Nancy, good comment. If they say they are true to Christianity or Judaism, they might be interested in this explanation of the third commandment. It’s a lot worse than people think.
“The Third Commandment also has not fared well in English. Lo tissa et shem Ha-Shem Eloheikha la-shay is usually translated as “You shall not take the Lord y…
Nancy, good comment. If they say they are true to Christianity or Judaism, they might be interested in this explanation of the third commandment. It’s a lot worse than people think.
“The Third Commandment also has not fared well in English. Lo tissa et shem Ha-Shem Eloheikha la-shay is usually translated as “You shall not take the Lord your God’s name in vain.” Many people think that this means that you have to write God as G-D, or that it is blasphemous to say words such as “goddamn.” Even if these assumptions are correct, it’s still hard to figure out what makes this offense so heinous that it’s included in the document that forbids murdering, stealing, idolatry, and adultery. However, the Hebrew, Lo tissa, literally means “You shall not carry [God’s name in vain]”; in other words, don’t use God as your justification in selfish causes. The Third Commandment is the only one concerning which God says, “for the Lord God will not forgive him who carries His name in vain” (Exodus 20:6–7). The reason now seems to be clear. When a person commits an evil act, he discredits himself. But when a religious person commits an evil act in the name of God, he or she discredits God as well. And since God relies on religious people to bring knowledge of Him into the world, He pronounces this sin unpardonable.”
“Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History” by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Jan, thanks so much for this. I would think another abomination would be to use God as a justification for advancing your own agenda, especially when that agenda would not obviously be something that God would favor. Manipulation under any circumstance is something that I find repulsive, and I know many religious people who carry the banner of religiosity in order to prove that they are morally superior to others. Those people never are what they profess to be.
Nancy, good comment. If they say they are true to Christianity or Judaism, they might be interested in this explanation of the third commandment. It’s a lot worse than people think.
“The Third Commandment also has not fared well in English. Lo tissa et shem Ha-Shem Eloheikha la-shay is usually translated as “You shall not take the Lord your God’s name in vain.” Many people think that this means that you have to write God as G-D, or that it is blasphemous to say words such as “goddamn.” Even if these assumptions are correct, it’s still hard to figure out what makes this offense so heinous that it’s included in the document that forbids murdering, stealing, idolatry, and adultery. However, the Hebrew, Lo tissa, literally means “You shall not carry [God’s name in vain]”; in other words, don’t use God as your justification in selfish causes. The Third Commandment is the only one concerning which God says, “for the Lord God will not forgive him who carries His name in vain” (Exodus 20:6–7). The reason now seems to be clear. When a person commits an evil act, he discredits himself. But when a religious person commits an evil act in the name of God, he or she discredits God as well. And since God relies on religious people to bring knowledge of Him into the world, He pronounces this sin unpardonable.”
“Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History” by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Jan, thanks so much for this. I would think another abomination would be to use God as a justification for advancing your own agenda, especially when that agenda would not obviously be something that God would favor. Manipulation under any circumstance is something that I find repulsive, and I know many religious people who carry the banner of religiosity in order to prove that they are morally superior to others. Those people never are what they profess to be.