To wonder if Jesus Christ is swearing

@BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows all these stories written down over the centuries by monks and then the Bible in use today the King James version - that great protector of women.

Shakespeare? the printing press had been invented by the time he was on the scene. He wasn't some women hating, sexually frustrated, sadist writing his hand me down stories wearing his sackcloth and ashes.
Do I believe William Spearshaker wrote all his own plays that's another thread.

It is according to my mum! But my friend who is a priest says Jesus all the time. Someone once said it was acknowledging your need for him. So that’s my take on it.

It's a fascinating history.

Christianity in Ireland was a very different beast to christianity in many other cultures. Because of our polytheistic culture and the way in which the deities were woven into every day life, imposing a single god was never going to catch on. So loads of the gods/goddesses were converted in to saints, St Brigid being the most famous of these. She was a triple deity and was a major part of Irish life. St Brigid's day lines up with Imbolc, the pagan Spring festival. Holy wells, mountains etc became associated with saints rather than the original goddess/god.

The Tuatha Dé Danann became the Aos Sí (fairies). Associated piseogs (superstitions) carried on in to modern times. For example, it was disastrous to cut down a solitary hawthorn tree as it is believed to be a direct gateway to the Otherworld and the property of the Aos Sí. Even today, people would be reluctant to cut one down just in case. There is actually a kink in one of our motorways built this century that was done to avoid cutting down a hawthorn.

I would say I tend towards thinking there’s something good at the heart of most religions, but that as usual humans tend to mess that up/ interpret it for their own ends.

I’m a bit undecided about why I think / believe - and I don’t know enough a lot of it - but am actively thinking about it a lot of the time, rather than being an undecided who isn’t trying to decide! I also think it’s a fascinating subject to discuss!

I'm always saying Jesus Christ to myself or partner/kids in their 20s, but I don't like saying the F word or other swearing. I wouldn't say it in front of a Christian or young kids though. Everyone makes mistakes, but it will have been aimed at you yes.

Our local priest used it before in mock shock at a story after a funeral service. He came back for a sandwich and a cuppa. He is a funny character though.

I do find it offensive when people exclaim that but equally I think you have extenuating circumstances and did well not to eff and Jeff!

I would not lose any sleep over this OP. They are just words and if people are offended they need to give their heads a wobble. Its not like you said 'Oh for fucks sake just get in that twatting school you gobshite' is it? 😂

I agree. I think if you love Jesus, which committed Christians do, you wouldn't use his name as a swear word. You just respect him far too much. I grew up in Catholic Ireland where everyone used Jesus' name as a vulgar response to anything even mildly surprising. I was a Catholic, was raised in Catholicism and educated in the same for my entire primary and secondary schooling. Everyone said 'Jesus' or some form of it in place of a swear word, and would then say 'oh its ok because I'm Catholic and I find it funny'.

My experience of Catholicism is that all of the Catholics I knew (which was actually everyone that I knew) believed in being a good person based on their own judgement of what a good person is. They believed that Jesus was a very good person with a message of love and he died for our sins, but could never really explain what it means to die for our sins. They believed in 'something' spiritual and that Jesus was a vague but central figure but there are also other helpful entities like saints and angels and dead relatives and maybe even the Buddhists have a point 'but sure who knows, as long as I'm a good person (by my own standards)'. I am very sorry if you are a Catholic reading this, and you fully understand the central point of the Gospel: I just haven't met anyone like it. I am only saying this as its always generally Catholic people who don't feel offended by blasphemy, unless they are much older maybe.

The central tenant of Christianity is that we humans are all fundamentally flawed, fallen, broken people. God can only exist in eternity with total holiness. He is a just God and hates sin and cannot abide with it. We cannot get to heaven without being as perfect as God. This is impossible. Jesus came to earth as fully God and fully man, lived a perfect sinless life and offered himself up as a sacrifice: his level of purity and goodness, and his eternal state as part of the godhead meant that his sacrifice was acceptable to God. He died and agonising death and rose three days later. The bill was paid. When we die, anyone who had placed their trust in Jesus will be able to spend eternity in heaven with God. Jesus was the only way to remove the gap between God and man and the Christian doctrine states that we are all destined for spiritual darkness aside from him.

I am not going to argue this; I am merely pointing out the doctrine to explain that Christians see Jesus as our actual saviour and our only way to get to heaven. I cannot understand how anyone can claim to be part of a Christian denomination and say they are OK with using Christ's name as a swear word. It honestly makes me think that they don't understand the Gospel or aren't actually Christian at all. I know we can't judge another person's heart but the tongue often exposes the heart. I used to say 'Jesus Christ!' before I loved Jesus and now I don't because I believe that the Gospel is true. How could I mock his name like that? Feel a bit weepy even thinking about it.

I cannot understand how anyone can claim to be part of a Christian denomination and say they are OK with using Christ's name as a swear word. It honestly makes me think that they don't understand the Gospel or aren't actually Christian at all.

Not a terribly christian attitude really. Judge not lest you be judged etc etc

To be fair to her, and I’m not saying I agree with the post, that is her next sentence that you’ve just cut off!

Except what she actually says in the next sentence is: “I know we can't judge another person's heart but the tongue often exposes the heart.”

So in other words, I’m not supposed to judge but I’m judging anyway. Using “but” basically negates the first phrase.

I didn’t include that sentence as it was just as judgy (albeit a bit more sanctimonious) as the previous point and I didn’t think there was any need to use multiple examples of judginess.

^I agree with you, @Darkdiamond. I also find it upsetting when Jesus’s name is misused.

However, it really isn’t for me to judge another person’s heart. I’m only too aware of where I fall short myself every day.

She does say we can’t judge others though - I read the next bit not as negating that but being an observation.

I mean I did make a very similar point to someone else up thread, so I agree in principle with what you’re saying, but I thought it was fair to point out that she does concede she shouldn’t be judging.

Back in the day, when I learnt the 10 Commandments, I asked my (daily mass attending) granny if she was blaspheming when she said "Jesus Christ". She told me it wasn't blasphemy, it was prayer, and that's why she rolled her eyes looked to heaven when she said it.🤣🤣🤣

I don't think it is. I know some people think it's blasphemy but I think the idea of blasphemy is outdated.

The Bible is full of advice to use discernment and wisdom. Using good judgement is a crucial part of Christian living. I make judgements all day. Should I bring an umbrella? Will I eat now or on the train? Should I tell this person about a personal problem I am having? It isn't possible to get through life without judging.

The main passage you are probably referring to means that I can't judge you for saying Jesus Christ and then go and say it myself. Jesus himself said 'you will know them by their fruit'; Christians absolutely can make judgements about whether they deem something is right or wrong, and about whether someone is doing something right or wrong. We cannot condemn them. We can pray for them, care for them, bless them (or should).

A Christian attitude is conforming oneself to the image of Christ and striving to be more like him. Sometimes discrete judgement is required for that. Speaking the truth in love is also commanded in the Bible and how can you discern the truth if you never judge anything or anyone's actions? We all judge because if we didn't we would all be in trouble; we would be running across busy roads, trusting the wrong people with our lives and happily letting our friends wander into terrible decisions.

You'll giggle about it in a couple of years. Don't do it again and just crack on Some sad little parent may or may not have reported you. I'd be surprised if a school sent out a message on such a minor issue but who knows. I walked my child out of school this week alongside another parent effing about. The child asked him if he was a piss head and he replied "how can I be a piss head, I barely fucking drink" and 'its fucking busy here, fucking traffic jams" when simply referring to people walking through the narrow gates. "Oh fucking hell get a move on" and the such. Delightful. Maybe it wasn't you at all OP.

And by me saying that I can't judge another person's heart: no I literally can't, because I don't know what's in it. How can I know if they love Jesus or not (is what I meant). I still stand by what I said about judging overall, Biblically. Not that I love judging people. I don't!

Would you class 'For god's sake!' as swearing too? And why is it offensive? I really don't understand why people take offense at these things. I think any deity would be big enough to just shrug it off.

But this is the whole point of this discussion: that many people with a committed faith will find blasphemy very offensive whereas they may not be as bothered (or indeed at all) about 'standard' swear words, and figure that they are 'just words' (albeit they probably aren't massive fans of them, but they don't 'jar' the same).

You could also say that the N-word and the P-word are 'just words', so people need to give their heads a wobble if they find them offensive, because it's not like they're 'standard' accepted swear words... yet if a white person were nasty enough to call a black or Asian person one of those words with an F-word in front of it, I think I can guess which of the words they will feel by far the most hurt by.

But why say the name of Jesus Christ? Why does his name get used as a swear word? I don’t get it. There”s a whole raft of words to use to express annoyance, from the very mildest to the not-to-be-said-in-public 😁

^I agree with both your last two posts as well. We are called to tell the truth in love. But we do need to be very aware of we ourselves fall short. I believe this is what is meant by ‘do not judge’.

That’s exactly how I feel, just why?

Fuck me, we must live in a very different demographic for this to be any kind of issue 🙄