# Do other languages have the equivalent of a "come to Jesus" talk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 21, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360 "2012-03-21T00:08:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/1 "2012-03-21T00:08:20Z")
So like … do people in India sit down their friends or family for a “come to Ganesh” talk? It doesn’t have to invoke a deity, of course … I wonder though that most languages probably have some kind of expression that denotes a very serious conversation, almost on the level of an intervention? _facepalm_ Should be “do” other languages, sheesh. I’m really tired ☹ ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/2 "2012-03-21T00:15:09Z")
In German, you have _[jemandem die Leviten lesen](http://dictionary.reverso.net/german-english/Leviten)_, which translates literally as reading Leviticus to someone, but is often translated as reading someone the riot act. Closest I know of. Can’t think of a Spanish equiivalent offhand. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/3 "2012-03-21T00:33:04Z")
I know of the German phrase, “Das Wort zum Sonntag” (The Sunday Sermon)which was aired every late Saturday night, going into Sunday, with a different preacher/priest/religious leader of some group who would give a televised sermon. I believe this ran for decades on German TV. This became a kind of slang, so if you wanted to have a heart-to-heart sit-down talk with someone, you would say I am going to have my Wort zum Sonntag with so-and-so. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/4 "2012-03-21T01:30:10Z")
I’m not sure if French has a direct equivalent, but there’s the expression _dire à quelqu’un ses quatre vérités,_ (to tell someone their four truths) which means to tell someone exactly what one thinks about them with brutal frankness. As far as I can tell, the origin was originally simply _dire à quelqu’un ses vérités_ (to tell someone their truths) and the _quatre_ was added more or less arbitrarily, or by analogy with expressions such as _couper des cheveux en quatre_. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/5 "2012-03-21T07:50:01Z")
Spanish also has both _sermones_ and _decirle a alguien cuatro verdades_ (to tell someone four truths), although at least in NE Spain this one has more of a meaning of “completely losing your patience with someone and telling them what’s what”, it doesn’t involve taking them someplace private or trying to keep your cool: your cool has gone on vacation by the time you start on the first truth, but unlike _una bronca_ it doesn’t involve yelling, just, uhm, growling. If the party on the receiving end of the talk is supposed to respond it’s _una conversación seria_ (a serious conversation); preceded by the universally-dreaded _tenemos que hablar_ (we need to talk), while _una charla_ or _una conversación_ wouldn’t be. I’ve heard people refer to those as _una de esas charlas que empiezan con un ‘tenemos que hablar’_, “one of those conversations which begin by ‘we need to talk’”. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/6 "2012-03-21T07:59:00Z")
In _English_ English we don’t have such a phrase. We’d usually ‘read the riot act’. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/7 "2012-03-21T10:10:18Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > In _English_ English we don’t have such a phrase. We’d usually ‘read the riot act’. Yeah, this is the first time this 37 year old Brit has heard of a “Come to Jesus” talk. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/8 "2012-03-21T10:23:12Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Yeah, this is the first time this 37 year old Brit has heard of a “Come to Jesus” talk. Ditto for this 51 year old Aussie. It just ain’t the done thing here. I continue to be fascinated (and dismayed) by the prominence of religiosity in the US. It’s not a topic of conversation here for the most part: folks don’t tend to share their religious beliefs unless there is an actual reason for doing so. Evangalists are few and far between (apart from my mad uncles who died a few years back who were forever trying to get me to join their mad pentecostal cult) but they’re easy enough to ignore too! IOW, we don’t have _Come to Jesus_ talks. We have _Do you Want to Play Aussie Rules or Soccer_ talks. I’m sure Jesus would approve. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SticksAndString](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@SticksAndString](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SticksAndString)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/9 "2012-03-21T10:28:17Z")
Reading this makes me wonder if the Klingons would have a “Come to Kahless” talk. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/10 "2012-03-21T11:19:00Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > In _English_ English we don’t have such a phrase. We’d usually ‘read the riot act’. In American English, that means you’re really angry at the person or otherwise “laying down the law” with them. “Come to Jesus talk” typically refers to a heart-to-heart talk about how the other person needs to get their life/work in order. It’s not necessarily about religion. It’s a gentler version of reading the riot act. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/11 "2012-03-21T11:53:30Z")
In my world, a “come to Jesus” talk is much more than a heart to heart talk, it’s telling the other person what **will** be done, what he must change etc . It’s very upfront and frank. Other phrases for it might be laying down the law or reading the riot act. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/12 "2012-03-21T11:59:41Z")
New Zealander dropping in with another datapoint. I’ve never heard anyone outside the US use that phrase. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/13 "2012-03-21T12:32:36Z")
Obviously every culture has the equivalent _phenomenon_ both to the heart-to-heart “you gotta get help” talk _ **and** _ the “you’d better shape up” talk (not exactly the same thing). Not all of them, though, have to give each a specific name. Here in PR there is _“leer la cartilla”_, literally “read him the booklet”, very much similar to the “riot act” language. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/14 "2012-03-21T12:51:12Z")
Read the riot act = “You’re in trouble / have screwed up big time.” Come to Jesus talk = “I see you heading down a dangerous path and want you to choose a different way - or there may be consequences.” ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/15 "2012-03-21T13:00:53Z")
So a come to Jesus talk is basically an intervention? I’m American, Southwest most of my life, Midwest for the first 8 years and I’ve never heard the term before. Would have assumed it was an evangelist thing without explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/16 "2012-03-21T13:05:27Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Yeah, this is the first time this 37 year old Brit has heard of a “Come to Jesus” talk. +1. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/17 "2012-03-21T13:06:49Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > So a come to Jesus talk is basically an intervention? I’m American, Southwest most of my life, Midwest for the first 8 years and I’ve never heard the term before. Would have assumed it was an evangelist thing without explanation. In a work setting, you may be telling a colleague to support a project or end up on the wrong side of the political situation. In a family situation, you may be telling a kid to get with the program or face punishment. etc…so a non-religious, non-addiction checkpoint talk… ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/18 "2012-03-21T13:08:02Z")
How is this broached? Do you actually use the words “Me and you need a come to Jesus talk!” Or is it referred in passing conversation such as " X is making an effort after the come to Jesus talk with his dad" Is it used to refer to an adult speaking to a juvenile? It has patronising tones to me. Horrible phrase, it seems a spin off from ‘let me read you your horoscope’ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/19 "2012-03-21T13:12:42Z")
> [@manila](#): > > How is this broached? Do you actually use the words “Me and you need a come to Jesus talk!” > > Or is it referred in passing conversation such as " X is making an effort after the come to Jesus talk with his dad" > > Is it used to refer to an adult speaking to a juvenile? It has patronising tones to me. > > Horrible phrase, it seems a spin off from ‘let me read you your horoscope’ The latter - “yeah, X needs a Come to Jesus talk.” It is a “bad” nickname for this type of discussion, and, imho, does include a bit of condescension… ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360/20 "2012-03-21T13:21:52Z")
It’s not religious at all- not more than saying “Jesus Christ” when I stub my toe, or saying someone will “meet their maker” out of irritation. To me it’s the same as “get with the program” and usually said about someone else. “If Bob doesn’t get with the program we’re going to have to have a come to Jesus talk”. It’s short hand slang and not religious at all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-a-come-to-jesus-talk/616360.md?page=2)