To hate it when kids exclaim Oh My God!

[PadmeHum]

I was at the annual school fair today. I lost count of how many times I heard 5-12 year children exclaim "oh my godddddd", that was .

The phrase grates me to my core.

I am not even religious, so I am not sure why it bothers me. Some sort of respect issue I think as well as it sounding a bit cheap.

?

Hate it, I don't say it, don't let DDs say it, it's swearing in my books. And I'm not remotely religious.

I hate anyone saying it, for that matter. Even though I'm not religious, it always sounds blasphemous to me. I think that if people are going to speak about 'their god', it should be considered and serious, not just a throwaway examination.

If someone is talking about their god (as opposed to various gods) then presumably they only believe in one God. Then if they are tolerant types this will presumably be the same one as Christians believe in? If they've made up a different one (or a daft temporary one to make a point) then Christians would I assume see that as idolatry.

My youngest DS 2.5 has just started saying it!! I personally find it hilarious and it doesn't bother me in the slightest, there are far worse things to say IMO.

[SMILE] BoojaB! Loving expanding the vocab!

Very interesting opinions, which can broadly be categorised as follows:

1. There are those that find it offensive from a religious perspective.

1. There are those that liken it to swearing

1. There are those who think it's extremely irritating.

1. There are those who don't give a toss.

I think I fall into category 3 (with a smattering of 1 and 3 thrown in). I reckon I am in for a shock when I have a 19, 16 and 13 year old in the house (10 years left for me to get my head around my OMG phobia ).

When 14 year old DS1 arrived at his new Australian Christian school he had to be weaned off it damn fast

Great synopsis PadmeHum, I think we can all go home now

Habbibu
My parents are Irish Clatholics and use Jesus Mary and Joseph. My dad used to be fond of 'Jesus God and all the Saints preserve us'

DD says Oh my god - she has picked it up from me as it is my curse of choice. It's better than saying fucking NORAH or Jesus H Christ (can someone please explain what Jesus H Christ means, and did Jackie Collins invent the phrase).

I don't think it is disrespectful, any more than I really am invoking god when I say 'bless you' when someone sneezes or 'I pray to god that it doesn't rain' when I have sheets on the line.

Just turns of phrase in my book.

Someone said - Do religious people really get offended by "Oh my god"?

Some don't, some do.
I don't like it at all but I don't feel offended by it.

However if people don't give a toss about God/god, then it should be reasonable to not toss the name of God or the exclamation 'Jesus Christ' about at moments of high emotion and drama as if it meant something.

I think my children say it. It doesn't bother me at all. For all I know they are seeking help from their secretly worshipped god.

My mother used to put us to bed with the following:

"Good night and God bless you
May the angels undress you
And the Devil run away with your clothes!"

And you wonder why I'm an atheist...

"However if people don't give a toss about God/god, then it should be reasonable to not toss the name of God or the exclamation 'Jesus Christ' about at moments of high emotion and drama as if it meant something."

But it's not meant to mean anything - it's semantically empty if you don't believe - just a habitual noise used at stress points.

my son has started saying it after playing alot with his older cousins. i hate it.

"But it's not meant to mean anything - it's semantically empty if you don't believe - just a habitual noise used at stress points."

Exactly Habbibu.

"But it's not meant to mean anything - it's semantically empty if you don't believe - just a habitual noise used at stress points."

It might be semantically empty for a non-theist, but not for those who believe. People say it without thinking mostly, but some will know that theists might not appreciate hearing it but continue using it anyway. That's annoying but it doesn't offend me in the end. I can cope with it but I don't have to agree with it.

Are there people who would get annoyed with someone who added 'fuck' and derivatives thereof with every exclamation? One of my offspring does this and has argued for several years that it is semantically meaningless to him, and 'just a word'. If I caution him about using it and remind him that people get offended by it, he suggests they shouldn't.

Is this the same kind of argument? Not sure.

It's not about religion/God deserving respect, or religious people's sensibilities needing respect or protection. More a debate on how we approximate or reject shared meanings and their value in a wildly individualistic society.

Well, the issue with fuck, and, it could be argued Oh my god, is one of register - it's inappropriate in certain contexts. Fuck is losing its taboo status, much as omg did some time ago.

Padme - there's also:

1. People who find it annoying from an atheist point of view.

1. People who find overuse annoying (esp. with american accent).

1. People who dont find it annoying at all.

What annoys me far more than the odd OMG are the religious people claiming to be offended, by anything and everything, as an attempt to exert control/claim superiority.

This term is even used in the bible- here is a list.

It is now part of our common linguistic heritage, for better or worse!