# Og instead of god, why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654 "2011-09-08T20:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/21 "2011-09-09T05:14:23Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Atheists don’t mind saying god, God, Zeus, Yahweh, Odin, Mithra, Superman, or the name of any other such fictional entity. Which reminds me, for no good reason, of the Irish atheist’s credo: “There is no God, and Mary is His mother.” ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/22 "2011-09-09T05:38:53Z")
Just don’t say Jehovah, because that’s a stoning. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/23 "2011-09-09T11:52:25Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Just don’t say Jehovah, because that’s a stoning. You’re only making it worse for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/24 "2011-09-09T12:17:05Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > Which reminds me, for no good reason, of the Irish atheist’s credo: “There is no God, and Mary is His mother.” I first heard that in a Martin Sheen interview where he described himself at the time as a Catholic agnostic “I don’t know if there is a God but I do know that Mary is His Mother.” ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/25 "2011-09-09T13:01:30Z")
I’ve always prefered the **IPU** myself. (The invisible pink unicorn) ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/26 "2011-09-09T13:03:54Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > You’re only making it worse for yourself. Making it worse? How can it be worse? Jehovah! Jehovah! Jehovah! ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/27 "2011-09-09T15:40:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Og Smash is a joke that pre-dates the SDMB by a number of years. It was a joke on the Usenet for a while before this message board existed. But did that iteration make Og divine, or just an aggressive caveman type? I think that the SDMB’s contribution was to come up with Og the _divine_ aggressive caveman. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/28 "2011-09-09T20:00:14Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Atheists don’t typically have any problem with saying “God,” or using expressions containing that word. Atheism is not some kind of doctrine which prohibits any reference to the word. I say “God,” all the time, along with expressions like “thank God,” Sweet Jesus," "thank Christ, etc. > > I don’t think I’ve ever met an atheist who made any attempt to avoid using the word figuratively or in epithets. It means nothing. “God willing” is short for if things don’t work out and the creek don’t rise, but given the overloading of God I prefer Og willing myself. Firesign Theatre used “Grid willing.” My father used to use “Jesus Christ” as a swear word, which worked because he never believed in Jesus Christ, unlike God. Never “thank Christ” though. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/29 "2011-09-09T22:00:24Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Atheists don’t typically have any problem with saying “God,” or using expressions containing that word. Atheism is not some kind of doctrine which prohibits any reference to the word. I say “God,” all the time, along with expressions like “thank God,” Sweet Jesus," "thank Christ, etc. > > I don’t think I’ve ever met an atheist who made any attempt to avoid using the word figuratively or in epithets. It means nothing. I do. I catch myself often starting to say automatic phrases like “thank god” or “god help you” “or god bless you” or some such and will often edit myself. On the other hand, I say Merry Christmas all the time without any hesitation. So I’m not a purist or anything. I just feel odd saying “Thank god”. Of course, that’s just me. YMMV. J. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/30 "2011-09-10T00:38:06Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > I do. I catch myself often starting to say automatic phrases like “thank god” or “god help you” “or god bless you” or some such and will often edit myself. On the other hand, I say Merry Christmas all the time without any hesitation. So I’m not a purist or anything. I just feel odd saying “Thank god”. Of course, that’s just me. YMMV. > > J. Why _would_ an atheist have a problem with “Merry Christmas”? The celebration of Christmas is by no means an exclusively religious one. These days, it’s practically more of a commercial marketing time than anything else. I didn’t know saying “Merry Christmas” was any sort of implicit embrace of any element of christianity; rather just national holiday words of cheer. But that’s just _me._ Perhaps a more rigid atheist could give their point-of-view. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/31 "2011-09-10T03:54:43Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > Why _would_ an atheist have a problem with “Merry Christmas”? The celebration of Christmas is by no means an exclusively religious one. These days, it’s practically more of a commercial marketing time than anything else. I didn’t know saying “Merry Christmas” was any sort of implicit embrace of any element of christianity; rather just national holiday words of cheer. But that’s just _me._ Perhaps a more rigid atheist could give their point-of-view. I guess you’ve missed all the “put Christ back in Christmas” (when people use XMas) or the annual ‘War on Christmas’ complaints to anyone who says “Happy Holidays”. And Og forbid should one try to celebrate this most holy of Christian day [:rolleyes:] in a way that doesn’t commemorate the made up date of birth of Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/32 "2011-09-10T04:44:26Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Atheists don’t typically have any problem with saying “God,” or using expressions containing that word. Atheism is not some kind of doctrine which prohibits any reference to the word. I say “God,” all the time, along with expressions like “thank God,” Sweet Jesus," "thank Christ, etc. > > I don’t think I’ve ever met an atheist who made any attempt to avoid using the word figuratively or in epithets. It means nothing. I don’t say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes though, perhaps it’s impolite but that’s a sacrifice that must be made to avoid upholding a silly superstition. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/33 "2011-09-10T12:29:43Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I guess you’ve missed all the “put Christ back in Christmas” (when people use XMas) or the annual ‘War on Christmas’ complaints to anyone who says “Happy Holidays”. And Og forbid should one try to celebrate this most holy of Christian day [:rolleyes:] in a way that doesn’t commemorate the made up date of birth of Jesus. Actually the letter “X” is the first letter in the greek word for “Christ”. It has a long tradition of being used as a respectful substitute as in “Merry Xmas”. ---
**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:** [September 10, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/34 "2011-09-10T12:44:57Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I don’t say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes though, perhaps it’s impolite but that’s a sacrifice that must be made to avoid upholding a silly superstition. Perhaps Gesundheit, which simply means “good health”? That way you don’t have to be impolite for a principle. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/35 "2011-09-10T13:03:11Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Perhaps Gesundheit, which simply means “good health”? That way you don’t have to be impolite for a principle. My friend Scott is a hardcore atheist. Whenever someone sneezes, he says “Scott bless you.” ---
**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:** [September 10, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/36 "2011-09-10T13:08:25Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > My friend Scott is a hardcore atheist. Whenever someone sneezes, he says “Scott bless you.” That’s actually really funny. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/37 "2011-09-10T13:29:27Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > My friend Scott is a hardcore **atheist**. Whenever someone sneezes, he says “Scott bless you.” You misspelled **narcissist**. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/38 "2011-09-10T13:34:54Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I don’t say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes though, perhaps it’s impolite but that’s a sacrifice that must be made to avoid upholding a silly superstition. I just say “Shuuut up!” ---
**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:** [September 10, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/39 "2011-09-10T13:55:27Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > You misspelled **narcissist**. 😉 You misspelled **Scottissist**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654/40 "2011-09-10T14:29:59Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > You misspelled **Scottissist**. > > 😃 I’m totally passing this along to him. Awesome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/og-instead-of-god-why/595654.md?page=3)