gradstu09 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 While I've had great success stopping other mental intrusions of my former faith (i.e. no longer automatically saying a prayer whenever I see someone broken down on the highway), one thing I have trouble with are exclamations like "oh my god!" and "jesus christ!" Frustrated exclamations are a normal part of language, so I imagine this is why it hasn't worked to 'just stop' saying them. But all the alternatives I've heard sound cheesy--'oh dog', 'oh Eris' (I know some 'practicing' Discordians), etc. Anyone come up with some really good ones? Not cheesy and satisfying to say? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eejay Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Yeah, that's a tough one because it is so ingrained. Sometimes I catch myself and it bothers me but, most of the time I just let it go. When I say goddamit it's just another swear word. I haven't really heard any good alternatives unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradstu09 Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 Yup, that seems to be problem. Nothing else sounds quite as good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eejay Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Yup, that seems to be problem. Nothing else sounds quite as good! And it also offends the x-tians, so there is a little added bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradstu09 Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 In my experience, they tend to get more upset over 'hard' swear words like 'fuck' and 'shit', than they do over 'soft' phrases like' oh my god' (or even the 'soft' word 'hell'). Even when I believed I wondered why that was. If hell was the absolute worst place in the universe you'd figure it would be the absolute word word to use as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eejay Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Fuck...does seem to get to them more than most, but I do know a few who do go ballistic over goddamn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 That's been one of my problems too! I thought it was just me. Not only do I feel self concious when I blurt out OMG, I've started to notice other people too. My wife watches "trading spaces" and when they see the makeovers, the OMG's flow like the Mississippi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Captain Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Is it a problem? It seems like part of the culture, not a religious thing. I'm not planning on giving up "go to hell" anytime soon. I doubt anyone will assume a belief in god from using it like that. Try adding an "s" on it though if you're uncomfortable with the possible meanings of the phrase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eejay Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 The only one that really does bother me, is "I swear to God", because I don't know how else to convey that I'm emphasizing the truth about something or replace that statement with something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_raven23 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I rather like 'crud'. You can put a lot of emphasis behind it. It's not officially a "swear" word... until you put the right tone to it. It's quite variable really. Depending how you say it...you could really make someone's ears smoke if you wanted to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradstu09 Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 Is it a problem? It seems like part of the culture, not a religious thing. I'm not planning on giving up "go to hell" anytime soon. I doubt anyone will assume a belief in god from using it like that. Try adding an "s" on it though if you're uncomfortable with the possible meanings of the phrase. Agreed that only a minority of christians seem to actually have a problem with using it. I guess I just don't like that I've gotten it out of other areas but not this one. Consistency of action and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradstu09 Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 I rather like 'crud'. You can put a lot of emphasis behind it. It's not officially a "swear" word... until you put the right tone to it. It's quite variable really. Depending how you say it...you could really make someone's ears smoke if you wanted to. That's not bad. I will try it; thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammurabi Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I've got into the habit of saying "oh your god". I do say "jesus christ" or some variation when I'm upset. I actually didn't ever use god or jesus out of a religious context until after I left the faith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabula Rasa Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Hmm, mixed feelings here. Since I've been de-converting, I've found myself saying Goddammit a lot since I don't believe in the angry god of the Bible anymore and am free to say whatever I want. On the other hand, being a deist, I feel a little odd saying Goddammit since I don't believe God damns anyone, that he/she/whatever isn't nasty like biblegod is. In other words, I don't think Goddammit is blasphemy persay, but I feel funny saying it because I don't believe in a god who damns. Hope this isn't too confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eccles Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 This reminds me of the story about the boy in Religious Education Class who asked his teacher why Mary and Joseph gave their son a swear word for a name Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eejay Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 This reminds me of the story about the boy in Religious Education Class who asked his teacher why Mary and Joseph gave their son a swear word for a name Did chuckle on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike D Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 When I was a Christian I was taught that using "oh my god" and "jesus christ" was taking their names in vain and that was a sin, so I avoided saying them at all. Now that I am not a Christian I use them all the time, but I usually say "oh my f-ing god" or "jesus f-ing christ!". To me these phrases have nothing to do with god belief, they are just things people say to express a certain feeling (i.e. suprise, disbelief, anger, etc.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandermac Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I say Oh my god all the time as well and that doesn't bother me. What I want to quit saying is Thank God! I say it when I'm relieved that something did or didn't happen. "Thank god that fucking bus didn't hit me". I say Thank Zeus sometimes but it just a habit I can't break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahgrace Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 my roommate and i are both ex-christian atheists with similar backgrounds and similar deconversion stories, and even within similar time frames... and we have no qualms whipping out the OMG at all. It's meaningless to us, except for the fact that it's fun to say. In fact, sometimes we make a little game out of who can blaspheme the most by modifying the OMG - this came in particularly handy when coming inside from a -49 wind chill. For example: Sarah (comes in the door, frozen nearly solid): "Oh. my. god." Justin (got home a little while before Sarah did): "No. Oh my FUCKING god." Sarah: "Oh my motherfucking god on a STICK!" ... and so on. It's actually pretty fun. Ah, blasphemy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PandaPirate Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 While I've had great success stopping other mental intrusions of my former faith (i.e. no longer automatically saying a prayer whenever I see someone broken down on the highway), one thing I have trouble with are exclamations like "oh my god!" and "jesus christ!" Frustrated exclamations are a normal part of language, so I imagine this is why it hasn't worked to 'just stop' saying them. But all the alternatives I've heard sound cheesy--'oh dog', 'oh Eris' (I know some 'practicing' Discordians), etc. Anyone come up with some really good ones? Not cheesy and satisfying to say? i like to say DAG NABBIT!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush country Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 In my best Hank Hill voice I use either "dammit boy!" or "dammit Bobby!" Another phrase that has popped back up is from back in the days of the Leisure Suit Larry games. One game set up asked for a favorite phrase. So every time Larry got killed, or laid, or whatever, I got "Son of a bitch Larry!!" I have started using "Jesus H. Fucking Christ" a lot more lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outback Jack Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Well, it's fairly pointless because the original words and phrases are just so satisfying, but just for fun... I've tried "Oh your god" but it just doesn't have the same punch (and people just don't get it). So now I'm trying to say things like "Oh my pasta!". I figure if I'm going to blaspheme against a god, I'd rather it be a god I can support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Internet Jesus Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 what about 'FUCK GOD' or 'JESUSFUCK' I'm fond of that one my fav is 'JesusFuckpig' though. mix religion and filth to achieve highest social success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smellincoffee Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 While I've had great success stopping other mental intrusions of my former faith (i.e. no longer automatically saying a prayer whenever I see someone broken down on the highway), one thing I have trouble with are exclamations like "oh my god!" and "jesus christ!" Frustrated exclamations are a normal part of language, so I imagine this is why it hasn't worked to 'just stop' saying them. But all the alternatives I've heard sound cheesy--'oh dog', 'oh Eris' (I know some 'practicing' Discordians), etc. Anyone come up with some really good ones? Not cheesy and satisfying to say? I started consciously changing my language. Now I say things like "ZEUS!" and "SON OF APOLLO!". "Jesus fucking Christ on a pogo stick" is too satisfying to give up, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Swearing is a part of life. I see no reason to substitute expressions except in polite company. Just because you say "oh my god" or "Jesus Christ" when you swear doesn't mean you believe in the Christian god, or any god for that matter. Really, I think avoiding those terms gives them more power over you than they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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