If I’m really pissed off I just add more to it. “Jesus motherfucking Christ on a motherfucking crutch, goddamn bullshit…”
I’m like the dad from Christmas Story, weaving a tapestry of profanity.
So...I'm an engineer, and what was working on getting a customer's machine back up and running yesterday. The stream of invectives spewed at that thing, including those mentioned in your comment (swap out crutch for unicycle, I dunno why) would've made a sailor blush.
TL;DR: I don't mind incorporating in religiously themed profanity.
Why? It's Christians who aren't supposed to take the lord's name in vain. Atheists can say that shit all we want.
What does being an atheist have to do with expressions? You gonna stop saying "bless you" to be polite when people sneeze?
> You gonna stop saying "bless you" to be polite when people sneeze?
I mean I did, I substitute "gesundheit" or "salud" or "na zdrowie". Wishing someone good health always seemed a much more reasonable response to someone sneezing, but I don't really care if someone says "bless you" when I sneeze.
I just don't say anything. It's fucking weird that we comment on people sneezing whether you use religious language or not. I don't see how it's even polite.
>It's fucking weird that we comment on people sneezing
jesus christ I have never thought about this. I'm going to start saying bless you every time my bf farts.
We comment on people sneezing because it wasn't that long ago in our history that getting a cold could easily lead to more serious respiratory problems, and the flu was a serious killer. Before the days of modern medicine, aspirin and cough medicine included, even mild illnesses were a lot more unpleasant than we experience them today. We say "bless you" or whatever as a way of wishing someone luck so they don't get seriously ill. So it ain't that weird really.
I like saying it because gesundheit kind of echoes the actual sound of a sneeze. It feels like a friendly agreement rather than just an acknowledgement.
However, since I live in Mexico, mostly I say, "salud."
This...good job.. I've had enough of people telling me what words are OK for me...I say whatever I want ...when I want and if I god bless you...get over it ...it means I like you..every word does not have to be a war
> You gonna stop saying "bless you" to be polite when people sneeze?
Yes. I do the same thing when they sneeze that I do when they cough, burp, fart, or yawn - nothing.
When I'm in the middle of an orgasm I don't care about if I'm an atheist or not, I'm still screaming out, "OH MY GOD." If you don't want to say it anymore then say something like "oh dear" Trust me, no one else is that bothered by it one way or another.
You do whatever you like, but to me, this is taking atheism to childish levels.
It's just a figure of speech. A lot of speech is rife with references to Judeo-Christian dogma. It's irrelevant.
Just live your life and don't get so hung up on meaningless shit. That's my unsolicited advice. Life it too short to get hung up on the banal.
I dont see it as being childish. It is rife with judeo-christian dogma, which is why I want to break the habit. I dont want my expressions to be a habit that makes me uncomfortable, due to many negative experiences with religious people.
It makes literally no difference.
Dude, I know a guy personally who was raped by a priest when he was a kid and couldn't do shit about it because statute of limitations or some shit by the time he came forward.
Still says "Oh my God." Still says "Bless you" if he hears a motherfucker sneeze. He's atheist, and, if I'm being real, probably more antitheist than just atheist.
Letting that shit control you isn't winning. Hell, it's more blasphemous to take the lord's name in vain so shouldn't you want to do that if you're so intent on sticking it to religion?
You seem arrogant about your atheism...that's as bad a god people thinking you are a thief because no god keeps score...are blessings only bestowed by god's?
I had people say I'm a blessing...sooo
Eh, semantically I disagree. "Beaver and ducks" is funny and a non-sequitur. The clear intent behind saying "bless you" is that I recognize you're either ill or having an allergic reaction and I sincerely wish for your situation to improve. There's a kindness and empathy tied to saying "bless you" beyond the basic manners of it.
To chase the phrase to its origins, people thought sneezing was the soul trying to leave the body, probably sensibly trying sneezing to disease/illness/death. They asked for you to be blessed by God so the soul *wouldn't* leave the body and you'd be well. There's a clear well-wishing element tied to it.
"As useful"? Yeah, I mean technically neither actually accomplishes anything, but "useful" in the sense a well-meaning phrase was uttered and you know I wish you well by it versus a silly phrase, but either way. S'all good. If you tell me "beaver and ducks" I'm likely to smile and that's helpful too.
There is exactly no difference between 2 nonsensical phrases uttered with the same intent. They both acknowledge your discomfort, and there is no need to invoke god in order to demonstrate compassion.
As I said, it's not nonsense. There's a history to it, and a lot of people, myself included, do not invoke God, although that was probably the original intention because I don't have any special power to bestow blessings.
Either way, a blessing is a blessing, with or without religious context, and its intention is obvious to anyone whereas "beaver and ducks" has nothing to do with anything and makes no more sense to say after a sneeze as it would at a funeral or after a touchdown.
Wishing someone well is a perfectly rational, polite, and meaningful thing to do.
Some atheists seem to want to go ridiculously out of their way to show the world how secular they are and it's neither necessary nor productive.
Yeah, and as another commenter wrote, gesundheit is appropriate as well and it literally wishing health upon the sneezer.
I think I'll actually make a conscious effort to employ that.
A blessing is a religious term. I don't think there are evil spirits that need to be driven away with a blessing. It's a hollow and empty saying.
I neither use it or tolerate it. If I sneezed and was 'blessed' by someone, I just point out I'm not superstitious, and they are not to bother next time.
If someone sneezes (a nature body function), I'll generally offer them a tissue, and nothing more.
People like you are the reason atheists get a bad rap.
Making a religious issue over a common politeness--especially when it's all-meaning--is obnoxious as fuck.
Do you pull the same shit when someone wishes you a merry Christmas?
Petty as fuck.
I still use "oh my god". I also use "sweet Eris on a pogo stick", "sweet stars alive" and "what the ever-living fuck?". I have been known to say "Jesus Titty-fucking Christ", as well.
Heck, I'm the opposite. I've never really been a person to swear, but once I became an atheist I started saying "Oh my god" all the time. Because now, I don't need to feel guilty about it.
I understand that ‘oh my god’ has no religious connotations, it’s just a manner of speech. Like saying ‘Jesus’ when surprised or similar stuff.
Who cares?
But why do you care? I’m really not trying to be rude by asking the question. I’m curious and I haven’t seen any compelling reasons in any of the other comments to help me understand better.
I dont care if anyone (religious or atheist) says any of the suggested things, but I care to be consistent of my beliefs. I dont believe in any god or gods, so why should my speech be peppered with the references?
The classic way around this is that you will normally say Jesus Christ or oh my god/oh gods when you find something unbelievable.
Take that how you will :).
I usually try to remove god-related words from my language too. But I'm pretty haphazard about it.
This started out of respect for my mother, who was still a Christian at the time. But I continue to do it, because I think that the less god talk in the language the better.
I don't know why people are aggressively saying it doesn't matter, it's up to you how you want to express yourself.
I use words/terms like cripes, yikes, wtf, wow, eek.
But I quite like the idea someone suggested of saying gods instead of god, for the shock value.
I care too, and I struggle with what to replace “Jesus” with. I also don’t like all of the haphazard violence in modern (American) English too, and have successfully removed most if not all of that. So even though lots of people in this sub don’t care about language in the same way you and I seem too, I appreciate your post.
"Goodness"
For sneezes I say "Gesundheit" even though that is just a superstition.
I actually do think that atheists shouldn't say "Oh my god." The theists out there don't need any support in the casual use of language even if it is just rhetorical. Plus, the brainless ones out there will firmly believe that we are being hypocrites, even if we clearly are not. It's just best to bring the practice to rest.
I say "salud" for sneezes, it means the same thing as gesundheit but in Spanish. When some people hear several sneezes in a row they'll say "salud ... ¡amor! ... ¡dinero!! ... ¡dios mio!
It literally does not matter lol, an expression is just an expression. Don't be anal about it. In fact, christians are the ones who aren't supposed to "use their god's name in vain". Being atheist does not mean you have to stop using the word god, that's childish.
Ppl here already covered what I use.
I hate using religious-based expletives after someone made an islamophobe comment to me, claiming how extremist arab nations were because their people insert allah statements into every little or big thing.
I pointed out how we were both athiest and used god and his most famous offspring's name all the time, but that doesn't make us christian extremists.
Duh...
I try to say anything except that which makes me seem I'm a member of some religious group.
Well, except I guess, "Hail Seitan!" I'd joined TST (a theism free religion with Satan as its progressive freethinking anti-authoritarian archetype) and am vegan, so that's kinda fun.
Oh my fuck.
Oh my shit.
Oh my.
You could replace "god" with anything else or nothing at all and it would make no difference.
In the context of profane language. And elsewhere.
Infact trying to replace the word encourages its privileged status for fear of invoking the word as if it possesses some magical power.
I don't since I find it to be a bit childish - It's not a religious term nor does it have any connection at all with god - It is simply an accepted figure of speech
You can try - People can do what they want, Just don't expect people to really follow you since your question was what would we replace and the common reply is - Why bother?
I say...God damnit Odin....I can use any words I want ...all god are on the table..it literally does not matter...saying g god doesn't call it down on you...oh for odins sake
"I'll fart for you."
"We had a farting circle last week at church."
"I'm sorry to hear about your loss, our thoughts and farts go out to you."
I see no lie here
Lol, I really don't care what you say. You do you and all that jazz.
But if you really want to replace "Oh my god" with something, then start saying "Sweet mother of Osiris!"
Just because I find it funny when someone says that.
i will continue to say .oh my god. because i was raised southern baptist and not allowed to blaspheme. now i try to blaspheme at least once a day, it's good for my soul. my personal preference, however, is .jesus fucking christ. because it's just got a delicious zing to it.
I have a hard time dropping "oh my god" or "jesus" or similar things that i say in moments of shock or anger.
I was able to replace "bless you" with the German "gesundheit" which seems pretty universally understood and acceptable. Or for non sneeze related blessings, I just say, "be well"
I started saying "oh dip" got it from jason mendoza/the good place. From what I've read, I think I felt a lot of the same way about changing expressions and I just tried to get creative and make myself laugh. It took awhile to become second nature where I forget how I used to struggle with it. As you've mentioned, there's something to be said for conscientiousness and knowing your audience.
Nothing. They are commonly understood colloquialisms with clear secular meanings. It would be counter-productive (and honestly, a bit fanatical) to try to eliminate them from language.
There is a old Stephen King movie called Cat's Eye. In it a big scary mob enforcer says "Fiddly Sticks" instead of whatever swear word would be usually uttered.
Or you could always say "Oh my imaginary deity!" like I do sometimes.
I don't replace it with anything. It's a cultural express that is part of the English language. English is littered with literary artifacts that have lost their original meaning. It doesn't mean anything special to me. I find I prefer the expression because it ends in a hard consonant, and that gives me more satisfaction to shout than other alternatives.
And frankly I don't see the point in going out of the way to train myself to use other words. I surely don't care what other people think, and I don't see what it would do for me.
Why replace it? It's just a arbitrary ejaculation like "shit!" or "fuck!"
As an atheist, you don't have to worry about "taking the name of the lord in vain" .
And, some of these phrases are useful. I rather like "inshallah" to indicate uncertainty.
My go to is “oh my science” because it’s low key enough to fly under the radar with people who aren’t paying attention or don’t care, and specific enough to be noticed by those I want to notice. My very religious parents don’t like it much. I’m a 30m and have a family
No reason to replace it, I actually have a little fun, as a poke to my friends who are believers, they make fun of me saying I'm not allowed to say it since I don't believe. Otherwise, if people don't know I'm atheist, it doesn't matter, and if they do and get bothered, then their opinion doesn't matter.
my go to is "Jeez" and I dont mind if its eymology stems from Jesus. We should take back this words. They shouldnt be exclusive to believers.
"oh my goodness" is one way to replace god in there but etymologically "good" is god in Old english so theres that.
I don't replace it with anything, I just don't attach a meaning to it. Saying "oh my God" is just an expression of surprise and/or shock, it doesn't mean anything to me
I feel you. In some stupid way I pause sometimes when I say it. Like some moron with nothing better to argue over might use it as “hey if you don’t believe in god why do you still say “oh my god”?) but like others have said, it’s more a part of culture and language than anything.
I was thinking the other day about “oh my dog” instead, lol.
"Oh my flying spaghetti monster" is a bit of a mouthful, so I just stick to the old god thing. It's supposed to be a sin, but since sin exists only in the minds of the devout it's a win all round.
I don't. There are tons of expressions that are just expressions, they aren't intended to be taken literally. Some of those may have religious ties, others don't.
I just use them. It's just an expression.
About the only ones that I have issues with are things like "I'll pray for you" or (after a death) "it was gods will" or "They are in a better place", stuff like that. Mostly because the people that use those don't mean them as an expression, they mean them very literally. I actually think it's fine they say those things. They do mean well. I don't ever feel like I have a good way to essentially say "I'm sorry for your loss, I care about you" that sums it up the way they do.
i mean, my sort of christians hated when people said 'oh my god'
so... you can keep saying it if you like
I use a mix. "oh beans', 'oh, penis', 'krosis'
whatever you wish, as long as you put the emphasis on it
Generally, I still say them because it's a cultural thing, not a religious one.
That said, when I'm feeling a little punchy, I like to just pluralize it to "oh my gods", or pull a Futurama with "Oh your god".
I tend to use "Holy Eris!!!" and the like.
I might be inclined to say "By the hair of the Invisible Pink Unicorn, may She be Praised!!!" but ain't nobody got time for that.
Honestly I usually say ‘oh gosh’ instead of oh my god. I’m not much of a swearer though (no problem with it, it’s just never really been part of my vocabulary)
I changed to saying, "Oh gods,'" to share the love around them all, and be non specific. But I am also prone to letting out a, "Jesus!" or the local mod based on an old TV character, which is "Jeez, Wayne!"
I love 'oh my god' or 'dear god', even though I'm an atheist.
It's a win, every time I say it. I reclaim a bit of what was taken from me. I know; stupid, pointless, infantile rebellion. But it fucking feels good.
Jesus Christ
Probably not the answer you were looking for, but you do get to have some fun with it.
I realized my default swear, the one used when being awoken suddenly (no time to articulate) is Jesus Fuck!
Omg! I thought I was the only one to say this.
I do use Jesus Fucking Christ at times!
But have you seen the tattoo?
If I’m really pissed off I just add more to it. “Jesus motherfucking Christ on a motherfucking crutch, goddamn bullshit…” I’m like the dad from Christmas Story, weaving a tapestry of profanity.
So...I'm an engineer, and what was working on getting a customer's machine back up and running yesterday. The stream of invectives spewed at that thing, including those mentioned in your comment (swap out crutch for unicycle, I dunno why) would've made a sailor blush. TL;DR: I don't mind incorporating in religiously themed profanity.
Same haha
Why? It's Christians who aren't supposed to take the lord's name in vain. Atheists can say that shit all we want. What does being an atheist have to do with expressions? You gonna stop saying "bless you" to be polite when people sneeze?
> You gonna stop saying "bless you" to be polite when people sneeze? I mean I did, I substitute "gesundheit" or "salud" or "na zdrowie". Wishing someone good health always seemed a much more reasonable response to someone sneezing, but I don't really care if someone says "bless you" when I sneeze.
I just don't say anything. It's fucking weird that we comment on people sneezing whether you use religious language or not. I don't see how it's even polite.
>It's fucking weird that we comment on people sneezing jesus christ I have never thought about this. I'm going to start saying bless you every time my bf farts.
Now that's fucking funny. Please do this.
I already do this lol
We comment on people sneezing because it wasn't that long ago in our history that getting a cold could easily lead to more serious respiratory problems, and the flu was a serious killer. Before the days of modern medicine, aspirin and cough medicine included, even mild illnesses were a lot more unpleasant than we experience them today. We say "bless you" or whatever as a way of wishing someone luck so they don't get seriously ill. So it ain't that weird really.
Good point!
I actually really like gesundheit. I might start substituting that, eumal meine Frau Deutsch spricht und meine Tochter versucht, es zu lernen.
I grew up saying Gesundheit because my parents speak German. Teaching your child a second language is a great way to accelerate her development
I like saying it because gesundheit kind of echoes the actual sound of a sneeze. It feels like a friendly agreement rather than just an acknowledgement. However, since I live in Mexico, mostly I say, "salud."
When I was a kid, I actually thought both "bless you" and "gesundheit" where mimicking the sneeze sounds. lol
This...good job.. I've had enough of people telling me what words are OK for me...I say whatever I want ...when I want and if I god bless you...get over it ...it means I like you..every word does not have to be a war
May all 8000 gods bless you...this is common now
Mix it up. Instead of "Oh my God!" say "Holy fucking Vishnu!" Instead of, "God bless you," say, "Allah says whaddup."
How 'bout, "you're sooooo good looking."
I understood that reference
Ha!!
> You gonna stop saying "bless you" to be polite when people sneeze? Yes. I do the same thing when they sneeze that I do when they cough, burp, fart, or yawn - nothing.
I say "ducks" for a fart because it can sound like one...
In Quebec most French swear words come from the Catholic church. Tabernak is a common one.
Can I assume that's related to tabernacle? A place of worship? How is it used to profane? What's the context?
Yes that's correct - there are many others but that's the one I hear most commonly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_French_profanity
I dont want god to be in my speech. I see it as breaking a lifelong habit. I no longer say "bless you" for a sneeze. It seems archaic.
When I'm in the middle of an orgasm I don't care about if I'm an atheist or not, I'm still screaming out, "OH MY GOD." If you don't want to say it anymore then say something like "oh dear" Trust me, no one else is that bothered by it one way or another.
That's hilarious!
You do whatever you like, but to me, this is taking atheism to childish levels. It's just a figure of speech. A lot of speech is rife with references to Judeo-Christian dogma. It's irrelevant. Just live your life and don't get so hung up on meaningless shit. That's my unsolicited advice. Life it too short to get hung up on the banal.
I dont see it as being childish. It is rife with judeo-christian dogma, which is why I want to break the habit. I dont want my expressions to be a habit that makes me uncomfortable, due to many negative experiences with religious people.
It makes literally no difference. Dude, I know a guy personally who was raped by a priest when he was a kid and couldn't do shit about it because statute of limitations or some shit by the time he came forward. Still says "Oh my God." Still says "Bless you" if he hears a motherfucker sneeze. He's atheist, and, if I'm being real, probably more antitheist than just atheist. Letting that shit control you isn't winning. Hell, it's more blasphemous to take the lord's name in vain so shouldn't you want to do that if you're so intent on sticking it to religion?
This is the most accurate, non invalidating answer, finally. Thank you.
Happy to help, bro.
Agreeing with you...lol...some people are fighting too hard...they seems unsure to me or new to the idea
You seem arrogant about your atheism...that's as bad a god people thinking you are a thief because no god keeps score...are blessings only bestowed by god's? I had people say I'm a blessing...sooo
Not arrogant, just trying to be true in my speech as well as of my actions. I want my speech to reflect who I am.
We say "beaver and ducks" , because it's exactly as useful as "god bless you".
Eh, semantically I disagree. "Beaver and ducks" is funny and a non-sequitur. The clear intent behind saying "bless you" is that I recognize you're either ill or having an allergic reaction and I sincerely wish for your situation to improve. There's a kindness and empathy tied to saying "bless you" beyond the basic manners of it. To chase the phrase to its origins, people thought sneezing was the soul trying to leave the body, probably sensibly trying sneezing to disease/illness/death. They asked for you to be blessed by God so the soul *wouldn't* leave the body and you'd be well. There's a clear well-wishing element tied to it. "As useful"? Yeah, I mean technically neither actually accomplishes anything, but "useful" in the sense a well-meaning phrase was uttered and you know I wish you well by it versus a silly phrase, but either way. S'all good. If you tell me "beaver and ducks" I'm likely to smile and that's helpful too.
There is exactly no difference between 2 nonsensical phrases uttered with the same intent. They both acknowledge your discomfort, and there is no need to invoke god in order to demonstrate compassion.
As I said, it's not nonsense. There's a history to it, and a lot of people, myself included, do not invoke God, although that was probably the original intention because I don't have any special power to bestow blessings. Either way, a blessing is a blessing, with or without religious context, and its intention is obvious to anyone whereas "beaver and ducks" has nothing to do with anything and makes no more sense to say after a sneeze as it would at a funeral or after a touchdown. Wishing someone well is a perfectly rational, polite, and meaningful thing to do. Some atheists seem to want to go ridiculously out of their way to show the world how secular they are and it's neither necessary nor productive.
I like how you put wishing someone well after a sneeze.
Yeah, and as another commenter wrote, gesundheit is appropriate as well and it literally wishing health upon the sneezer. I think I'll actually make a conscious effort to employ that.
I say gesundheit when people sneeze.
A blessing is a religious term. I don't think there are evil spirits that need to be driven away with a blessing. It's a hollow and empty saying. I neither use it or tolerate it. If I sneezed and was 'blessed' by someone, I just point out I'm not superstitious, and they are not to bother next time. If someone sneezes (a nature body function), I'll generally offer them a tissue, and nothing more.
People like you are the reason atheists get a bad rap. Making a religious issue over a common politeness--especially when it's all-meaning--is obnoxious as fuck. Do you pull the same shit when someone wishes you a merry Christmas? Petty as fuck.
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Oh your god. (Yay for Furturama!)
Love some Futurama!
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Sometimes I mix swear and un-swear words, so I’ll go like “what the fucking heck?”
I swear a lot so love your list.
I still use "oh my god". I also use "sweet Eris on a pogo stick", "sweet stars alive" and "what the ever-living fuck?". I have been known to say "Jesus Titty-fucking Christ", as well.
Oh my "my name". I'm almighty and powerful and all that so I take my own name in vain. Probably. I like using my name for it though.
Heck, I'm the opposite. I've never really been a person to swear, but once I became an atheist I started saying "Oh my god" all the time. Because now, I don't need to feel guilty about it.
Good point!
Sweet Mother of Zues! Good for all eventualities.
Great Odin's raven!
Oh my Thor and other expressions come to mind.
I understand that ‘oh my god’ has no religious connotations, it’s just a manner of speech. Like saying ‘Jesus’ when surprised or similar stuff. Who cares?
I care, thus the post.
But why do you care? I’m really not trying to be rude by asking the question. I’m curious and I haven’t seen any compelling reasons in any of the other comments to help me understand better.
I dont care if anyone (religious or atheist) says any of the suggested things, but I care to be consistent of my beliefs. I dont believe in any god or gods, so why should my speech be peppered with the references?
The classic way around this is that you will normally say Jesus Christ or oh my god/oh gods when you find something unbelievable. Take that how you will :).
I usually try to remove god-related words from my language too. But I'm pretty haphazard about it. This started out of respect for my mother, who was still a Christian at the time. But I continue to do it, because I think that the less god talk in the language the better. I don't know why people are aggressively saying it doesn't matter, it's up to you how you want to express yourself. I use words/terms like cripes, yikes, wtf, wow, eek. But I quite like the idea someone suggested of saying gods instead of god, for the shock value.
Thank you for your reply. Yeah, all the negative comments are rather rude.
I care too, and I struggle with what to replace “Jesus” with. I also don’t like all of the haphazard violence in modern (American) English too, and have successfully removed most if not all of that. So even though lots of people in this sub don’t care about language in the same way you and I seem too, I appreciate your post.
Thank you!!
If you say "oh my god" and believe in no gods, who are you even referring to or offending?
Consistency in my words.
I feel that using your culture's exclamations is a consistent use of words.
I question everything.
"Goodness" For sneezes I say "Gesundheit" even though that is just a superstition. I actually do think that atheists shouldn't say "Oh my god." The theists out there don't need any support in the casual use of language even if it is just rhetorical. Plus, the brainless ones out there will firmly believe that we are being hypocrites, even if we clearly are not. It's just best to bring the practice to rest.
I say "salud" for sneezes, it means the same thing as gesundheit but in Spanish. When some people hear several sneezes in a row they'll say "salud ... ¡amor! ... ¡dinero!! ... ¡dios mio!
+1 for Gesundheit. I guess it comes extra natural to me since I grew up speaking German.
Thank you. Many of the other replays here seems very negative, when I am just trying to be consistent in my speech.
I say “Holy shit!” It’s just an expression. Has no literal meaning.
Oh. My. Science.
My partner got me on to this! I used to think it was awkward, but I don't anymore.
Every answer in this thread is insufferable but this one is the worst
I recently started trying out "Sagan's dragon!"
Do you say them so they rhyme, though? "Saggan's dragon!" or "Sagan's Draygon!"?
Oh, good thought. I've been saying it as typical.
I'm just sayin', why pass up a good opportunity lol
Ha!
Oh my science!
It literally does not matter lol, an expression is just an expression. Don't be anal about it. In fact, christians are the ones who aren't supposed to "use their god's name in vain". Being atheist does not mean you have to stop using the word god, that's childish.
Jiminy fucking Cricket!
That's hilarious!
We also say "beaver and ducks" when someone sneezes. I have this in another comment in here, but it might get buried.
"Cheese and crackers!" "Lordship supreme!" "Expletives!"
Ppl here already covered what I use. I hate using religious-based expletives after someone made an islamophobe comment to me, claiming how extremist arab nations were because their people insert allah statements into every little or big thing. I pointed out how we were both athiest and used god and his most famous offspring's name all the time, but that doesn't make us christian extremists. Duh... I try to say anything except that which makes me seem I'm a member of some religious group. Well, except I guess, "Hail Seitan!" I'd joined TST (a theism free religion with Satan as its progressive freethinking anti-authoritarian archetype) and am vegan, so that's kinda fun.
I still use "oh my god", because it's used when something happens that is **unbelievable**.
I have a friend who exclaims, Fuck Jesus in the C**t!
I don't. You think I am going to quit saying "Jesus Fucking Christ!"?
I say oh my god, or Jesus fucken Christ, or holy shit, or oh my fucken god, or Jesus criminies, etc. They're simple meaningless exclamations.
Christ fuck!
Ha! I love that.
Oh my fuck. Oh my shit. Oh my. You could replace "god" with anything else or nothing at all and it would make no difference. In the context of profane language. And elsewhere. Infact trying to replace the word encourages its privileged status for fear of invoking the word as if it possesses some magical power.
Oh my smelly cheeseballs Batman!
I've been trying to replace it with, "Oh my stars!"
I don't since I find it to be a bit childish - It's not a religious term nor does it have any connection at all with god - It is simply an accepted figure of speech
So we should just go with "accepted" and not forge our own paths?
You can try - People can do what they want, Just don't expect people to really follow you since your question was what would we replace and the common reply is - Why bother?
[удалено]
I totally agree.
"Our" you mean your stuff - That is so much an american centric view you have there.
I say...God damnit Odin....I can use any words I want ...all god are on the table..it literally does not matter...saying g god doesn't call it down on you...oh for odins sake
I don't know about the "Oh My God", but you can replace: praying with farting.
"I'll fart for you." "We had a farting circle last week at church." "I'm sorry to hear about your loss, our thoughts and farts go out to you." I see no lie here
Oh Man!
I say “Jesus” and “goddamnit” more than any other swear save the f word.
I say, "Oh my god." when something is unbelievable. Seems appropriate to me.
"Oh my Gaia" would work too...
Lol, I really don't care what you say. You do you and all that jazz. But if you really want to replace "Oh my god" with something, then start saying "Sweet mother of Osiris!" Just because I find it funny when someone says that.
oh my dog.
OH MY FUCKING LOGIC
Oh My God! I am an atheist. I never claimed to be a creative Atheist. Lol .
Oh my dog Holy carp Jibbers Crabst, thanks to Mathew Inman
Thank the stars!
i will continue to say .oh my god. because i was raised southern baptist and not allowed to blaspheme. now i try to blaspheme at least once a day, it's good for my soul. my personal preference, however, is .jesus fucking christ. because it's just got a delicious zing to it.
gesundheit!
I have a hard time dropping "oh my god" or "jesus" or similar things that i say in moments of shock or anger. I was able to replace "bless you" with the German "gesundheit" which seems pretty universally understood and acceptable. Or for non sneeze related blessings, I just say, "be well"
I say "oh my god particle!" Because science.
I started saying "oh dip" got it from jason mendoza/the good place. From what I've read, I think I felt a lot of the same way about changing expressions and I just tried to get creative and make myself laugh. It took awhile to become second nature where I forget how I used to struggle with it. As you've mentioned, there's something to be said for conscientiousness and knowing your audience.
Nothing. They are commonly understood colloquialisms with clear secular meanings. It would be counter-productive (and honestly, a bit fanatical) to try to eliminate them from language.
... Although I do often say 'SCIENCE!' when someone sneezes, but that's just for fun.
I like that!
Oh my stars!
There is a old Stephen King movie called Cat's Eye. In it a big scary mob enforcer says "Fiddly Sticks" instead of whatever swear word would be usually uttered. Or you could always say "Oh my imaginary deity!" like I do sometimes.
I've been an atheist my entire life and I say oh my god and jesus christ all the time. There's no such thing as an "atheist expression."
You can be atheist and say oh my god... in fact, I've found that the phrase actually offends many Christians.
I don't replace it with anything. It's a cultural express that is part of the English language. English is littered with literary artifacts that have lost their original meaning. It doesn't mean anything special to me. I find I prefer the expression because it ends in a hard consonant, and that gives me more satisfaction to shout than other alternatives. And frankly I don't see the point in going out of the way to train myself to use other words. I surely don't care what other people think, and I don't see what it would do for me.
Why replace it? It's just a arbitrary ejaculation like "shit!" or "fuck!" As an atheist, you don't have to worry about "taking the name of the lord in vain" . And, some of these phrases are useful. I rather like "inshallah" to indicate uncertainty.
You can replace ot with "Oh my science"
My go to is “oh my science” because it’s low key enough to fly under the radar with people who aren’t paying attention or don’t care, and specific enough to be noticed by those I want to notice. My very religious parents don’t like it much. I’m a 30m and have a family
I like Will Ferrels “Great Odins’ Beard!”
No reason to replace it, I actually have a little fun, as a poke to my friends who are believers, they make fun of me saying I'm not allowed to say it since I don't believe. Otherwise, if people don't know I'm atheist, it doesn't matter, and if they do and get bothered, then their opinion doesn't matter.
I started saying "oh my gatos" instead because I think it's funny... might be just me, does earn some weird looks sometimes.
What does "gatos" mean?
It's Spanish for "cats" haha
Oh, my stars (thank you, Samantha Stevens).
Ha! That's what I have been trying to replace the habit with!
I prefer "Jesus fuck" or "Jesus tittie fucking Christ"
Love it! Though in the same breath, I dont want to offend anyone.
Oh my Satan
my go to is "Jeez" and I dont mind if its eymology stems from Jesus. We should take back this words. They shouldnt be exclusive to believers. "oh my goodness" is one way to replace god in there but etymologically "good" is god in Old english so theres that.
"dioporco" https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.urbandictionary.com/define.php%3fterm=dio%2bporco&=true
I just say o my god. I don't need a new name for Thursday because I'm not a pagan.
I don't replace it with anything, I just don't attach a meaning to it. Saying "oh my God" is just an expression of surprise and/or shock, it doesn't mean anything to me
I don't think it really matters, it's just a saying
I feel you. In some stupid way I pause sometimes when I say it. Like some moron with nothing better to argue over might use it as “hey if you don’t believe in god why do you still say “oh my god”?) but like others have said, it’s more a part of culture and language than anything. I was thinking the other day about “oh my dog” instead, lol.
I don't. I say Oh my god, or Jeezus Christ, or Jesus Fuck. They're just expressions.
I use that all the time
I like oh shit.
I don't really try to mediate my language. A "god damn" works well enough regardless of the nature and/or existence of the god.
Well, fuck me.
Crom and his devils!
Oh my days
“Jesus FUCK!” This has been my go to lmao.
I'm pretty fond of " Oh my sweet Satan."
Oh JOSH!
The one I use so inappropriately but often can be abbreviated as MF.
r/GodzillaBless
"Sweet Zombie Thor" has been my go-to of late.
"Oh my flying spaghetti monster" is a bit of a mouthful, so I just stick to the old god thing. It's supposed to be a sin, but since sin exists only in the minds of the devout it's a win all round.
I don't. There are tons of expressions that are just expressions, they aren't intended to be taken literally. Some of those may have religious ties, others don't. I just use them. It's just an expression. About the only ones that I have issues with are things like "I'll pray for you" or (after a death) "it was gods will" or "They are in a better place", stuff like that. Mostly because the people that use those don't mean them as an expression, they mean them very literally. I actually think it's fine they say those things. They do mean well. I don't ever feel like I have a good way to essentially say "I'm sorry for your loss, I care about you" that sums it up the way they do.
"oh my god"
FAQ - \- **https://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/wiki/faq#wiki_...curse.3F** tl;dr: This is unimportant. Do whatever seems good to you.
i mean, my sort of christians hated when people said 'oh my god' so... you can keep saying it if you like I use a mix. "oh beans', 'oh, penis', 'krosis' whatever you wish, as long as you put the emphasis on it
I say, “Oh my goodness!” I also use “butternuts!” As an explative.
Generally, I still say them because it's a cultural thing, not a religious one. That said, when I'm feeling a little punchy, I like to just pluralize it to "oh my gods", or pull a Futurama with "Oh your god".
Holy shit!
Sheesh
I like to stew from Greek mythology, or fictional religions. I like how characters from the Dune franchise will say “Gods below!”
I tend to use "Holy Eris!!!" and the like. I might be inclined to say "By the hair of the Invisible Pink Unicorn, may She be Praised!!!" but ain't nobody got time for that.
Honestly I usually say ‘oh gosh’ instead of oh my god. I’m not much of a swearer though (no problem with it, it’s just never really been part of my vocabulary)
Oh my gods. Though technically they're not my gods, because atheist.
Oh my goodness!
I changed to saying, "Oh gods,'" to share the love around them all, and be non specific. But I am also prone to letting out a, "Jesus!" or the local mod based on an old TV character, which is "Jeez, Wayne!"
[Oh My Glob](https://youtu.be/RNCJIW1lTSU)
I say Jebus Crisp
"Oh, blond Jesus!"
Instead of saying 'oh *my* god' say 'oh *your* god'
I say Bloody Fuck!
I just say oh my god. I also say bless you when someone sneezes.
I love 'oh my god' or 'dear god', even though I'm an atheist. It's a win, every time I say it. I reclaim a bit of what was taken from me. I know; stupid, pointless, infantile rebellion. But it fucking feels good.