OMG, not another vanity!!!
There are four categories.
Using the Name of The L-rd in vain which does indeed fall under the third commandment.
Cursing. Basically "Damn!" This is not forbidden but it is used without thought. It is also overkill. Why are you cursing someone or something to eternal torment when all you really mean is "How very annoying."?
As the Almighty is often invoked as the One to do the damning this may also falls under the third commandment.
Profanity: irreverent language. "May G-d strike me dead..." is a good example. You are reducing the Creator of the Universe to a Cartoon. Falls under the third.
Vulgarity. Usually crude words for bodily functions. Does not fall under the third.
Cursing is normally from a person with a limited vocabulary.
I grew up on the street corners of Brooklyn NY and F was every other word with many of the guys. It was like they were injected with foul language.
Funny but I think the Holy Spirit was working through me and a couple of my friends in those days.
Todate, I have not cursed in 72 years. Thank God
I'm thinking you should be more concerned about your use of Ebonics.
1 entry found for take someone's name in vain.take someone's name in vain
Speak casually or idly of someone, as in There he goes, taking my name in vain again. This idiom originated as a translation from the Latin of the Vulgate Bible (Exodus 20:7), "to take God's name in vain," and for a time was used only to denote blasphemy and profanity. In the early 1700s it began to be used more loosely as well.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
All in all, I don't mind the 'Oh my God' so much as I dislike the GD. The first can be surprise and the second damning which to my way of thinking IS profane.
I think that people need to see Christ in you ,more than seeing you take upon the judgment seat of God. God is a lot bigger than us and i think He can handle this sin just the same as He handles all sin with forgiveness through His son Jesus Christ. I agree that we use his name in vein, but He desires for us to act in mercy and not in legalism. In other words we are not Holier than thou. Let's see people through Christ's eyes because It's time to know Him and not just know about Him.
Likewise, people who swear by Gosh end up in Heck.
I work in the construction and truck driving industry. The foul language is almost constant. But I found out years ago that to confront an unbeliever on his choice of words was "putting the cart before the horse". After hearing "Jesus Christ" in a profanity filled statement, I simply interject, "It wasn't His fault that happened to you". I usually get a puzzled looked, or a response like, "Huh?", then they realize what I meant.
That usually results in some increased awareness to at least not cuss around me as much as they normally would. It has led to a chance to witness about the Lord several times. It's SO important that they know that I'm a Christian, only because the Lord loved me, and allowed me to become one, and that the benefits are beyond measure. I've seen condemning "holier than thou" behavior only do more damage than good.
That seems to be the most often spoken phrase in our language! But, I have always wondered exactly what taking His name in vain means. Is it cursing? Is it something else? Anyone who can really explain this? Thanks.
Rush Limbaugh's, "Talent on loan from..." is another example.
I'm not sure it's in vain.
"In vain" means "to no purpose."
"Oh my God" is an exclamation of surprise that is actually an appreviated form of "Oh my God....steady/help/guide/protect/etc me"
Just ask yourself, what does the average American immediately think about when he or she hears the words God, religion, or Christianity? Do noble images come to mind immediately?