OMG

O MY GOD!

My mind was wandering and I started to reflect on this and I'm feeling a little obtuse. I would like to hear some different views on this....I may put this in my journal.

Why do we say this and what does god have to do with it?

Thanks

Hey, Rickie.

I'm uncertain of the actual reason(s) that sayings like this came about, but I've observed equivalents in many languages. One of my favorites comes from Czech -- "Ježíš Maria!" (literally: "Jesus Mary!"). It's similar to "Oh my god!" and is likewise used in situations of surprise or disbelief.

I don't say the phrase often because I recognize many gods, but when I do I use the plural of "god" ("Oh my gods!"). Sometimes I'll get funny looks, but I like anything that encourages people to think about words they speak habitually and without much thought or consideration.

The short answer is we say words that evoke strong motion to express the strong emotion we are feeling. That particular set of words was probably said by someone for whatever reason and it just caught on.

He's a really interesting Video from the worlds leading psychologist in the field of linguist that might help explain more about why people use profane words. Warning this has a lot of NSFW language.

http://youtu.be/E3yRVAw6nWU

My theory (no proof) is that it came from calling to God in times of stress. When a person was surprised by something they became frightened and would call to God for protection or guidance or what have you. Then it just became what we say. Like asking someone to rewind when you're watching a DVD.

That's why I always enjoy hearing athiests say "Oh my God!" or "Bless you" or yelling "Jesus Christ!"

Would Jedi who have no other religion say "Oh the Force!"? I kind of want to start doing that. Although my usual surprise phrase is "Holy crap!" lol.

I am in agreement with Vesha.

In times of distress or instant excitement, we say something that we have heard over and over again.

Just like the people saying "I know, right?" This is something that has caught on. When one person is saying it, we don't think much about it. When you hear 3 out of 5 people saying it, it starts to catch in your mind. Before we know it, we start saying it, even if we find it annoying. This has happened with many sayings and slang terms over time.

It is tough to change our way of thinking to say "Oh my Gods" or "Oh my Goddess" when we have been saying "Oh my God" for so many years. It is a quick response that we don't even think about when we say it. This can create problems because we might offend someone or have another saying that can be rude, crude or disrespectful. I push myself to think about everything I say before I say it for the fact that I have been known to speak my mind without considering the consequences.

Arcade wrote :

I don't say the phrase often because I recognize many gods, but when I do I use the plural of "god" ("Oh my gods!"). Sometimes I'll get funny looks, but I like anything that encourages people to think about words they speak habitually and without much thought or consideration.

Yes, I do that too ... "Ô, mes dieux !" ... but have done for long enough it doesn't startle people much any more. :lol:

If you're going to involve someone in your problems, it might as well be someone imaginary :whistle:

That leades me to the question. Why "my god"? People that don't believe in god(s) or religion say it. I can see back in the days when people believed in god(s) it would be calling for help. Now it's just a popular experssion of surprise. God doesn't have anything to do with it. Has god, he, she or it, religion, spirituality or whatever been this trivalized?

My particular favorites are "Lord Have Mercy", "Oh My Dear Lord" and "Sweet Baby Jesus". "Sweet Baby Jesus" can be a stand alone exclamation or used as an admonition. You're making Sweet Baby Jesus cry.

Br. John wrote: My particular favorites are "Lord Have Mercy", "Oh My Dear Lord" and "Sweet Baby Jesus". "Sweet Baby Jesus" can be a stand alone exclamation or used as an admonition. You're making Sweet Baby Jesus cry.

My question still is

Has god, he, she or it, religion, spirituality or whatever been this trivalized?

I'm seening this as a sad state of affairs.