Mary's Maniacal Meanderings

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.