Ever wondered why “JESUS CHRIST” is a ‘curse’ word?

reply to post by midnightbrigade



Night there midnightbrigade!

Good, appropriate title for ya work hours...OT had enough today....hope your are safe


g-night!



OT

reply to post by OldThinker


OK, but I am not a believer in the Bible.

The Bible was written by a lot of people, therefore we know it is a lie - because when did people ever tell the truth?

Especially a lot of people.

I agree its used for emphasis & that it probably got started because its blasphemy, ie it shows how strong ones feelings are that they would blaspheme. After that, yeah, just passed on without much thought I think.
I gave up christianity as a kid, but I still say "oh god" & "for gods sake!" I expect if I'd stuck with the christianity I'd probably say "Jesus!" too.
Over here in the UK blaspheming god seems to be for milder circumstances than Jesus, but I tend to say "[SNIP] hell!" in those circumstances which I suspect stems from being 2 things we shouldn't say. Some Irish mates say "sweet mother of [SNIP]!" which again, the virgin & [SNIP] in 1 breath, is something catholics really shouldn't say.
I do think its peculiarly christian tho. The sikhs I've known dont swear. Hindus only seem to mention a deity when they mean it as a charm. I wonder if secularised UK muslims will eventually blaspheme as well as swearing? Maybe they do & I've just not heard it. I heard some French-Algerians say "goat [SNIP]" as an exclamation. Not @ anybody, just blurted out. These blokes were about as secular Marseilles street as you can get, so maybe its just not in the muslim mindset.


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[edit on 10-7-2009 by Gemwolf]

Originally posted by OldThinker
Ever wondered why “JESUS CHRIST” is a ‘curse’ word?

1) Why don’t upset people yell…”oh Budha!”
2) Or maybe, “Allah!”
3) Or maybe, “Krishna!”

Why do they scream…j-e-s-u-s…h…c-h-r-i-s-t!

Always wondered that?

Because, obviously, they are members of a culture in which the dominant religion is Christianity.

In my country, where most people are Buddhists, the epithets 'Mother of Buddha!' and 'Oh gods!' (meaning various folk deities) are common.

Muslims say 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Great), 'Bismillah' (in God's name) and so forth. Muslims yell 'Allah!' all the time. Westerners have really funny ideas about the Muslim world, I must say.

Hindus don't take the names of their gods in vain, because their gods are not very forgiving. Also, because their gods aren't constantly nagging and chivvying them, or contradicting themselves, or generally being obnoxious.

[edit on 10/7/09 by Astyanax]

Why do you think Anti-Christ will work so well? People always single out Christianity because it IS RIGHT.

Maitreya will unite all faiths as one and say he is all of the awaited Saviors. Unfortunately for the majority of mankind they will fall for the Anti-Christ. It's not just for believers which is why they are going to follow Anti-Christ. He will unite all faiths and all people regardless of religion with his "aliens" and claim he is "World Teacher."

If you don't think it true then it's a matter of time.

reply to post by spellbound


But I still believe in Jesus.

So, I will have to fight the world.

People say jesus christ as a curse because that is what it is.
People also say it because there is probably nothing more loathesome or disgusting than those words

i've always been curious why on t.v. they bleep GOD out but not the damn part. just seemed backwards to me.
as far as saying Jesus Christ as as exclamation i've always been a fan of Jeezy Chreezy and Cheese and Rice. not meaning to offend any Christians but i think they're funny takes on the phrase.

as far as people having some strange ideas about the Muslim world, people have some strange ideas about the Christian world as well. it's not hard to see why when what you usually see the most of is the extremist of both sects. the Muslims screaming the loudest and making the news are usually going on about hating something or waving a gun and with Christians you see someone like Fred Phelps waving a book and claiming God hates America because there are gays running around. neither are true representatives of the majority of members that just want to live their lives and worship their God and move on. and sometimes you have to wonder if the extremist even bothered to read the books they're basing their views on because most of the time it seems that they're completely opposite.
just my two cents.

Originally posted by grapesofraft
What is the difference between Fornication and F..k?
What is the difference between Feces and S..t?
What is the difference between Ass and Glutious Maximus?

In a strictly etomological sense, I think you'll find that the 'cultured' terms are from Latin-based English...ie Norman...the language of the upper classes, and the vulgar terms come from the Germanic English of the lower class.
A similar observation can be made for the words:
Sheep=Mutton
Pig=Pork
Cow=Beef
One is the animal, the other the prepared food. One is Saxon based, the other Norman.

As to cussing in other societies, French Canada has a rich tradition of using elements of their Catholic faith to swear...they are called "sacres"

* baptême - "baptism"
* câlice (calice) - "chalice"
* calvaire - "Calvary"
* ciarge (cierge) - "votive or Paschal candle"
* ciboire - "ciborium" or "pyx", the receptacle in which the host is stored
* crisse (Christ) - "Christ"
* maudit - "damn"
* mozusse (Moïse)- "Moses"
* ostie (hostie) - "host"
* sacrament (sacrement) - "Sacrament"
* tabarnak (tabernacle) - "tabernacle"
* viarge (vierge) - "the Virgin Mary"

en.wikipedia.org...

Make no mistake, there's some serious swearing going on there!
Ah, the wonders of the language!

Hey all... I consider myself a Christian but honestly I have never had a problem with the exclamation "Jesus Christ" simply because of the context. When people use it in a "swearing" fashion its 99.9 % because they are scared, shocked, disbelieving and whether you are a beeiver or not when you call out his name, in my mind you are calling for his help. I do it many times a day.

On the other hand I seem to have a BIG problem with the phrase "God Damn" to me it is WAY more sacriligious and disrespectful. It is not a call for help and I just don't like it much. However I have been guilty myself of saying it in times of extreme displeasure. (no one is perfect right?)

anyway.. interesting thread!

The commandment about not using His name in vain is not so much about vocabulary but stewardship. By that I mean if a person calls themself a child of God or a Christian then acts in a totally opposite way, they have taken His name in vain. If you call yourself a Christian, you should act like Christ.

Invoking spiritual names has strong connotations of mysticism. It can be seen as positive or negative depending on the usage. Just my 2 cents.

Originally posted by Mr. Toodles
Most people say that when something unbelievable happens. Usually something bad. By saying Jesus Christ out loud they are simply invoking his help for the bad situation. I do not believe it is meant as a curse word

this has always been my understanding of why its used aswell,allthough many disagree,it just pops out without even thinking about it in my experience.

thats an intriguing connection you make about saying my name in vain and the fact that we say jesus christ as a choice of words when upset. my problem is i made it a habit and i say it ALOT when i get scared or am shocked and...it doesnt look good when a star of david is hanging from my neck and tattoed on my back

please take no offense to that. i deeply love and honor him and his work/role on this planet.

What did he do to deserve this?

You want the whole list, or just the top 10?

Maybe the top 20? 30? Heck, let's do America's top 40!

reply to post by OldThinker


Ever wondered why “JESUS CHRIST” is a ‘curse’ word?


It is the taboo surrounding the utterance which imbues it with potency.


Just like the "small gods" of Terry Pratchett`s Disc world , isolated and yearning to be believed in again , this exclamation would lose its potency when it no longer offended anyone.

-------------------------------------------------------

Sometimes our protestations only fortify a subjects position within a culture.



Careful Now !

Down with this sort of thing !






[edit on 10-7-2009 by UmbraSumus]

[edit on 10-7-2009 by UmbraSumus]

reply to post by OldThinker


I've always wondered why people think its a curse word, and why ignorant Christians get all flustered saying completely untrue things like "That's taking his name in vain"...

His name wasn't Jesus and his last name certainly wasn't Christ (Christ is a title)...

Just like when people say "Oh my God", that's not taking anyone's name in vain because God's name isn't God (in any religion)...

I think it's a cultural thing maybe Irish. I've heard it used for cursing and when one is awed by something. The reason I say Irish is because being half I've had to here JC for many reasons. Also I think it's relatively new in cultural terms. Just my two cents...

reply to post by Astyanax

Muslims say 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Great), 'Bismillah' (in God's name) and so forth. Muslims yell 'Allah!' all the time

I occasionally hear that kind of thing in my neighbourhood, but not in the same way the OP is talking about. When I hear muslims invoke god its affirming their faith sort of thing, more along the lines of "Thats surprising! Isn't god great? / We are blessed! / Bless me/you/us!"
Whereas I hear people say "Jesus!" with real vehemence too. As I said, maybe I just haven't heard them 'curse' by their god. Still, I've been around a bit, so I would have expected to. Then again the world's a big place & I'm no linguist...
Re: asterisks in swear words
I apologise if anyone was offended by my above post. I thought that since 'cursing' is part of the topic, being clear what I meant rather than # for eg, was appropriate.

[edit on 10/7/09 by Bunken Drum]

Originally posted by OldThinker
Ever wondered why “JESUS CHRIST” is a ‘curse’ word?

1) Why don’t upset people yell…”oh Budha!”
2) Or maybe, “Allah!”
3) Or maybe, “Krishna!”

Why do they scream…j-e-s-u-s…h…c-h-r-i-s-t!

What about not saying “his name in vain…” You think there’s a link there?
___________
Could there be more going on than meets the eye?

well i think it's all about syntax and perception...

when they skream "allah akbar" .. i think it would be more in line with say.. .a Christian crusader going into battle screaming "For Christ!" ..

so it's about the connotation the context.. the reason why you're uttering the name..

and then we have the literalist children's-book interpretation where people think that saying the "lord's name in vain" means saying "jesus christ !" etc..

where the "name of the lord" is actually a specific genetic code...
and anyone who would be vain enough in the future to discover and use that genetic code to somehow don a body containing that genetic code.. out of VANITY for power and lust and evil.. would bode ill in that the holy genetic code is not compatible with these values.. and the individual doing so .. "Taking the lord's name in VAIN"... would surely malfunction and decrepify...

so it's a bit more complex and in depth.. rather than just uttering some person's name in a negative manner..

but then again nobody wan't to "see" so they keep believing that and wash their kids mouths out in ignorance thinking that saying JESUS CHRIST! when they're amazed, pissed, etc.. is "blasphemy"..

people generally are not deep thinkers.. and they take things at face value..

hence idiocy.

but you can't blame them for that... it's just their nature.

-

Originally posted by wylekat

What did he do to deserve this?

You want the whole list, or just the top 10?

Maybe the top 20? 30? Heck, let's do America's top 40!

Alright...I'll play, bring it on Casey Casome

OT