Argument # 15:  The “taking the Lord’s name in vain = power" argument.

 

Now this one isn’t so common, but I’ve heard it a few times and it is a most peculiar one.  It tries to use the way we swear and cuss in this country to provide validity to Christianity, and basically goes like this: 

 

“When people are angry or frustrated, if they swear or take the name of the Lord in vain, they don’t say ‘Oh Buddha!’ or ‘Oh Mohammed!’  They say ‘Oh Jesus!’ or ‘Jesus Christ!’  You know why?  It’s because there’s POWER in the name of Jesus.”

 

Um, I can’t even believe I’m addressing this argument, because it’s so silly that some of you will even think “Why bother?”  But I will briefly anyway.  The obvious answer to this argument is that our country’s culture and history has in its tradition Christian theism.  Christianity has always been the main dominating religion in this country.  Thus, it got into our language culture, and eventually somehow it became common practice to take the name of God or Jesus in vain when one is angry or frustrated.  It’s not like we sat down and decided whose name to take in vain when we are angry.  We do it because it’s part of our learned culture growing up in this country.

 

Take a look at other countries where Christianity is not the dominating religion for instance, such as China or India.  There, when people are frustrated or cuss, they do not usually take Jesus’ name in vain.  Therefore, if this argument were true, everyone all over the world would be taking Jesus’ name in vain when they are angry.  But they don’t, so that obvious simple fact disproves this argument.  It is unbelievable how narrow minded those who use this argument are.  Not only do they lack knowledge or experience with other religions, but they lack it with regard to other countries and cultures as well, while deluding themselves thinking that their religion and culture is the center of the world.

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