On Profanity and the Word "Gosh"

Is it taking the Lord's name in vain, or is it the exact opposite?

by Rod D. Martin
August 15, 2013

A good friend posted the following on Facebook, to which I respond below:

Holy, holy, holy is The Lord of Hosts! He who is and was and is to come! Lord God, your name is holy and is to be revered by men!

One of the most gut wrenching things I hear in the culture around me is the lack of regard for the Lord's name. When people say not only the OMG, but also the "Oh, my gosh!" Or even the "Gaaaaah" are we diminishing the "godness" of our God?"

I spent a week with a couple of "unreligious" Buddhists last week (as they define themselves), and whose name did they use?

Not Buddha's.

My response follows:

I'm really grateful for your strong stand in defense of our Lord and Savior. This is truly important.

However, I really have to respectfully take issue with aspects of the standard you are applying. I agree fully that we should not violate the commandment (or more precisely, that we should give glory to the Name). And I agree that the initials you mention (which I wil…