If there is no god, what is the point? Let’s face it, “Go to the place where, according to Christian and Muslim beliefs, the souls of unrightous people go when they die!” just doesn’t have the same effect.
I suppose it’s because we learn language by what we hear when we grow up, long before we learn about theology or develop our religious beliefs.
Swearing is a means of communicating feelings. Atheists want to communicate their feelings just like everyone else does.
It’s a figure of speech. I doubt most people literally mean that they are commanding someone to go to eternal torment.
Because we can - what the hell!
Where’s the little devil smiley?
Is “Fuck it!” swearing?
Does that imply some religious belief?
For that matter, why do the religious swear?
Would Christians have to say, “Suck my dick. Once we’ve been properly wed in the eyes of the Lord.”?
And why can’t anybody spell “atheist” correctly (watching out for Gaudere)?
I’m an athiest and I hardly ever use “god damn”, “go to hell” or “christ on a crutch” or what ever is supposed to be religious swearing.
I have been known to say “Well if that ain’t a big black dildo in the ass of christ”. But I don’t think I need to believe in a god to say that.
Great. Another athiest.
The god damn “I before E” rule should go to hell.
I always get caught on that one.
When I tell someone to take a flying fuck on a rolling donut, I don’t mean it literally, either. Though it would be interesting to see attempted.
Because swearing is fun!
Fuckity fuck fuck fuck. Shit. Asshole! Now you try! It’s the tourets thread!
Or did you mean why do we blasphemy when we swear? Like screaming “Jesus Buttfucking Christ!” really loud in a crowded resteraunt when burnging our mouths on a scalding hot entree?
I’m gonna have to go with “because it’s fun!” on that one too.
Because it’s fun. And why should I give up a nice, round, satisfying obscenity just because I don’t believe in god? If it’s blasphemous, it’s just that much more satisfying.
“Entropy! Proton decay! The heat death of the Universe! May your genes be selected against by the environmental conditions you encounter!”
I dunno. It just lacks juice somehow.
There were such things as dwarf gods. Dwarfs were not a naturally religious species, but in a world where pit props could crack without warning and pockets of fire damp could suddenly explode they’d seen the need for gods as the sort of supernatural equivalent of a hard hat. Besides, when you hit your thumb with an eight-pound hammer it’s nice to be able to blaspheme. It takes a very special and straong-minded kind of atheist to jump up and down with their hand clasped under their other armpit and shout, “Oh, random-fluctuations-in-the-space-time-continuum!” or “Aaargh, primitive-and-outmoded-concept on a crutch!”
–Terry Pratchett, Men At Arms
In UU and humanist circles one frequently encounters discussions over the relevance of religious or “God” language. I recall reading of one guy who said he opposed a prohibition of all “God” language if it would mean he could no longer say god dammit.
Without beginning a treatise, I believe a part of at least some swearing is a desire to say what is unacceptable and offensible. And for me Jesus fuck succinctly fits that bill nicely.
You have UTTERLY and TOTALLY cracked me up.
God fucking damn.
Feeling Atheist this morning,
“Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.”
– Mark Twain