1514 Lord’s Name in Vain

Every child growing up in a Christian household learns to bless the food, pray before bedtime, and not use the lord’s name in vain. That last one is always confusing; not only is the sentence structure awkward but the word “vain” doesn’t seem to fit. As a kid, I certainly didn’t know what it meant, something to do with cursing. I’m know I’m not the only one who grew up feeling uncomfortable if I said the word “God” in any context. When I was a teenager and finally started cursing up a storm, I still couldn’t understand why that word should be special. After much consideration, it finally dawned on me that every adult who ever told me saying “God” was a curse word because it invoked him somehow was misinterpreting the commandment; that’s not what “Don’t take the lord’s name in vain,” means. It’s not about coarse language, that’s silly; it means don’t speak for God, as in claiming something is “God’s will” for your own personal reasons & benefit. If you have some difficulty in your life, God has nothing to do with it; there’s no predestination, as there are no prizes for doing the “right” thing. Often people who want something from you will often outright claim, that God wants you to do it. If someone is doing that, they are insinuating that they know what God wants, which implies they have some special connection to a power greater than you; it’s vanity & narcissism. Speaking for God is taking his name in vain. Curse all you want, God doesn’t care, but he might care if you claim to be reading his mind.