Boss told me off for exclaiming Jesus Christ

[GloMum]

The other day my boss told me off for exclaiming Jesus Christ when I was surprised during a work meeting. Boss told me it’s rude towards people from different religions and asked me if I’d done my DEI training. I have, and I enjoy friendships with colleagues from varied backgrounds. I feel really stressed now in case I slip again, and embarrassed I should be told off.

YABU - This is an inappropriate exclamation at work
YANBU - It’s just an exclamation and you shouldn’t be told off for that.

I do because it’s using Jesus’s name in a flippant way which is disrespectful ( in my view)
It’s also against one of the commandments.

I fully appreciate you have the right to use the phrase but I would hope you would be respectful of the feelings of Christians at your workplace

I’ve never been able to decide whether it’s the Italians or the Lebanese that are the most creatively and hilariously foul.

I had to train myself not to swear once I had children, so it can be done.

Though in this case I'd train myself to use the most egregiously mimsy euphemisms.

Oh snap! By jingo! Sugar! Pooey-poo-poo! (That last one's a bit borderline.)

You could try Zounds, the early modern expression for God’s wounds. :-)

I got told off for saying Holy Buckets once. I don’t find the use of Jesus Christ offensive, or My God and I was baptised Catholic!

It's blasphemous, but not swearing.

There are certain words that are absolutely off limits I accept that. But you can’t have a list of a billion words which some people find offensive and others some don’t and you end up walking on eggshells.

‘oh my goodness’ is considered offensive to some Christians as it is another word for God. Are you suggesting that we don’t say that because a small amount of people would find that offensive .

my grandmother would never let us use the word ‘knackered’ at home to refer to being tired. She thought it was exceedingly rude and very offensive because of a certain meaning attached to it. But a lot of people use it to mean tired. Would you not use it if I said I found it offensive?

where does it stop?

“Jesus fucking Christ on a bike”.

What a load of bollocks.

I don’t even know any christians in this day and age to take offence! I’m sure they still exist but not around me since I was in school 😂 Wouldn’t be too worried about this personally.

I am always surprised that people who do not believe in God include it so much in their daily language.

I can assure you most of the Christians who still exist also blaspheme sometimes!

It's been part of English for a very, very long time. It's not meant literally.

As a non-Christian, I am not subject to the commandments. Except the ones which are also actual laws. My Christian colleagues don’t get to dictate which words I use, just as I wouldn’t dream of dictating which words they use.

Italian blaspheming is definitely NOT universally ok and merrily indulged in by all! Dp uses some of the phrases mentioned above when really riled up, but tends to use jeez-type substitutes most of the time. Swearing in English or Italian not an issue for him, btw, just the religious stuff so he sees it as worse. I can’t imagine using any of them (or expletives) around his family - or him saying them in that context - in a million years. And they aren’t religious. The phrases just aren’t ‘nice’.

You don't think that teachers shouldn't advise against this sort of thing?

You think that teachers should let slide "Jesus Christ!" at 8? Because I can tell you from experience that it becomes a lot more explicit very quickly if we do.

And difference with what?

It’s no great mystery. Religious heritage reflects in the common vernacular.

No, he's not demanding that she prays before a meeting or anything. He is asking her to think before she speaks in order to respect others who have a different view of the words that she used - and in a professional setting.

I accept that it is part of everyday language, but I don't have to like it, and it isn't (IMO) very professional to use such language at work.

I think if anyone around here or near me ever said "Good Heavens" it would actually sound like a piss take which ultimately might sound even more offensive tbh

@Patterncarmen I'm going to have to start using "Holy buckets" 😂

Unprofessional and inappropiate, they are right to call you out on it. That could have changed the way a partner dealt with us if they had hear it.

Difference between a child and an adult. Of course, teachers and other adults can comment on small children's use of language. I don't think they should do so for adults, unless it's serious.

Does that extend though if I take offence to a random word like ‘table’. I just don’t like it and find it offensive - can I say to everyone else that they are not to use it?

It’s quite interesting that, as a pp pointed out, my examples of alternatives - Good Heavens! and For Heaven’s Sake! are actually considered to be really tame exclamations. Even Good God! sounds more acceptable, if you’ve had some shocking news imparted. I don’t know why, but Jesus Christ! sounds much more jarring to me.

I disagree. Targeted, personally-offensive language focussing on a person's looks, intellect, ethnicity and sex or sexuality is far more offensive and hurtful.
And if there are such things as omnipotent, all-knowing, all-seeing divine beings i'm sure they would find it in themselves to understand and forgive such behaviour from we poor, inferior human beings.

Irish people say "Jesus Christ!" all the time, and it is a very Christian country. I have never known a single Irish person the find this phrase offensive. If anything, it's like a little prayer! Why would saying Jesus's name be offensive? What does "taking a name in vain" even mean?! Isn't it nice for Christians to have God be such a part of their everyday language?

Although I had a Christian upbringing, I wouldn't find 'Jesus Christ' offensive on religious grounds but I would think that you were managing yourself badly to use it at work. If I were your manager, I'd be talking to you about how you were undermining your own professionalism by using language carelessly and what a shame that was. I hope your manager did that. You're a grown-up. Telling off is for children.

A friend who attended a convent secondary school said the nuns used to say as you were calling upon God if was ok.

Though it might have been in reference to God and not Jesus Christ.