Using God/Christ in negative threads

[Tigertalk]

Hi all, I’m a long time mumsnetter but finding it hard to read constant threads (as a Christian) that use phrases starting with ‘ for G*d’s sake ( insert some nasty phrase about something) . We don’t accept racist or phobic language so why is it okay to use God, Jesus, Christ etc in these contexts? It’s really uncomfortable to read constantly 🙁

YABVU
Appalling to compare with racism or homophobia.
Your god is just another one of the 3000 odd that have been postulated over the years. I see no reason to offer your choice of sky-daddy any more reverence than any of the other ones I don't believe in.

I suggest you never go to Ireland! They're more or less all Christian (culturally if nothing else) and you'd be laughed off the island if you said you were offended by terms like that. It sounds like a very evangelical stance to me...

You know, I'm really cringing reading a lot of these comments on here.

One poster wrote a really fair post about being a Christian, also finding somethings she doesn't agree with, but that she understands it's not her place to police these things, essentially encouraging op to do that same. And immediately, she (sorry, I'm assuming!) is pounced on, being mocked for not liking Jesus on a birthday card. That poster seemed to deliberately be looking for something and totally ignored the entire point of the post.

And so many smug, and 'witty' remarks about how stupid believing in god is.

I'm not particularly religious. I enjoy some parts of the Christian religion. Love a hymn. Enjoy the nativity story. And I believe Jesus was a real man. But that's the end of it really. I can't really believe in a God that allows the level of suffering this world has, how is an all loving god really all loving when they allow babies to be raped? Or children forced to drink filthy water?! Can't.

But I don't think it's ok to just take the piss like so many have. It's just a conversation point. OP isnt setting up a petition to stop use saying Christ on a bike (my personal fave) like many others, she is just voicing an opinion.

I have one very religious friend, as in she attends church, and loves it, apparently. And my son went to a CofE school for a while. So I made an effort to not say those things. It was hard at first, because I am a big user of Oh my god and Christ alive (another fave) but I did it because I like my friend and I understood I didn't have to send him to a Christian school.

Op, if you were my friend, I would always do my best to not use language that makes you feel uncomfortable, as I'd hope you'd do for me. And I think that's all you can really expect. The internet is a cesspit, and we are all going to see things we find distasteful or straight out offensive, we just gotta shake it off.

I attended the funeral of a coleague's son who'd taken his own life at 19, and knowing the priest's views I was surprised he'd agreed to do it at all. Once there, however, we found out why ... he used the homily, in front of the lad's grief stricken mother and everyone else, to tell us exactly how full of sin her son had been (and made a point of stalking past her without speaking afterwards)

Appalling. Absolutely disgusting behaviour from 'a man of god'.

But swearing is the problem. Right, then.

@grapewine

I attended the funeral of a coleague's son who'd taken his own life at 19, and knowing the priest's views I was surprised he'd agreed to do it at all. Once there, however, we found out why ... he used the homily, in front of the lad's grief stricken mother and everyone else, to tell us exactly how full of sin her son had been (and made a point of stalking past her without speaking afterwards)

Appalling. Absolutely disgusting behaviour from 'a man of god'.

But swearing is the problem. Right, then.

But no one has said this behaviour from the priest was ok......in fact it goes completely against Bible teaching how he handled it. The OP certainly hasnt said what priest did was ok. The way the priest addressed this was clearly not right.

had dc before marriage

So you, as a christian, can pick and choose which parts of the rule book you want to believe is the word of the imaginary sky fairy and should be obeyed, but other people who don’t believe in any of it have to mind their language in case they offend you?

Don’t undersell yourself there - you sound like a typical christian to me.

I really think that comparing this to racism is the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day. And I've heard a lot today. Other cultures exist. God doesn't.

You can't disrespect someone who isn't real. It's a lovely fantasy but you can't expect others to play along with it.

@LibertyMole

I don’t think prejudice is based on ignorance Lemur.

That is absolutely what it means.

Judging someone on the basis of misunderstandings or ignorance.

I don’t think this is comparable to racism, but I assume the disrespect is to Christians not to God.

I can't believe in this day and age people are so gullible to believe there is a God,they have been brainwashed into thinking there is a big invisible man up in the sky watching over everybody,the bible is the biggest fairy story ever told!

I think the vast majority of people do believe in God.

Come on...

@LibertyMole

I think the vast majority of people do believe in God.

Rubbish! No one with any intelligence does

I had a quick google and it is 93% believe in God and 84% belong to a religion.

@LibertyMole

I had a quick google and it is 93% believe in God and 84% belong to a religion.

Not sure where that came from but this YouGov poll suggests only a quarter do

yougov.co.uk/topics/philosophy/articles-reports/2020/12/29/how-religious-are-british-people

Also interested to know the source for that 93%.

This international study is 11 years old (and I think belief in a god is trending downwards) but it found less than 50% believing.

www.statista.com/statistics/273004/global-belief-in-god-or-a-supreme-being/

I'd actually not be entirely surprised to learn that a majority worldwide believes in a god though.

Wikipedia entry on demographics of atheism.

They got it from Oxford Handbook of Atheism 2017

I read that wiki page but it seemed like very woolly methodology, particularly where it relies on census data.

What i did find interesting is how low religious belief is among Christians. Looking at the UK and Canada (the countries I've lived in), it looks like only barely over of half of self-identifying British Christians actually believe in God (the previously posted YouGov poll). There was a Canadian poll (on the Demogrpahics of Atherism page) which showed around a third of actual practicing and church-going Christians didnt actually believe. Would have assumed belief in God to be higher than that among religious people tbh.

I assume most Christians in Britain are cultural Christians and don’t believe in God, particularly Anglicans.

@Tigertalk

Hi all, I’m a long time mumsnetter but finding it hard to read constant threads (as a Christian) that use phrases starting with ‘ for G*d’s sake ( insert some nasty phrase about something) . We don’t accept racist or phobic language so why is it okay to use God, Jesus, Christ etc in these contexts? It’s really uncomfortable to read constantly 🙁

I think this is a fair point. I often use phrases with god in it negatively absent mindedly but am going to try and stop if it offends others

Honestly @Tigertalk you won't get any change from those that do not believe the same things as you.

I don't use terms as if you believe I'm the Christian Bible terms are blasphemy

I can't expect ppl with other beliefs not to say these things even if I don't like hearing it.

What I don't expect is ppl to mock me to my person for my choice of beliefs.

And you are not allowed to discriminate others due to their religious choices. Ppl can get a point across without deliberately saying things that intentionally call offence.

@AnotherSunrise

You said no one with any intelligence believes in God. That is simply not true.

I think John Lennox, professor emeritus of mathematics at Cambridge University is a case in point.

I find him really interesting, and nothing is being pushed down your throat, which i personally appreciate.

Gotta love the self-righteous atheists - they love to shout from the rooftops and make themselves known. How clever they believe themselves to be for not having this particular belief, they shove their lack of religious beliefs down other people's throats wherever they find the chance.

I'm not religious but I know these self-righteous, all-knowing atheists (not atheists who go about their business, only those who can't help but declare just how atheist and superior they are on every corner of the internet and how anyone who believes is stupid) think regurgitating what they've read somewhere, what someone else has taught them and mocking people's beliefs make them sound clever. Nah, that's not true intelligence, certainly not wisdom.

Atheists don't shove their lack of religious beliefs down other people's throats wherever they find the chance. This is an anonymous discussion forum where posters can use whatever language they like, within reason.

In the real world, the majority of atheists don't talk about the fact they don't believe in a deity. It is overwhelmingly the case, certainly in my own experience, that the subject is invariably brought up by Christians. I have never even tried to shovel my atheism into a conversation, yet I have been preached at by many, many Christians and been warned (sometimes weirdly politely) that I'm going to hell.

However, I also have friends who are Christians and we manage just fine talking about our respective lives and mutual interests without futilely delving into religious belief. And I try not to use God/Jesus as swearing when I'm in their company out of respect.

On the internet, though, I'll say what I blinking well like. 'Jesus Christ', 'Holy God' etc, flung out into the ether isn't designed to offend anyone. If it does, then I'm afraid those people need to grow a thicker skin.

@FunnyWonder

Atheists don't shove their lack of religious beliefs down other people's throats wherever they find the chance. This is an anonymous discussion forum where posters can use whatever language they like, within reason.

In the real world, the majority of atheists don't talk about the fact they don't believe in a deity. It is overwhelmingly the case, certainly in my own experience, that the subject is invariably brought up by Christians. I have never even tried to shovel my atheism into a conversation, yet I have been preached at by many, many Christians and been warned (sometimes weirdly politely) that I'm going to hell.

However, I also have friends who are Christians and we manage just fine talking about our respective lives and mutual interests without futilely delving into religious belief. And I try not to use God/Jesus as swearing when I'm in their company out of respect.

On the internet, though, I'll say what I blinking well like. 'Jesus Christ', 'Holy God' etc, flung out into the ether isn't designed to offend anyone. If it does, then I'm afraid those people need to grow a thicker skin.

I've only come across self righteous hand wringing 'Christians' in college, the evangelical type who were prey to the local happy clappy church.

I know plenty of Christians who just get on with it like the rest of us and don't feel the need to lecture other people. They have a quiet faith which sustains them and I totally understand and respect that.