When I was 6 or 8 or so I remember playing with my cousin, Grace. I don’t recall the game but something bugged me and I stopped in my tracks and said, “Geez!” Grace chided me for taking the Lord’s name in vain.
“Geez is a shortened form of Jesus,” she replied, “and it’s not right to swear.”
So I tried stopping at “Gee.”
That wasn’t any better for Grace because G is the beginning of God’s name and therefore sinful to say as well.
I think I just took in what she said, said, “Okay,” and our played resumed.
There was an atheist site I’d read, maybe atheistblogger.com, where the writer decided he or she wouldn’t use God’s name in vain anymore because what’s the point of it when you don’t believe in God anyway?
Is it worth it as an atheist to avoid god-related swears? A forum user called Stream34 at RichardDawkins.net has posted a long list of god phrases in the English language and is trying to stop using them.
“Land sakes!” or “Golly!” or “Dear me!” or even Charlie Brown’s most famous epithet just don’t have much punch compared to blasphemy. I suppose another alternative might be to use “Merciful Zeus!” or “Kali damn you!” or some variation using other gods from defunct pantheons.
I don’t know. Thoughts? Should atheists avoid god-related swearing completely or are they just words to express an emotional outburst?
