# Taking the lord's name in vain-how did it start? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225 "2004-11-01T01:50:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/1 "2004-11-01T01:50:42Z")
I was just thinking about this lately-what’s the origin of people saying things like, “Jesus Christ!” like they would “Oh dammit!” or whatever. I think that “Goddammit!” was originally to curse others, but what about “Oh my God!” or “Jesus Mary and Joseph!” And do other religions have this? Do Buddhists yell out, “Buddhadamn telemarketers!” ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/2 "2004-11-01T02:01:55Z")
[Louie Anderson] Goddammit! Or Allahdammit, I don’t know… [/Louie Anderson] ---
**Author:** ![mitchythekid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@mitchythekid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mitchythekid)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/3 "2004-11-01T02:18:40Z")
The origin of saying"JESUS CHRIST", more than likely came from when someone was either surprised or scarred by something while they were praying,or seeing something that just bogeled the mind,or an idea or revalation that came to mind,or someone over heard someone else YELL it out while praying,when something at the same time, in the ear reach of someone else,mis-took what they were saying.In another way,they hit there self with a hammer at the same moment!??something like that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/4 "2004-11-01T02:30:36Z")
Um, got a cite for that, **kid**? This is GQ, after all. 😃 Cabantous, in his book, Blasphemy ([FindArticles.com | CBSi](http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2005/is_1_37/ai_109668485)) claimed it was the channelling of anger about life’s misfortunes from Satan (where it belonged) onto God. He goes on to postulate much about the reaction of society to the blasphemer, which feared having the Wrath of God called down onto the community due to the acts of the blasphemer. And other religions have it too. Just look at A brief history of blasphemy by Richard Webster ([A brief history of blasphemy: blasphemy, censorship and 'The Satanic Verses'](http://www.richardwebster.net/abriefhistoryofblasphemy.html)) for a nice scholarly work on the history of taking Allah’s name in vain, among others. Though Buddhism appears to consider the entire idea of blasphemy to be rather ludicrous: [http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld200203/ldselect/ldrelof/95/95w51.htm](http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld200203/ldselect/ldrelof/95/95w51.htm) Hope that helps! ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/5 "2004-11-01T02:34:44Z")
Don’t know if there was trash-talking going on amongst the Israelites during their time of bondage in Egypt, but “Don’t take my name in vain” makes the list of forbidden activites by Exodus 20-said to be ~1941 BC. “Jesus Christ” and “Jesus, Mary and Joseph” obviously didn’t come along for another couple of thousand years. I’d be interested to know if an Egyptologist has ever found a picture of a man looking at a broken chariot, exclaiming, “Pharaoh dammit!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/6 "2004-11-01T03:02:15Z")
I just recently had this discussion with one of my girlfriends. I used the phrase “Oh m’ Gawwwwwwwd” in that 1980’s Valley Girl voice and her 5-year-old son scolded me for using the word God. It was never intended to take “the name of the lord in vain” so was it really a bad thing? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/7 "2004-11-01T03:08:04Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > It was never intended to take “the name of the lord in vain” so was it really a bad thing? Depends upon how the term is defined. Some consider “taking the Lord’s name in vain” to mean saying “God” (etc.) frivolously. Others see it as vowing a false oath in the name of God. ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_dePlume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Josh\_dePlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_dePlume)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/8 "2004-11-01T03:17:37Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Don’t know if there was trash-talking going on amongst the Israelites during their time of bondage in Egypt, but “Don’t take my name in vain” makes the list of forbidden activites by Exodus 20-said to be ~1941 BC. 1941? That’s a very early (and exact) date for the exodus. Most scolars would put it in the 1200s, if it occurred at all. The main competing hypothesis puts it in the 1500s. And of course most scholars believe that the Book of Exodus was written much later. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/9 "2004-11-01T04:45:48Z")
An old joke asked what the Chicago Cubs and Billy Graham had in common. They both had the ability to make 30,000 people stand up and say “Jesus Christ!” Hey, I said it was an old joke. ---
**Author:** ![Roches](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/10 "2004-11-01T06:34:18Z")
Does the original prohibition in Judaism refer only to “taking the _name_ of the Lord thy God in vain” (emphasis mine\*), or does it also refer to using names _for_ God? Strictly literally (according to a reading in English), only frivolous use of God’s name\*\* would be prohibited; but this was extended so that even using this name in reverence was forbidden. If it’s not allowed even in religious ceremonies, you can imagine that it would be very serious if it were used in anger. But what about _Adonai_ and _Elohim_ and the other terms used for God in the OT? What about the modified forms used to avoid using the reverent terms (essentially Hebrew versions of ‘gosh’ or ‘golly’ but more like ‘lawrd’ instead of ‘lord’)? I’m not really sure about other living religions, but I know the Romans used to take the names of their gods in vain – they said things like ‘hercle’ (by Hercules!) and ‘pol’ (by Pollux!). Generally I would think bans on using religious terms in a given culture would depend on the degree of piety and the degree to which the religion protects and reveres the terms. (But not always – French Canadians were once extensively Catholic and have a system of profanity largely based on Catholicism.) \*: I’ve seen ‘emphasis added’ referring to ancient texts, as if there were bold and italics in the Dead Sea scrolls. \*\*: I won’t use it to, hopefully, avoid offense; I mean the name written with the tetragrammaton. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/11 "2004-11-01T09:13:46Z")
> [@MidnightRadio](#): > > [Louie Anderson] > Goddammit! Or Allahdammit, I don’t know… > [/Louie Anderson] You mean “_Allahdmit_, I don’t know!” 😃 - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-lords-name-in-vain-how-did-it-start/272225/12 "2004-11-01T10:11:50Z")
The there is the curse invoked in Psalm 137: > [@](#): > > Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites > the day of Jerusalem’s fall, > how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down! > Down to its foundations!” > > O daughter Babylon, you devastator! > Happy shall they be who pay you back > what you have done to us! > > Happy shall they be who take your little ones > and dash them against the rock! This is considered a _proper_ use of God’s name — wishing to see your enemy’s babies smashed against rocks.