Breaking the Third Commandment

The twentieth chapter of Exodus reads, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” (I always feel like I want to switch to King James English when quoting the Ten Commandments.)

But what does it mean to “take God’s name in vain”? For years and years, the answer was very simply put: no cussing. As is so often the case with ancient texts, however, the answer is not so simple. Real truth never is. As humans—and especially as products of Modern Western thought—we often look for the quick answer.

I’ll be honest with you: I’m not easily offended by the language people use. There are certainly times where blue language is inappropriate, of course. And I will say that I don’t appreciate its use in those circumstances. However, I also think there are times when foul language is quite appropriate. Sometimes nothing else fits the situation. A prime example for me is the movie The Departed from 2006. I absolutely love the movie, and it holds the record for most uses of the f-bomb (237) to win Best Picture. I know that many people were offended by this, but I certainly was not. The movie would have been less realistic without the blue language. Working class Irish characters in Boston without the f-bombs? Not buying it.

As I said, I understand if some people are offended by language, and I will always try to respect that. But I have a problem with the curse police that some have become. Language has become one of those “purity code” markers that the Pharisees of today use as a litmus test. If certain words are heard to come from someone’s mouth, well then that person can’t be a Christian, right? Visions of Dana Carvey’s Church Lady come to mind.

Now as I said, I am all about being respectful to others in the use of language, but that’s not what I’m talking about. So what does “taking God’s name in vain” mean to me? I think it’s a much less specific transgression (like the late George Carlin’s Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television), but it’s one that might actually be offensive to God and should be to those who call themselves followers of God. I think the vainest use of God’s name is the hurtful, callous, spiteful, judgmental, damning, and even violent way that people will treat each other in the name of God and religion.

History is littered with examples including the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, the slave trade, the Klan, segregation, the Troubles in Ireland, and on and on. And sadly, the offenses are not all historic. Every day, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and others (although the monotheistic religions seem to be the worst perpetrators) commit everything from genocide on down to slander and discrimination for religious reasons—not to mention our attitudes toward others.  And those “lesser” transgressions are more common and more insidious than the large scale ones.

Yes, language can be rude, offensive, and hurtful. (And there are more than just a few magic words to do it, I would add.) But it’s our actions that really take God’s name in vain.