Seriously, STOP using it!
I am not sure if I could write it any clearer, but STOP using it!
Do you have any idea what it means? Or any idea what you are saying?
The use of God’s name in OMG is nothing more than a vain space filler without the absence of human thought. 99.9% of the time when I hear God’s name in OMG and the phrase, “Oh my God.” it is not calling out to Him for help or a plea to the maker, but a space filler.
Let’s be honest, it is time to stop filling space with God’s name and start filling hearts with Him.
The Bible has been clear for centuries on the use of God’s name:
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7; ESV)
‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Deuteronomy 5:11; ESV)
So, today, consider how you are using God’s name? Are you using it as a space filler or it is really a cry out to the Creator for His help in our time of need?
Just some thoughts,
Great! Here is more – https://scottmccown.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/omg/
Scott – A great thought. I will share it under the comments sections of the post on the Preacher’s Pen Facebook page as well. Thank you.
I do not go to the TGI F restaurant because the G is referring to God in vain.
Do some now just say OMG instead of using the words? Maybe we should ask the people who call on “their God” – “Do you also pray longer prayers.”
I use it as Oh My Gosh and I read it the same way. It can be used several different ways, but not by using the Lords name in vain.
A) it can also stand for “oh my goodness”
Though generally not, I’m sure
B) what if you wrote an article titled
“Coming up with better expressions than OMG” …. Rather than the aggressive :
STOP WHAT YOURE DOING! You suck! I’m a bossy Christian telling you what you are doing wrong.
Good people are turned off my Christianity for this very reason.
Just my thoughts,
Jenny
Technically, the name of the God of Israel and of Christians is not God, but rather is the Hebrew YHWH, or Yahweh, or more commonly in English – Jehovah.
Jenny – Nailed it. Oh, My Goodness, yes you did!!!!
First, don’t assume how people are using the “G.” Gosh, goodness, etc. If you’ve spent any time with the younger generation, you’ll know to some of them, these acronyms have lost their original meaning. To them, OMG may mean next to nothing.
Second, don’t assume whether people really mean it or not. I constantly see people saying that they speak to God in every minute of every day. You don’t know other people’s hearts and minds.
Third, what Heavenly, Jenny, and Jeremy said.
Fourth, priorities, please.
Jenny, what is the origin of “goodness”? What does one mean by exclaiming, “oh my goodness”?
There is a time and place for both “positive” and “negative” comments, articles, etc. We are told to rebuke and reproof…nothing wrong with telling other to cease sinful behaviors.
How is “oh my gosh” any better? Do we not know that “gosh” is merely a euphemism for “god”?
Jenny! Yes! And God’s name is not God anyway.
Richard,
Thank you for stopping by the Preacher’s Pen. I agree with your sentiment. It is ashamed that some want to invoke the name of God in such as empty fashion.
Thanks,
Chris
Jim,
Thank you for your comment. Some do use the letters OMG instead of the words. Many things come down to letters anymore.
Thanks,
Chris
Heavenly,
Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your comments. I do understand that some use the phrase for “Oh My Gosh” or “Oh My Goodness.” I was not discussing those terms here, but the letters OMG standing for an empty use of God’s name. I appreciate your sincerity.
Thank you,
Chris Gallagher
Jenny,
Thank you for your comments. Apparently, you read into the article words that were non-existent and I am sorry for your rendering. In my experience, even in discussions with non-Christians, people are turned off to Christians who live like the world.
Thank you,
Chris
Jerry,
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I will agree with you regarding the word YHWH. However, I believe the principle of respect for the name of God is found throughout Scripture.
Thank you,
Chris
Jean,
Thank you for stopping by. The article was not written concerning “Oh My Goodness” but thank you for stopping by anyway.
Chris Gallagher
Julia,
Thank you for your comment. I am making an assumption after seeing and hearing the person. You can tell a lot by the language used and asking questions. I spend many hours with the younger generation in various ways and I have spoken to them about the matter. Soe were even unaware of the use of God’s name in vain. It was a great discussion.
Second, if people do not mean it, then it is empty language; language with no meaning. It is a space filler. God is not a a space filler, he is to be honored and revered.
The priority is to honor God.
Thank you,
Chris
Tammy,
Thank you for commenting. If God’s name is not God’s name, then what is it but a space filler?
Thanks,
Chris
Gantt,
Thank you for your comments. There is a place for positive and negative communication. I believe 2 Timothy 3.16 is what can bring the completeness of 2 Timothy 3.17.
Thank you ,
Chris
Gantt,
Thank you again for commenting. Euphemisms are interesting items. There are truths found in them that many never discover or consider. I believe we can learn much from a simple glance.
Thank you again,
Chris
It makes me want to pull my hair out you have no idea what you are saying!!!!! I’ve heard it from Church members, you are using GODs name in vain!!!!!!! Does it matter to you? Well it does to God! Just don’t do it! You can find other words! Please please please don’t say it anymore!
TGIF= Thank Goodness It’s Friday.
The term “you suck” is also offensive.
Thank you for standing up and saying what should be said! Many Christians for too long, including myself, have used terms and words that identify us with the world instead of setting us apart from the world. To use The Lords name in such an empty, slang, vain way does nothing to honor and Glorify God. Since God put a commandment in His Word demanding we NOT use His name in such a way then I see nothing wrong with Believers admonishing other believers about doing it!
Christina,
Thank you for viewing this post on the Preacher’s Pen. I wish more people would think of “goodness.”
Thank you again,
Chris
Irene,
Thank you for stopping by the Preacher’s Pen. I would agree with your words. It does hurt.
Thank you,
Chris
Sharon,
Thank you for stopping by the Preacher’s Pen. I want to thank you for your kind and uplifting comments. They are very much appreciated.
Thank you,
Chris
Remember what said to Nicodemus when he called him “Good Master”? Why do you call me good, as there is none good but God? He was trying to draw his mind higher than mere flattery, yes, but I wonder if there is a message for us also about proclaiming (by the words even if we “don’t mean it”), our own goodness.
Clarissa,
Thank you for stopping by and commenting on the Preacher’s Pen. I appreciate your words and the additional insight to the account of Jesus and Nicodemus. I have not considered that before, but I believe it is an excellent point.
Thank you again,
Chris
Oops, it was actually the rich young man in Matthew 19, not Nicodemus who said that to Jesus.
Clarissa,
Ha! I read that and consider the words where Nicodemus called him “Rabbi.” I guess I was thinking along the same lines. Thank you for clarifying the person.
Thank you,
Chris
Thank you for having the wisdom and courage to post this short article!
For those who think a word means nothing, if we think it means nothing: that would not work as a defense in most situations. “Your Honor, I didn’t mean ‘flames’ when I yelled ‘Fire’ in the theater.” My dad once complimented a hostess by mistakenly saying at the end of the meal, “I’m famished.” He didn’t mean ‘hungry’, but that didn’t change the meaning of the word. And Jeez, Gosh, Golly, and any other ‘clever’ substitutes and sissy-cussing can’t ‘hide’ the meaning from the many people who know. And those who use such words lose credibility among the knowledgeable. Words have power to enter and change, infect or heal, the brains of others.
If someone is finding it hard to stop, a thought-stopping technique – like snapping a rubberband on your wrist – might work. It also helps to choose friends and entertainment that avoid those patterns of thought/language.
OMG! Though I’m pretty sure your heart’s in the right place… your language skills are not. I’m also questioning your Bible reading skills. “God” is not (Abraham’s) God. It’s just a nick name, if you will, of a being who never really told us its name. God can also refer to: Zeus. Hera. Coyote. Rabbit. Odin. Ganesha. And many, many more! Not to mention, many people mean “Oh my goodness!” or “Oh my gosh!” when using OMG. It is pretty darn presumptuous to assume that every person who writes “OMG” means something you think might be bad, but in fact, is meaningless to (Abraham’s) God.
You actually read rather like a teenager that discovered that the word “nickname” was originally “a name which we call Satan lest he show up in person and be all Satan-y and stuff”.
Why not preach things that are meaningful and useful? Like: explain how to make a blessing bag. Discuss how easy it is to be kind to a stranger. Talk about forgiving someone.
Christ (and that’s not his name either!) meant for his followers to be *positive*. To do positive things. To be kind to others. They weren’t stressing on people using slang. Seriously. OMG.
And what about the even more frequently used “Good bye” which was originally “God be with ye!”
“oh my gosh” and “oh my goodness” in my opinion are just as bad as saying oh my god. what is the difference?? and so i agree OMG is a no. ii don;t let my kids say these expressions, id rather hear the F word.
When I type OMG, I intend it to mean oh my gosh, or oh my goodness. Not everyone means it in a way that misuses God’s holy name.
Jenny, the Bible says that people will hate Christians just because they are Christians. Matt. 10:22 We are under the world’s microscope so we really do need to watch our witness. However, we are still sinners just saved by His grace.
The G stands for God, and if it stands for gosh, how did that get started? I bet that’s a euphimism for God. You can do it if you like, I’d rather not take a chance of taking Gods name in vain!
What is the name of God; “He Who Is”, “I Am that I Am”, and the Yahweh and Jehovah?
To be fair to people who don’t necessarily believe in one God, but accept many gods, this could be calling on any one of them (as in the phrase itself: ‘my god.’) I can see that the guy who wrote this blog post is claiming the word ‘god’ to mean the one he believes in, and it’s been arbitrarily decided somewhere down the line that His name is sacred. Fine, if you like. But God isn’t His name, it’s His designation. The word doesn’t begin and end with the Christian interpretation of a deity; I might, for argument’s sake, call upon another god entirely, a more ancient one, and he (or she) might quite like his (or her) name/title being taken and used by people all over the world in everyday conversation. Who knows? I do wish people would live and let live!
It means OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!
OMG!
THIS article is taking His Name in vain itself – DON’T bring the NAME of YAHUAH Elohyim to NAUGHT – god is NOT His Name – BEST Be Onward, Together with YAHUAH Elohiym and His MOST Original Scriptures as BEST we KNOW Them confirmed by the Dead Sea Scrols – Onward, Jim
There are a lot of opinions here, but I want to share my personal experience with God Himself about the use of the words: Oh my God, Oh my gosh, OMG, Oh my goodness, Oh my Lord.
In a month and 5 days, I will have known God as my Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ for 50 years. And I still have a lot to learn in my Christian walk! I am still making mistakes as a child of and follower of His. This I know for sure: I have not “arrived” yet and will not arrive until I have my glorified body in Him in Heaven. As Christians, we have many things to learn from God over the course of our journey here right up to the end.
God has actually brought this subject to my attention a few years ago. And I know, from personal guidance of His Holy Spirit, that it is, in fact, a sin to speak so nonchalantly using His/our name for Him. Every time I did, He let me know in my conscience/spirit that I was breaking His commandment, and burdening His heart. …even just writing it on facebook posts. I personally and intimately know for a fact these terms are exactly some of the things He is referring to in His commandment about not taking His name in vain. I believe if we yield our spirit/conscience to the Holy Spirit, He will guide us into all truth. Not what the world decides is “truth”, but…into actual truth, because He cannot lie as a Holy God.
There is another expression brought up on here that I want to mention. “That sucks” – we may think is another way to say “that stinks” but do we actually think about what this phrase represents? If it had not been brought to my attention by my pastor in a sermon, I may not have realized how offensive these words are in origin. Don’t be deceived by the enemy!!! These very phrases may seem like small potatoes, but that is exactly how the devil gets the tip of his toe into the door of our hearts and our lives… by influencing us in supposedly “ok” acceptance in worldy ways!!!
Offered in love and through His Holy Spirit’s guidance to share with others. Someone needs to hear His direction regarding these subjects. Father God, open the eyes and ears and give revelation to those who have been blinded and deafened to Your Truth.
Gosh…is a byword of God…don’t use gosh, don’t use omg!!!