As a future minister I find that most people do not know how to react to me. Perhaps there is a shock factor because I do not tell people “HEY DID YOU KNOW I AM GOING INTO MINISTRY? YOU KNOW …GOD STUFF?” upon meeting them. Usually people have met me and made all their character judgments before they find out. Then I will be having a nice conversation over caviar and wine (you can’t prove it doesn’t happen!) and I make some offhand comment and then BAM! I have been revealed as a secret double agent for the almighty (no license to kill though).
Ok, so obviously that is a bit dramatic, but sometimes when people discover the earth shattering truth they act as though the eyes of the God himself are upon them at that very moment. It is usually at this point that I remind people that I am human and also protestant (no offence catholic readers, differences in clergy and all that). I suppose I could have a lot more fun with these situations though…I should look into that.
One of these situations took place this week with a friend who has known about my career aspirations for a little while. She was working on a particularly difficult project and was becoming a bit frustrated. Then she uttered the most offensive thing I had ever heard “Oh God!” Of course I reacted as any God fearing Christian would: I leaped out of my chair, reached for my bible, threw it at her as hard as I could, and then dashed from the room lest her eternal damnation be contagious.
Of course this is not how I reacted (bibles are expensive I cannot be throwing them at just anyone). The following is roughly how the conversation went
Nameless Friend: Oh God! (Nervous look) Oh I’m sorry that must offend you.
Alexander: Why would I be offended?
Nameless Friend: Well that’s a sin taking the lord’s name in vain right?
Alexander: I am not sure that’s how it works.
Nameless Friend: I was pretty sure that’s what it means.
Now as anyone can clearly tell, I was not offended at all. Had it not been for my friend’s comments, I would not have given the situation a second thought. But the more I started to think about it the more I realized I really was not sure what that commandment meant, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.”
Of course I am familiar with people using God’s name as a swear. Typically when people say this they exclaim “Jesus Christ” which does not seem too offensive because there is no real context and might even be seen as a prayer for strength (depending on circumstance). Or perhaps they say “God Damn it” which I typically see as a person invoking God to send his wrath upon whatever they are talking about. This is not a particularly nice thing to do but does not seem to be taking the name in vain.
So what is taking the lords name in vain? I tend to think it wrongly attaching God’s name to something, an action or a cause, for which there is no evidence of God’s support or condemnation. For instance, to say “I swear to God” when telling a lie seems to be taking his name in vain. Or saying that God has called for a particular political leader or a war perhaps might be out of line. And then there is are those who carry signs boasting “GOD HATES FAGS” (please excuse the use of the word for the sake of my point). These are all cases of people using God’s name for their own means or putting words in God’s mouth. This looks a bit sinful to me.
It seems to me that these are cases that constitute sin. If you are using God’s name to support you or to support a lie that is a pretty bad offence. God is neither a fan of egotism (which is a problem for me) or lying, and bringing his name into it can only worsen the charges against you. And putting words in God’s mouth seems like a really bad idea. It is one thing to say “I believe that God is saying this” but another thing to say that “God made 9/11, hurricanes, floods, and tsunamis happen because of homosexuals.” First of all, that does not seem like the God I know (you know…that redeemer guy). And second, God has proven himself pretty good at communicating his reasons for causing cataclysms.
WARNING: TANGENTIAL SIDE NOTE! God is no stranger to wrath (see the Old Testament). Not only did God write the book (latterly) on wrath, but he is typically very good at letting people know why they are being obliterated. God did not say to Noah “There is going to be a flood soon and It is going to kill everyone and everything…but it is up to you jerks to figure out why I would do such a thing. Enjoy!” Whenever it is a plague, flood or any other form of wrath, God makes abundantly clear what has driven him to such anger. And, from what I can tell, God is not in the practice of hating anyone, what with him sending his son to die that we could be saved and all that jive. And let us not forget that after that flood situation God said that he would never kill everyone again, and I tend to take the almighty at his word. SIDE NOTE CONCLUDED!
But what exactly is God’s name. We are in the practice of referring to the almighty as simply God with the obligatory capitol G. But in the bible God refers to himself with many names including but not limited to: Yahweh, Elohim, Lord, or simply “I am”. So are we clear from any wrongdoing so long as we do not bring Yahweh into it? Or does the mere mention of the almighty, directly or indirectly cause a problem?
I ask these questions because I honestly do not know. Too often do we just accept a popular interpretation of scripture without stopping to truly consider it. In our examinations we may find that popular interpretations are a bit off. Even if they are correct we will at least have a better understanding. I believe one’s personal faith, beliefs values and ideals are far too important to go unexamined regardless of what they may be.
Filed under: Christianity, God, Jesus Christ, Religion | Tagged: 9/11, Everlasting God, Exodus, God, God Hates Fags, God's name in vain, Name of God, Politics, swear to god, Ten Commandments, The Bible
I think that you may be on to something. The command to not take the name of God in vain does have a more ’swear by’ rather than ‘use as swear’ quality. God as an exclamation does not hold the same sway as claiming that you have knowledge that God endorses you.
There is a middle ground though. What if we were to say that God does not want to have the godly reputation soiled. This goes along with not lying and using God as a backup but it might also lend itself to promises you cannot honor. Like using God as a co-signor on your loan on life.
I think this is an interesting point that most never even think twice about. What exactly constitutes taking God’s name in vain? I feel as if the answer to this question is possibly depending on each individual. We all have our own interpretations as to what this means according to our own beliefs (which would explain the lovely youtube video of the “insane woman” you attached. sarcasm intended.)
But in all seriousness, you do raise an interesting concern as to what is truly meant for that phrase.
I attached the video as an example of what I believe is meant by taking the lords name in vain. Just some food for thought.
I will save my comments on the video itself for a future post.
Hmmm…
While I certainly can agree with your point, I don’t think it’s necessarily right to exclude using God’s name as a vulgarity from that. Admittedly, I am often guilty of that, but to me, it implies showing irreverence to the name of God. Using it as an expletive in no way garners His name any respect or reverence, and doesn’t show that we respect or revere it.
Something else to consider as well, though it may have been briefly touched on and I just overlooked it: When we accept Christ as our Lord & Savior, we are taking on the Lord’s name. Paul points out that as Christians, we are bondservants to Christ. If all we are doing in accepting God’s gift of Salvation, is signing up for “eternal fire insurance,” and not committing our life to Him, then we are in essence, taking His name in vain. After all, what is more vain and self-centered than only doing something for how it benefits ourselves, personally? I think the “swearing by,” “vulgar use,” and even as you said, “putting words in God’s mouth,” and “tacking God’s name to [insert-favorite-ideal/cause-here] without God’s permission” all qualify, but perhaps the act of associating yourself with God’s name and not being 100% committed to it is the worst violation.
Hey Alex,
Some delicious food for thought there. It always strikes me as wrong when people “swear to God” and either I know they’re lying or they’re swearing to Him concerning something trivial. Can you believe the person holding the “God Hates Fags” sign is actually smiling? That’s pretty sick. Best of luck with your ministry! I hope you find the answers we are all seeking.