OT: Please let me know if this offends you

[StaceyKim]

TIA!

p.s. it DOESN'T offend me in the least.

ETA: fyi-I usually say it when I am in shock, surprised or excited only & that was what I was polling about.

ETA: Thanks for all your responses and for polling! I didn't know this would get that much attention.

[ShayleighCarsensMom]

I agree with you in that it does not offend me. People are free to say what they like...but, I would never ever say that as I was just brought up not to.
I prefer some choice 4 letter words that I quickly need to break my habit of, LOL!

[steph2003]

I try to say "oh my gosh" since I was brought up "never to take the Lord's name in vain" :) and my parents consider oh my god to be doing so....however, now I think it is almost so commonplace that I have become immune to it. Maybe that is bad, I don't know?!

In any case I try to say oh my gosh & I'm more offended if people use other not so nice phrases (although unfortuantely working in a male domninated field I hear A LOT of the offending phrases or words)

[bluej]

I know this is going to sound so strange but here goes. I was also raised with the rule of don't take the Lord's name in vain and so I try very hard to use some other saying, all though, I have used it at times. So I'm not really offended by it, but I'm not overly fond of it either. Now here's the strange part...I cannot stand it when people say 'oh God!'. I think it's the tone that is usually said with that. I imagine a rolling of the eyes and a negative feeling and I guess I just don't like to put negative and God together KWIM? Where as with OMG it's usually shock or surprise or even excitement and doesn't seem so offensive. I know, I know, weird.

[redhookmom]

Good question. I must say "oh my God," because I hear my kids saying it. I do cringe when the say it especially when we are around other people. But if that is the worst thing they say I will be happy!

[steph2003]

Jen -
you hit the nail on the head for me. OMG is usually more excitment not negative. "Oh god" or "oh christ" does bother me probably because it being used in a negative context (usually)

[brigmaman]

It doesn't offend me necessarily, though we were raised never to say it. My MIL recently said it and ds repeated it. Everyso often he says it now and I try not to bring attention to it, though I can't stand it. FWIW- we were never allowed to say, "shut up!" either and I still don't.
Also, I'm very conscious of writing "OMG" because I mean it as Oh my goodness, but realize that it is probably read, "Oh my God."

[mudder17]

Wow, I could have written your entire response. I have wondered if it's bad that I've become immune to that particular phrase (well for the most part--it still catches my attention). But I definitely haven't gotten used to other more choice and not so nice phrases and am trying to break DH of certains words so that DD won't pick them up.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
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http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 9 months and counting

[crayonblue]

I voted that it does offend me, but I want to clarify. Hearing "Oh my God" saddens me far more than it offends me. It saddens me that some people are so quick to yell out God's name but place zero importance in having God in their lives. And, I am sure that it saddens God too. You asked, so I am answering how I feel.

I also think that it is interesting that people say "Oh my God" but not "Oh my ____" other deity.

I honestly would rather hear any other four letter word than to hear "Oh my God."

[crayonblue]

I always thought people were meaning "Oh my God" for OMG. I never thought that might mean "Oh my goodness"! We weren't allowed to say "shut up" either.

[candybomiller]

This is silly reasoning, but it doesn't offend me, because when someone says "Oh my god" they aren't necessarily talking about MY (Candy's) God. If they want to talk about their god, that's fine.

Does that even make any sense?

[papal]

Eeks! Lana, I am sure I have used 'Oh my God' before and really never meant anything bad.. i hope i didn't offend you by using it in emails or anything!
To me, it is more like a 'WHAT??!' or a 'THAT IS CRAZY' or 'WOW'. A '!!!', iykwim.
But then again, when people used to say 'Holy Cow!' i would feel weird because as you may know, cows are holy/godly to hindus. But now I know they just mean it like a exclamation so I really don't think anything of it.

But i am the opposite, i would rather here OMG than the other four letter words everyone is referring too.

[pritchettzoo]

I'm not offended by a phrase used in exclamation unless it's directed at me (i.e., "YOU p$%&"). I never even connected that "Holy cow" would be offensive. It makes perfect sense.

And I think the G in OMG can be God, Goodness, Gosh, Golly, etc. I actually hear it in my head said like a Valley Girl without pronouncing the whole word, "O. Muh. Guh." My head is a scary, scary place.

Is "Holy cats" okay? ;)

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and One More (coming July '05)

[psophia17]

I think that reasoning makes sense...

When I was little, my Mom told me it was okay to say it if you were looking for a little prayer that was big in importance. For instance, when the second pink like showed up on the pg test when we found out DS was coming - I was saying OMG all day long for weeks, I was that happy, thankful, and excited. I would also use it for incredibly bad things, like 9/11. Other times, I think of something else to exclaim.

Those are two times I've used it - I can't think of any others that were "big" enough in my life to deserve it.

[papal]

ANNA!!! You must warn us before we just fall down from our chairs because we are laughing so hard!

O Muh Guh!

[deborah_r]

OK, I was raised with zero religion. Can someone tell me why you would be raised to NEVER say "Oh my God"? What if you see something tremendously beautiful, and you say or think "Oh my God" because you are so struck by the beauty. Is that still taking the Lord's name in vain? It seems to me the instances that Petra described would be prefectly acceptable, but again, as I mentioned, I was raised without religion and have never sought out much information about it.

(note, I intend no sarcasm of any kind in this post, I really would just appreciate if someone could explain it to me! Thank you!)

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I voted yes, even though I am not religious. I am tolerant of all religions and am trying to raise my children the same way. For that reason, we would not say "oh my god" or "oh god" or "god" (with the eyeroll LOL) or anything like that. I know that it is offensive, and probably moreso since we are not of that religion.

We are also tolerant of all races and ethnicities and therefore we don't say offensive things like "I got gypped" (its a racial slur) or "Indian giver" or anything like that.

Rashmi, we have never had a reason to say "holy cow", but when I hear others say it, I will think of you. Thank you for pointing that out, it will be a good discussion topic with my son on our next long car ride. :)

...Karen
DS Jake Feb 91, DD Logan Mar 03
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[tarahsolazy]

Well, i'm a cafeteria Catholic (take what you want, leave the rest), and I think the reason that saying it can be taking the Lord's name in vain is that it is usually done without thought of God. Any use of the Lord's name in a negative manner, ie G-D, adding the eyeroll, etc, is definately not good in my book. However, saying while excited or in awe I think does represent a prayer or exclamation of thanksgiving, and therefore isn't a bad thing. Lots of kids were raised not to say it, because they were taught that one must address God thoughtfully. BTW, it doesn't bother me when someone is surprised or excited and says it. I don't like the eyeroll business, and I can't stand G-D, that makes my skin crawl. I'd much rather hear a four letter word!

[June Mommy]

I didn't vote, because although it doesn't necessarily offend me, it does bother me. I used to say it all the time, and then it hit me that I didn't feel that I should be using God's name so flippantly. I don't think most people mean anything by it, but I do try to say "oh my goodness" or "oh my word" or something different. It's amazing to me (now that I notice it) how often the phrase is used on television, though.

[steph2003]

Deborah -
for me it stems from my religious upbringing & being taught in Sunday School & at home the 3rd commandent from the Old Testament which is "thou shalt not take the Lord your God's name in vain" ie interpreted as using it in a malicious way.

As Jen pointed out above there is a difference between saying "oh my god" with annoyance/eyerolls - almost as if you're blaming your "god" for the situation at hand and just saying oh my god! in excitement or in happiness/awe - like you pointed out if you see something that strikes you in a good way. So I guess it is really a gray area & not black & white. Although some religious fundamentalists would say any "Oh my god" is wrong period. I'm not sure I feel quite THAT strongly about it to never use the phrase but generally I do try to avoid it & substitute something else that wouldn't be offending to any parties present (whomever their personal god is)

[KBecks]

I dislike the use of "Oh, my God!"
I don't like hearing the phrase, but it isn't that upsetting.

Personally, I try not to use the expression. I dislike hearing it on many reality TV shows -- such as Trading Spaces and Queer Eye.

I will teach my kids not to use the expression.

There are other ways of exclaiming surprise or shock. I don't think that using the Lord's name is appropriate, or good manners.

However, I'm much more concerned about and offended by the use of profanity (the s word, the f word) in public.

[redhookmom]

This thread made me remember my Nana saying "Mary, Mother of Jesus" all of the time. But, I think she was actually praying when she said it. I miss her!

[crayonblue]

I don't ever remember you saying "Oh my God"! And if you did, I probably wouldn't remember.

Do you eat meat (cow)? I would guess not. Does your DH and Leela?

[drsweetie]

I promise this is relevant. A few semesters ago I taught a class about the psychology of language, and we spent some time talking about euphemisms and what makes certain words offensive and others not. I find it interesting that my students and I all agreed that "darn" was less offensive than "damn", even though they're expressing the same sentiment. Same with "heck" vs. "hell" and a whole bunch of other words. So my question is:

What's the difference between "Oh my God" and "Oh my gosh"? Because "gosh" is a stand-in for "God", is that not equally offensive because you're still taking the Lord's name in vain, just using a different word? Since the feeling behind the utterance is the same, you're just using a euphemism, how does that make it better?

(I need to clarify that I'm only asking out of scientific curiosity and that I don't have a strong opinion either way on the original issue. I just think this is fascinating how we think of very similar words in different ways. Maybe there's a research project in here somewhere.)

Ellen (who is most likely to say "Great googly moogly")

[mudder17]

ROTFL!!!

Holy cats makes me think of Batman and Robin for some reason. And as a cat lover, you have my permission to use "holy cats" without offense. ;-)

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
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http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 9 months and counting

[mamicka]

It doesn't offend me & I actually find myself saying it much more often than I would have expected. I was raised not to say it or any of the other 'replacements' such as gosh, goodness, etc. But I must have started saying it in college or something & now it's very hard to stop. It's the closest thing I come to profanity but I really need to work on stopping it so DS doesn't pick it up. I do believe that it is taking the Lord's name in vain as are the 'replacement' words. But I wouldn't say that it offends me, I just wish that people (including myself) gave using those words more thought than they do.

That being said, I would much rather hear OMG than any of the 4-letter words. Those words actually make me bristle. I find it shocking how often those words are used in so-called professional environments & people think it's appropriate.

Allison

[crayonblue]

Ellen,

When you get right down to it, I don't think there is much of a difference between "Oh my God" and "Oh my gosh" and I am quite guilty of the latter. Our pastor recently did a sermon series on the Ten Commandments and one Sunday talked about the stand-in words that so many Christians use. Gosh, golly, etc. So, I am trying not to use those words. That's my take on it.

[lizajane]

it doesn't offend me because i know that usually people don't mean to be ugly to God when they say it. BUT because i realize and respect that it IS offensive to some, i try to be careful about saying it myself, especially when in the company of those who might be offended. (i have some friends who say all kinds of "offensive" stuff-like curse words- so i don't worry about what i say to them. i admit i use ugly language, but i do attempt to only use it around those who are not offended... does that make sense?)

[jubilee]

It doesn't offend me. And I use it all the time. However, I am trying to break my habit of saying it because what if GOD is offended by it. I grew up without having gone to church until I was an adult but I've been a Christian for over 10 years. For some reason it never hit me (until a few months ago) as "saying the Lord's name in vain" because I never mean it to be derogatory. So, like I said, it doesn't offend me.

[deborah_r]

> For some reason it never hit me (until a few months
>ago) as "saying the Lord's name in vain" because I never mean
>it to be derogatory.

That's been my understanding until I read this thread! I thought "taking the Lord's name in vain" was when someone says "God ____" <word that rhymes with "ham"...don't want to offend by typing it!> or something along those lines. I didn't know saying "Oh my God", inspired by awe or amazement or shock, etc. was taking the Lord's name in vain. Very interesting.

Thanks to Tarah and Steph, who responded to my questions earlier!

[tippy]

Nope, doesn't bother me. But then again neither does hearing Hell (He,He). (Is that why you asked??)

Actually, I have a friend who always says..."Oh, Mother of God" when she is being dramatic. That always weirds me out a bit.

Teva
Mom to AJ born 1-8-03

[tippy]

My Grandparents were religious Jews and I remember them not even writing the word G_d out. I guess if writing it isn't ok than saying it surely wouldn't have been. I do remember my Grandmother saying Oh Gosh Darnit! and Sugar! when she got upset. That being said, it still doesn't really bother me that much. I do have a friend that says F(#*&@g Christ. That on the other hand does.

Teva
Mom to AJ born 1-8-03

[SeekerMage]

I voted that it doesnt bother me, though I try and not say it, and have taught my children not to either. It does make me laugh to think about all the different things we say in anger, surprise and what not. My mom always says Jesus Frog! Dont know where that came from! She has another that I caught Miss Moose saying and just about wet my pants the first time I heard it, but cant think of it now...sigh. I hate mommy brain!

[AngelaS]

I voted that it offends me. I don't say it and do my best not to say "oh my gosh" either, since it's basically the same thing.

When I cry out God's name, it's in praise, not in shock or horror. :)

[papal]

Dh does. I do on rare occasion when there is nothing else but I do feel guilty eating it especially because it is yummy. But we don't make it at home.
My grandpa used to say.. well if it is a foreign cow then it is doesn't count... this is how he justified his cow-eating when he was in Australia in the 1960s. Yes, we are a crazy-ass family.

[papal]

LOL Karen.. that would make an interesting conversation with a teenager. :)
It is so funny, what is considered holy or sacred to one person, is edible to another. I guess religion should be taken with a pinch of humility and humour.

[papal]

heehee teva. I don't normally use Hell too much but sometimes it seems the right thing to say. Plus if you TYPE it and don't SAY it, then does it count? Also when people say HECK, i think it is HELL.

[trumansmom]

"Shut up" was a big NO in our house as well.

Oddly enough, "stink" was another one we weren't supposed to say. Things "smelled bad."

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and Eleanor 4/14/04