Someone from North Carolina recently told me that I “get more action than God.” I also clealy remember once hearing someone in a Denny’s in Georgia say that someone else was “more conceited than God.” Based on these expressions, I wrote a poem for my creative writing class that I hate with the first line “My sister was fatter than God.” My prof. didn’t understand it, and I was trying to explain how it was a Southern expression (as was my understanding at the time). The girl in the class from Alabama, and this guy from Virginia didn’t back me up.
So, is “. . . than God” an expression, or just a coincidence?
Well, there’s the famous John Lennon quote in which he states that the Beatles are “more popular than Jesus”. This best exemplified in the Simpson’s episode where Homer starts up a barber shop quartet.
Lisa: Oh, Dad, you didn’t say you were more popular than Jesus did you?
Homer: Sure, we said it all the time. In fact, it was the name of our second album.
I don’t know about the “. . . than God”, but I like to use the phrase “I make more money than Jesus”. This is because Jesus himself never really got into the money-making business and I am quite secure in saying so.
I don’t think this elucidated your question in the slightest, just felt I had to share.
…Bama boy here.
I’ve certainly heard a plethora of expressions that end with “than God.” The most common I’ve heard is “richer than God.” But like in your poem, it can be used in virtually any context.
A bastardization of “He’s got more money than Craesus” perhaps? That’s the way I’ve always used it.
“She’s got enough money to burn a wet mule…”
I’ve never heard any “…than G-d/Jesus.”, and I lived in both KY and AL.
I’ve heard ‘has more money than God’ a lot in my days in the south. Also, ‘…since God was a little boy’, which I assume is a take-off on ‘older than God’.
Oh yeah… There’s always, “She’s been in this congregation since Jesus was in the youth group.”
I forgot about that one.
“More money than God” is an uncommon, but not that unusual, expression around Mass, and in Philadelphia. I’ve used it myself, though it suprised a friend of mine from upstate New York. It then led to a fairly heretical conversation where we concluded that God could make all the money he wanted by cornering the salt trade.
<Geek Mode> Showed up in a B5 episode, didn’t it? </geek mode>
Never heard “more sex than God,” though. Wouldn’t be difficult, would it? AFK, he only did it once . . .
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“Hey! I’ll swallow your soul! I’ll swallow your soul!”
I’ve heard the expression, “She lived to be older than god”, before. The woman being discussed lived to the ripe old age of 103.* She liked a good snort of whisky and chewin’ tobbacky, too.*
I’ve heard the “more money than God” expression quite a bit in both upstate NY and in FL.
I think that we should be able to use it as an all-purpose superlative phrase.
“Good Lord, Cheryl, your husband is hairier than God!”
“Oooh, my flaming hemorrhoidal rectum is itchier than God.”
etc, etc, etc.
::massive spit-take::
::wipes streaming eyes::
Amen!! 
“More money than God” was used in the movie Steel Magnolias.
I’ve heard “richer than God” and “older than God” all my life. I’m from Ontario, Canada, which ain’t south of much.
How did you know? (Sorry, Geek)
Maybe that was point, 'cause I really don’t get that much action. . .
Common or not, some people just have no concept of God referenced in non-spiritual matters.
I’d say you lucked out. I’ve had some nuns as teachers that would have expelled you for that. (And others of course who would chuckle and then expell you.)
So was the phrase “since God was a boy”.
:eek: Matt, I didn’t know you were gay.