do use your god/goddesses name in vain?

[Matt]

do you use your god/goddesses name in vain or curses?

me every once in awhile il just lose it and let one go by accident

my favorite so far was from one time i got hit in the back of the knee with a switch like branch and yelled

FRIGGEN! LOkI! DAMNIT!

heh yea....

[EarthWhispers]

It happens... once in awhile.

[Xentor]

My god doesn't have a name, even the name "god" doesn't fit. Therefore I can't use his name in vain.

But I will curse using the name of the christian god. Although more of a habit than an actual curse, I think it is bad and I should correct my conduct.

[Joshua]

I, too, use the names of christian mythological figures as profanity. Not personally offensive to me, but rude nonetheless.

[arienh]

Nope, I just use the good old swear words :)

[Flaire]

No.

It usually comes out like "bl00dy h3ll" or "wtf" or something like that. :lol:

[Chibi-Fallon]

When I play tennis, it just brings out the sailor in me, so of course I'm on the team at school. 8O Technically they can take away points for swearing but I think the pink hair, loud swearing, and general drunkness of my natural state discourages that. But hey, no one argues with my calls.
Frankly I think when Pagans make a point of saying things like “Goddess d*mn it”, it’s just kinda stupid. It just doesn't sound right, and it’s not natural. It just strikes me as being just insanely anal, or this huge verbal “I’m Pagan, watch me be different” thing the bugs the holy hell outta me.

[Rae ShadowWolf]

Bloody hell works. So does ... *missing*....

I love Holy Hell and Bloody Christ though.

[Nymph]

I love Holy Hell and Bloody Christ though.

I love those too! Although I am a bit too fond of certain 4-letter words...

[FeatherGoblinglimmer]

I tend to use the christian gods name..oh god, or i swear. I think this is mainly to o with my upbringing though

[Lanna]

lol i'm thinking about it and i curse too much......well i am always found saying 'oh god' to something that has caused me aggrevation, but ffs comes a close second. I think saying 'oh god' comes frome being brought up told not to say it and now its stuck in my head!

[Faery-Wings]

But I will curse using the name of the christian god. Although more of a habit than an actual curse, I think it is bad and I should correct my conduct.
Yeah, this is me too. And I am trying to teach my kids to say "oh my gosh" instead of oh my god.. as a matter of being polite if nothing else.

[Wyrdsister]

I don't use any pagan dieties' names in vain. It doesn't seem to flow off the tounge. I will say "Oya!" sometimes, but that's usually in response to bad news that I think Oya could help with.

I tend to say "Dear God!" or "Dear Lord!", definitely Christian. No offence is ment, but that's what has been coming out lately. Blech. I've even exclaimed "Holy Mary Mother of God" once recently, and I wasn't even raised Catholic!

Yeah, this is me too. And I am trying to teach my kids to say "oh my gosh" instead of oh my god.. as a matter of being polite if nothing else.

My parents raised me that way too, and I think it's much better. Good on you! :D

BB all,
Wyrdsister

[Rae ShadowWolf]

Its quite amazing what we say sometimes.

I also love Jesus Jumped Up Christ, though I have no idea where that came from.......

[Flar's Freyja]

Absolutely never.

Before I found this path, the one thing that I did stop doing was using the Christian deities' names in vain - one of the good things that came from living in the Bible belt. They still slip out now and then, but when I start cussing a lot it's a signal to me that I'm spiritually off-center. The F word is usually a good clue.

[WandererInGray]

*nods* That's the truth, Freyja. I really dislike the F word and you can tell I'm really really angry if it slips out.

*laughs* I don't tend to curse much, though at times I'll slip into Dwarvish from the Mithgar books for it. Not much better to use than that!

[Aidron]

I never take Hecate or Apollo (my patrons) name in vainn, simply for the reason that it's not a fluid thing to say. I will say GD (probably censored here so figure it out) quite a bit, as well as anything else considered profane. Everything from the F word to freakin', which I interchange freely with no thought or reason, as with many profane words. I don't hold back and if people are offended by it, I either tell them to remove themself from my presence or I remove myself from their presence, depending on if they were blatantly rude to me in regards to it or asked politely.

However, I tend to throw in a lot of british slang into what I say, which Rayne, as being the only person I've frequently chatted with here can be my witness too.

Bloody this, bloody that, so forth and so on. I'm not entirely sure where it comes from, but I have been told I have an english/irish accent by some people, and by others, a norther one, and still, by some a southern one. I was born in the south and lived here all my life, not that I am thrilled about that, however, I am of irish/scottish/walesh descent.

My mother says I can sound very british, especially when I sing.

[Rae ShadowWolf]

Bloody is just sooooo cool. ;)

[Danustouch]

When Im mad, I have the mouth of a trucker. I didn't USED to..but.. husband has been a bad influence on me. As for taking deities names in vain, not specifically. I say "My GODS!". I picked it up somewhere, and can't remember where..and now it is a habit. I prefer it to saying "God" because that way, I'm not disrespecting any specific deity. Oddly, "My Gods" only comes out when I am reallllllllllly bothered by something. Not just ticked off....but..upset about something. I don't consider it using a deity in vain, as to me, the Gods are in every situation..i'm simply aknowledging their presence ;)

[Aidron]

Bloody is just sooooo cool. ;)


That it is, mate. ;) (See, more british, or australian depending on your view point, slang!)


Oh, and I didn't vote, which I didn't mention in my last post. I never take any specific god's in name in vain, though I do, like I said, say GD. If I really become steamed I can have the filthiest mouth on earth, using it right in front of everyone out in broad daylight in the most public places.

Of course, that happens so very, very, very rarely.

[Xentor]

Right...

You should here me and my colleagues at work, when the computers don't do what we expect... I sometimes even scare myself. ;)

[indigo rain]

nope. i tend to say jesus f-ing christ a lot, and goddammit. habit, i guess...

[Matt]

i love to come up with new and exciting curses i think its funny to let a brand new one go and everyone look at me like im on medication but ive only curses using lokis name once as i mentioned at the start only cuz i was talking about it with a friend and i wasn't thinking right

also! i say jesus alot but my mom hates that so one time i slammed my finger in the door and let out a loud jesus christ then being the ever so quick person i am followed it up with is the son of god :D

[Klucky]

I tend to use the christian gods name..oh god, or i swear. I think this is mainly to o with my upbringing though

Me too. Exactly.

-Klucky

[White Rose]

Well, I tend to say things like...

Oh my God!
Oh my Gods!
God damnit!
Holy Moses!
Jesus Christ!

I don't really have a certain God or Goddess I'm devoted to though, so no I suppose. :P

<333

[Heathen Dawn]

I’m contented to use the 4-letter S-word and F-word.

[SnowStar]

On occasion...though as most others I'm prone to the more common practice of taking the Christian god's name in vain. I try to avoid it around people I know it offends, like my best friend in high school couldn't stand it when people dropped "GD bombs" so I kind of dropped it from my used vocabulary. I generally use "Oh my god!" when I'm excited/frustrated/freaked out, and occasionally will interchange "Oh my goddess" or "Oh my gods"...it just depends on how it fallls out of my mouth.

One funny story I've got to tell was when I was eating dinner with a few guys that I know and a few of their friends whom I didn't really know. They're typical nerds...almost stereotypical, even. One of the guys had consumed 2 philly cheesesteak sandwiches, was working on a third, and had eaten a large amount of a bunch of other stuff as well. When he started on what I believe was his 4th sandwich I exclaim, "Jesus [effing] Christ!" About half of the people at the table laughed, and the other half kind of just looked at me, so I quickly tagged on, "with apologies to anyone that just offended." They all laughed and one of them said, "no one is offended here, we all appreciate some good blaspheming...we just weren't expecting you to be the one to do it." Ha! Me? Not blaspheme? Well...I guess since I was 1 female at a table with about 10 males that might be the assumption...but at the same time, that would have been the last thing I'd have thought! Ok, so maybe you'd have had to have been there.

[absynthia]

I, too, occasionally use the name of the christian god in vain. Not so much the "Jesus Christ!", as the "god d***it!" or "oh, god!".

As others have said, it's more of habit and upbringing than anything else. It's a good point though, that even if as a non-christian, it's not personally offensive to me, it's still really rude, and I shouldn't do it.

"Bloody" *is* such a cool oath, I've been using it quite a lot lately as I'm getting married to a lovely, foul-mouthed Brit.

For the record, I'm much more inclined to use the "f" word ("f"ing hell in particular) than anything else, and have recently acquired "b*gger* and "b*llocks". I'm always happy to expand my vocabulary. ;)

[Earthcup]

Hél yes!

There's no prohibition against it and it was a common practice of ancient Pagans. It alerts your Gods that all is not well with you and calls their attention to you.

Just because one diety gets PO if you annoy him with mortal concerns instead of praise doesn't mean all Gods are like that!

[Heathen Dawn]

Jesus H Christ! (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_033.html)

[Earthcup]

Can't resist adding a By Jove! to this discussion!

[DragonsChest]

My favorite seems to be Bloody H*ll. Got that from my very English husband. Only if I'm extremely angry do I say GD, and then I feel badly about it. It's really rare, but since it does happen, I voted yes.

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

Personally I am more prone to say bloody hell, dear lord or gods, and my favorites: Ouffa and if something is really bad but I'm not actually upset about it, everything comes in various shades of fuenta (the last two are related to an apparent cult that my husband, I, and our friends started according to another very Christian friend).

Like was mentioned before though, I don't think my deities would take it at all amiss if I called out their name when I was upset or needed them.

[Vanessa TPD]

All the time - Jesus H. Christ; Jesus F- Christ; Jesus H. F- Christ; oh my God; oh Lord; dear Lord; gods; oh, hell; oh bloody hell; bloody f- hell...the list goes on. Only I've never used any of the Hindu gods' names in vain. It wouldn't roll off my tongue, and it actually does feel kind of wrong. And I don't drop the F-Bomb unless I'm very angry.

[Sequoia]

You know. . . it never quite occured to me to do so. o_O

Then again, I try not to use "god" in general. Trying to wean myself off of it. *chuckles*

[Gala]

I don't name my gods either. I mean I use different names but it never occured to me to use it as a curse. Saying GD... just doesn't mean anything to me ...any more than s*it or the f word... it's just a cuss word as we say in Texas... it don't mean nuthin. I think there has to be intent behind a curse word for it to be a curse word... otherwise its just a cuss word... know whut I mean?

[Rævyn Cigány]

do you use your god/goddesses name in vain or curses?

me every once in awhile il just lose it and let one go by accident

my favorite so far was from one time i got hit in the back of the knee with a switch like branch and yelled

FRIGGEN! LOkI! DAMNIT!

heh yea....

Yes, but not like (for example) Christians use the name of Jesus in vain... my favourite phrase (in lieu of outright swearing) is "Great Green Goddess on a cracker!"

No particular Goddess, just something to say in lieu of the F word...heh.

B*B

Rae )O(

[SnowStar]

my favourite phrase (in lieu of outright swearing) is "Great Green Goddess on a cracker!"


A cracker? Why a cracker? Why not toast? Or for that matter, a bagel? An English Muffin maybe? Or, to get away from the breakfast food a bit, a roll? How 'bout a bun? :D

[Antoninus]

I say "Oh my gods" or "by the gods" sometimes, but I dont really use Athena's name as a swear word. I dont consider swearing a bad thing though.

[Felidae]

I, too, use the names of christian mythological figures as profanity. Not personally offensive to me, but rude nonetheless.
A bad habit I share. :)

[Kaylara]

Well, there's nothing within Paganism or Wicca as far as I know that says that you can't say your god or goddess's name as much as you want, so for me it's a moot point. More of a Christian thing I think, and since I'm not Christian, it doesn't much matter to me if I say: "Sweet Athena" or "dear gods" or even "Sweet Zeus on a Pogo Stick."

[TornadoAli]

I say godd@mn sometimes, but that's not really taking a diety's name in vain...

[Calzaer]

do you use your god/godesses name in vain?

No, I use other peoples'.

[WitchJezebel]

I try not to curse as much as I used to, but I will say Jesus H. Christ, Holy Hell, Ye Gods - it depends on my state of mind. If I'm really angry then I revert back to my serious sailor-speak and the F word just seems to rollllllll off my tongue. :deviltail

[nighstar]

Well, there's nothing within Paganism or Wicca as far as I know that says that you can't say your god or goddess's name as much as you want, so for me it's a moot point. More of a Christian thing I think, and since I'm not Christian, it doesn't much matter to me if I say: "Sweet Athena" or "dear gods" or even "Sweet Zeus on a Pogo Stick."

:nods: same, i dont see anything wrong with sayhing things like "oh my god", etc etc, i believe it's more of a Christian thing than it is anything else......

also, i'm agnostic so umm..... nope, i see absolutely nothing wrong with it, it's all just words lol

[FaeFollower]

No, I use other peoples'.

Heh, that's me too. I say (or rather, write, in my journal) Christ or Jesus or g--d---it a lot. I used to be absolutely terrified of being struck by lightning or something for it, so I guess I'm making up for lost time.

[Autumn]

I just don't...it doesn't work out that way!!

[Nitefalle]

I swear like a sailor ::Chuckles:: but as I don't have one specific deity (I just use God and Goddess) I don't take their name in vain and when I DO curse, I say g***ammit and am referencing the christian deity just out of habit, not any malice or ill will towards christianity. I listened to my dad do it growing up, so...it just rubbed off.

~N~

[DragonsChest]

I will say Jesus H. Christ, Holy Hell, Ye Gods....


Your "Ye Gods" suddenly reminded me of my mother: when we were little and she was exasperated with my brother and me, she would shout out: Ye Gods and Little Fishes!

Thanks for bringing a smile to my face!

[Mesektet]

that is a resounding no for me, the whole act of saying seems more like a rote-memorized form of expressing anger/frustration rather than an actual act of calling a deity out, or insulting one for that matter. I do same "goddamn" when i am angry or in a excited state, but only out of routine, rather than meaning...

[argento_occhi]

I couldn't decide yes or no. I do and don't. i usually use swear words, rather than deity names, though 'thank goddess' usually comes out every now and then. to sebek with it is another one i use, the ancient egyptian equivalent of to hell with it, basically. i say schiese(r) german for s**t all the time, even though it's one of the few german words i know. habit or something. that['s the basis of my swearing.
blessed be,
argento_occhi

[Enchanted Echoes]

I say "Ye gads!" and "What in Hades... "

[mato]

It's a tradition to curse a god for a bad incident... Actually some of my prayers come in the form of 'curses'... It's all really funny, and meant in good humor. Tezcatlipoca is actually more responsive to curses than he is to other forms of prayer! But he is the god of darkness after all... Maybe that's not a good example! But I would never EVER use Guadalupe's/Tonizin's name in a curse! The other gods are up for grabs!

[xblue420x]

I'll yell out god dammit, or jesus christ-just from habit and i dont really mean anything bad by it most of the time..Most of the people I'm around aren't pagan, or dont even know anything about any other gods/goddesses, so if i were to go off sayin one of their names nobody would know what i was talking about...
happened once, started yelling and slipped Hecate in there and my friend was like 'what the hell are you talking about?' Then I just got even madder and had to try to explain myself while I was pissed off, which I think made me go a little insane.
Needless to say, I just use 'jesus' 'god' or 'christ' now

[Aranel]

my way is if something happens i say "Oh my Goddess!" at the top of my voice. (eep)

blessings and light
Aranel

[wok-tok-weasel]

No, I use other peoples'.

Yeah, 'bout the same for me!

[Elfa Wylde]

while being FAR from prudish, but, i just don't really like the soud of vulgarities.
However.... they're SOOooo useful!! :lol:

but i still try to tone them down. Often it's 'fekkin' 'shyte' 'male offspring of an equine's aft half!' and the ever popular 'mundane noodle' of "a christmas story" fame.

I try to be creative. it's fun.

I do, however, usually leave dieties out of it. except for the occasional Jesus Christo. I don't know why that one.. one of my flukes i guess.

[zakzekezedd]

I try to refrain...but for some reason "Jesus Christ on a pony" just seems to roll off the tongue when I'm exasperated..(and probably less offensive then what I might be thinking)....I'm afraid that "g*ddammit" is too much of an ingrained explicative..it just sort of blurts out there.

[Celarion]

Hrm. I think if my personal concept of god were to have a name, it would be incomprehensible to me ^^

[Grey]

Well sometimes I referance a mythological event as a cuss word... sometimes I swear in some phrases I picked up a while back... but its very rare that I use a gods name in vain.

[pawnman]

Can't say I've ever gone "Oh Lugh! Now what?" or anything like that. I do say god, christ, and lord alot, though. Should probably try to curb that.

I also like the phrase "whiskey tango foxtrot" for WTF. Then people really don't know what you're saying.

[WiccanGoddess]

Can't honestly say I don't, because I have a few times, and I do regret it.

I've said "Oh my Goddess" a few times, not in vain, I know, but other times I've said things like "Holy Gia, or Damn you to hecate" and not meant it, but it's all accidents.

[TheWhiteWitch]

Sometimes I yell "Psyche Save Me!!!!" but, that's not really in vain, is it? :heartthro :heartthro

[Brigid Rowan]

Er, no, it would be wrong,like using my mom's name as a curse word or some such thing...plus, I think it would sound sorta contrived...

[lamoka]

I have no problem swearing.. in the right company or even instance (as long as my children are out of earshot). As I was raised catholic I have always had a problem with gd and jc and don't use them and wait for lightning to strike when others do..
I do say God bless it!! when frustrated but in more of a please God bless this moment and give me strength kind of way.. or God bless you baby.. when frustrated beyond measure with a child.. I don't use any deities in vain and will quicker say the f word than use a God/Goddess name in vain.. LOVE BLOODY but never really use it..
have been known to say Madone (mother in italian) or Madonna mi.. but in an oh my gosh way.. I have never cursed at someone/thing with any "God intent"..
blessings

[October]

Not that I can remember, interestingly enough. I usually say "God". I guess it's habit, growing up in a sometimes/lazy Catholic family

[Sethserpenthus]

Yes, but I'd rather not go exactly into what those particular curses are...

I use Christian God curses too, but that's habit from other people.

[Agaliha]

Um. Not exactly.

I never said "Saraswati damn it" or anything. :wtf:


I do often say "god damn it" but it's more of a non-specific, automatic sort of thing--like when I say various swear words. I don't have any god in mind when I say it, it's just a phrase; one that I use out of habit mostly.

[Catiana]

I don't use my gods name, but I do say gd and jc alot, I should probably try not too, but at least I don't use them as often as I use the F word.

[Meadhbh]

Sure, not that I mean to. It will get you odd looks from passers by though.

[Toby Stimpson]

woah, this is an old thread.

I dont...and wouldnt even try. If you are an english speaker, then you would have your own cultural curses and profanities from wherever you come from. Since saying, oh I dunno... "Damn Brigit!!!" isnt natural for our language and isnt widespread... it would mean you would have had to have purposefully changed it inorder for it to slip out.

In my opinion such a thing would be completly irrational reaction to something that is so imbedded in the language that its more natural to say it than not. After all, it's more the feeling than whats being said... but saying something like "Damn Brigit" or "KALIII!!! *angry face*" or "insert other random God's name" in reaction to hitting your knee or stubbing your toe, or getting out your frustration... again is not natural to the language and not natural to a person who grew up in an english speaking culture. I would wonder if this would be a conscious reaction to a christian context in language that has arison over time. Although I agree we should all watch out language (haha)... is thinking about such small things as curses and expressions and then changing them to something specific to your religion really that good? I don't think so, since 'taking God's name in vain" in a pit of frustration is NOT a religious thing... its a linguistic phenomenon.

NOW, if you come from another culture, or grew up alongside another culture...I can see where saying other curses like "Mon Dieu!!" or "Freck!" etc, etc, would be natural for you becasue you grew up with those Im guessing.

[Sethserpenthus]

I dont...and wouldnt even try. If you are an english speaker, then you would have your own cultural curses and profanities from wherever you come from. Since saying, oh I dunno... "Damn Brigit!!!" isnt natural for our language and isnt widespread... it would mean you would have had to have purposefully changed it inorder for it to slip out.

On one level I totally agree. It seems to me that a great deal of the "Pagan Curses" that go around ("Oh my Goddess!" and the like) are forced for sake of being more Pagan... on the other hand, I tend to share that view not only about Pagan curses but also for Pagan greetings and others.

But as I already admitted I do have some expletives using my own God, it should be obvious that I don't see all these interjections as forced. In my case, I feel they're sort of "morphed" from my thoughts, many of which involve my God because I am really good at mentally blaming a God for pretty much everything (good or bad). And at least in my case, if I think something often it will eventually come out of my mouth involuntarily...

[Enlightenment1]

Oh God will slip out on occasions, which when thinking about it is not very nice really, but normally it's more like s*!t, crap or WTF lol.

I'm glad this thread came about actually as its made me think, I'm gonna try and not use the word anymore........ so be prepared for foul language (only kidding) :)

[Cassie]

No, if I swear I usually use the 'f' word or the 's' word. I have never used any deity's name in that way. I don't even like it when people use 'Jesus' as a swear word although I am more forgiving of 'Jay-sus' which is heard pretty often in the Irish part of my family.

[Renny]

I still say god dammit and oh my god... just out of habit really.

[Whitewolf]

I will curse using the name of the christian god. Although more of a habit than an actual curse, I think it is bad and I should correct my conduct.

I'm not even a christian and I'll swear like that. I also swear to the Jewish God a lot. It's just a really bad habit.

[Nitefalle]

The F word is really my favorite, but I still say "Jesus Christ" and "Christ on a bloody crutch!" because, growing up, that's what my dad said all hte time when he was trying not to swear around us. I guess it's just embedded in my psyche, though sometimes I think about it, swearing like that as a Pagan. But I agree with Galadraal, it's really a linguistic, cultural phenomenon, so I don't lose any sleep over it. :smileroll

[RuneCast]

I'm embarrased to admit that it happens, and not what I would call seldomly either, but then I say all kinds of inappropriate stuff. :goodgrief

[Toby Stimpson]

I think swearing whether it be TABARNAK!!!! or the F word, or Sh*t...or even JESUS BLOOD CHRIST AND HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD!!!!! Is a very healthy expression :).

[Cassie]

I think swearing whether it be TABARNAK!!!! or the F word, or Sh*t...or even JESUS BLOOD CHRIST AND HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD!!!!! Is a very healthy expression :).
But that's just 'cos you're bad! :fishsmack

[wolf]

No, I do not. I believe that words carry power, and I try to be very mindful about what I say.

[ravenmyst]

I swear more than I should, rarely in hearing distance, in the usual ways for my region, using christian deity words, not that I have ever been christian that is just the norm, trying to swear to those I believe in isnt natural, though I mean no disrespect to the christian one either, and even sometimes apologize to him

[wintermagick]

"Demeter Dammit!" Nah... I've never even thought about it before, and writing it out does make it sound really silly... :smileroll

[patch]

I don't.

I say 'oh my god!!' but because it sticks. I'm not intentionally using a gods name in vain, I just do it by habit.

[electricpeppers]

I don't say my gods names in vain, but I do say Jesus Christ a lot and 'Christ in Hell!' Which I really need to stop doing...

[Mercedes]

I just use "god." I do the usual colloquialisms.

[Amanda Mitchell]

I try not to... but sometimes it just slips out.