Name in vain

Call me old fashioned but one of the things I really don’t like is hearing people taking God’s name in vain. It’s one of the Ten Commandments most frequently broken and I guess most people don’t understand why I might find it offensive. I certainly don’t want to go down the Leviticus 24 route where blasphemy was punished by stoning, but it depresses me to hear people, including many Christians, using God’s name as just another expression of surprise or frustration. OMG or a more extreme version is a constant abbreviation on Twitter and whenever I see it something in my heart sinks. Likewise, when I hear youngsters using the phrase in the school playground or on the streets.

Perhaps it’s my upbringing, which I thank God for, but I'm sure it is more than that. As a Christian I believe I have a personal relationship with God and that relationship is as precious to me as my relationship with my wife, children and family. To treat God’s name as a curse or exclamation is to denigrate one I love.

I was surprised to read a report in The Guardian about Domenico Di Carlo, an Italian football coach, who has been suspended for uttering a blasphemous expression during a match between Chievo and Cagliari in Serie A. Last month the Italian football federation decided to take action against players and coaches heard taking God’s name in vain. The federation’s president declared it would "intervene with official decisions to make clear that blasphemy is within the definition of 'offensive, insulting or abusive language' in the rules (that warrant sending-off)".

The first thing that occurred to me is that if the rule was applied to football in this country then most pitches and dugouts would soon be empty!