Saturday, April 25, 2009
OMG--Stop taking this lightly. It is serious sin.
A friend says she is disgusted by how often she hears people casually saying, "Oh my God!" It even comes from young kids. "OMG" is actually a text message abbreviation for the phrase. This really bothers me as well. My mom actually raised me not to curse or take God's name in vain. In fact, she didn't even allow us to say words people substitute for God or Jesus when taking His name in vain. These include, "Jeez," "gosh," and "gee." I am glad my mother took this so seriously. And she lived it too. I have never heard her use any of those names in vain or curse--ever. The third commandment says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God in vain." Using His name casually to express frustration, pain, shock, or exclamation is a violation of this command. I mean, would you like your name used in place of a curse word? God is not going to take this lightly. Even in PG movies, it is considered no big deal to take His name in vain. It is all over television and our culture. I don't even think we blink at it. We don't fear God. I think some tend to avoid movies with sexual content or violence, but rarely choose not to go because of language, particularly taking His name in vain.
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3 comments:
Okay, so I admit, I'm the 'disgusted' friend. :) I practically cringe when I hear the use of the Lord's name in vain, especially when children say it (and it seems that most do, these days).
Like you, Mary, I was raised to follow the third commandment(although we were allowed to say gosh, jeez, and darn). I usually tend towards "oh my goodness" myself, and this is what my kids are allowed to say. It must be apparent to them how much this means to me because they never break the rule, despite what their friends may say.
Thanks for blogging on this, Mary. Perhaps you'll start a no-OMG revolution! :)
I think this is a serious thing too, Mary. I have to admit that sometimes, especially when I am tired or frustrated, I have been guilty of this. I always ask Him for forgiveness and try hard not to do it again. It is so ingrained in our culture at this point, it is really difficult sometimes to realize it. I don't allow my kids to say it and I don't really approve when they use a substitute. I had to break Jeremy of the habit he picked up at school of saying "What the..." and just letting it hang unfinished. I had to explain to him that people finish the thought in their heads and what they think you stopped short of saying might just as well come out of your mouth since you started the expression. When he realized that curse words (and some REALLY bad ones at that) were being mentally inserted by people when he said that and just left it hanging, he has made a contious effort to not say anything. OMG is so common, especially in the schools. Thank you for pointing this out. I'm going to make a renewed effort to see that my family and I aren't a part of it. You always make me think, Mary. I love that.
I agree
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