is taking the lords made up, fake, generalized name bad?
So, i dont say it much, but when i do, it usually has damnit after and im mad.

[RubinHighlander]

Does this phrase have a different meaning to you now? As a TBM, I believed it was profane to say this. It was taking the name of the lord in vain.

Thanks for posting this Kish! I was thinking of posting about this topic this past week when I said the phrase casually (in vain). I thought about how it was one of the most offensive things for me to hear when I was a TBM, much more offensive than any other swear word.

It took me a while to sluff off the programming and comfortably use the phrase; it wasn't a conscience effort per se, but more like I just evolved (or devolved) into using it once in a while without any thought about how it caused me cogdis in the past. I will say I use variations of the Fbomb much more than OMG. What's so funny about the phrase is that now I don't have a god, so using "oh my god" as an expression has entirely no meaning to my personal beliefs; it's as trite as trite can be.

[Corsair]

There are times when invoking the name of God can and should be allowable. Still, the fact that divine respect arose out of the fundamental myths of early Jewish belief continues to be amusing. The beginning of the Book of John has 18 verses establish that the Word was with God and the Word was God. The power of the Word of God and the Name of God still exists in the hearts and minds of believers and heretics.

I had a high school English teacher who also coached my speech and debate team. She was a devout Catholic and avoided Christian blasphemy by invoking some other deity. Usually it was of the form of a threat such as, "If you don't finish that paper I swear to Buddha that you will not pass this class!" This seemed to pass the filters of the most devout Catholic and Mormon students as avoiding breaking the third commandment.

I have since used this tactic with my children. "What in Cthulhu's name are you doing?!" is a phrase that has passed my lips and avoided assiduous LDS censors. No one has chastised me yet for Lovecraftian blasphemy.

[deacon blues]

From force of habit I still say things like “Oh my gosh” or “Oh my heck.” I did startle my grandson once when I let a “Oh S@&&” escape my lips, but to the pure, all is pure.

[Just This Guy]

I'm friends with a standup comic who has a routine based around how the word "sh*t" is one of the most universal words in the english language. it is very funny and makes you think.

If you want to watch it, look up "Dave Christensen Really Knows his Sh*t" on youtube. Warning, NSFW!

I'll post a link when I'm not at work.

[Thoughtful]

ive always heard people say this is taking the lords name in vain, and i used to think this until several years ago. it isnt. Taking the lords name in vain means claiming the lord said something when he really didnt. Nonetheless, it isnt even Gods name. Its a made up name to replace saying the lords name. So how is taking the lords made up, fake, generalized name bad?
So, i dont say it much, but when i do, it usually has damnit after and im mad.

To me taking God's name in vain means you "take his name" (sacrament/ baptism, call yourself Christian etc) but don't actually act as he would act. You're claiming to represent his name and then not walking the walk.

[didyoumythme]

I’ve been careful not to say this my whole life as a Mormon, but now I don’t care at all when people say it. It’s just another expression to add emphasis.

[Just This Guy]

Sorry I didn't get this earlier. The last day or so has been insane.

Again, not safe for work:
David Christensen Knows His Sh*t.