Using God's name in vain

Of the Commandments God gave us, probably the most frequently broken is the 2nd one, "You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. For the Lord will not leave unpunished him who takes His name in vain."

To use God’s name in a curse is a natural habit for a lot of people, but according to the 2nd Commandment, it’s a good habit to get out of. Movies and TV shows are big offenders in breaking this Commandment. Movies in which our children watch their favorite actors talk with a fowl mouth, is not endearing these actors to eternal life in Heaven.

When a child or young teenager hears the famous "F" word being used repeatedly by some actor in a movie, its makes quite an impression. But as bad as that is, I believe it is a bigger sin to use God’s name in vain. You will notice the 2nd Commandment states "For the Lord will NOT leave unpunished him who takes His name in vain." This is a statement by God Himself, telling all of us, there is a big price to pay when you make vulgar statements, either casually, in anger, in jest, or otherwise.

I notice the increased usage of using God’s name in vain in the entertainment field, and I implore the script writers, the directors and the actors to refrain from doing this. There is no reason for this, it does not add to the movie or increase ticket sales, in fact it will decrease ticket sales once Christian moviegoers find out what actors and directors are noted for their fowl language.

I went through High School in New York City, followed by a hitch in the U.S. Navy, then worked in factories and engineering plants before moving to Indiana and working in a steel mill for 31 years, and believe me, the language in today’s R-rated and PG-13 movies are far worse than anything I’ve witnessed in the steel mill, New York City, or the Navy.

So what are the Script Writers, Producers, Directors and actors trying to prove? How macho they are? If any of them have read the many, already fulfilled prophecies in the Bible, they would know the Bible is the true Word of God. Knowing this, the people of Hollywood and TV land should know of one more prophecy that can effect them personally, big time. In Matthew 18:6, Christ makes the statement "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (NIV).

Considering the consequence of this statement by Christ, do you want to continue breaking the 2nd Commandment, and be known by Christ as the one who uses His name in a curse around children, teenagers, or anyone easily led into sin? I don’t think so.

By George Konig
Christian Internet Forum
www.georgekonig.org
May 4, 2003

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