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Atheists and God-talk: Towards God-Free Language

Elsewhere in A/N, there’s a portal devoted to freeing your speech of God-references. This is a worthwhile endeavor. Our speech must reflect who we are. But our language (and probably every language) is littered with references to gods. What should we do?

As a linguist (PhD, U. of Chicago), I’ve pondered this question for years: certainly any self-aware unbeliever is aware of the extent to which God-talk pervades even the atheist’s speech, not to mention that of the CNN anchors who murmur that they’re going to pray for the victims of whatever disaster they just reported. And said unbeliever may feel a little uncomfortable, if not a bit hypocritical, for talking about God the way believers and agnostics do.

The alternate-language portal is a great start, but it’s too limited, includes a lot of things I don’t say (everybody has his/her own patterns of God-talk), and doesn’t give the user an option to add examples.

The following is intended as a complement and, hopefully, a trigger to further discussion.

Types of God-talk

First of all, there is a primary distinction among three kinds of God-talk.

One is performative, assuming the intervention of God in human events: “God willing” and “thank God” are the two worst offenders, which every humanist must avoid. It was my mother’s repeated use of these two locutions that inevitably prompted Dad (the first skeptic I ever met) to cut her off with “What’s God got to do with it?”

Atheists must invent alternatives. When Mom says “Thank God for Gary” (her gofer and handyman) – and inevitably adds “I know you don’t believe in that,” I come back with “How about we thank Gary? Or Gary’s parents for having him?”

This is one viable strategy for atheists who want to avoid referring to divine will or intervention. Or if there’s no direct agent, express gratitude that the chips fell where they did: “What a great piece of luck.” Or “I’m SO glad things turned out the way they did.” Or something like that. Credit an individual or good fortune, but not God.

“God bless you” can be replaced wholesale, wishing the person (or congratulating him/her on) strength, courage, luck, or whatever’s needed. (And when someone sneezes, I say “Gesundheit.”) “God damn” followed by personal pronouns or someone’s name are also performatives, although simple “Goddamn” or “Goddamn it” and the widespread use of “goddamn(ed)” as an adjective are more like interjections (see below).

Neutral God-talk

Second, we have neutral god-words that have made their way into the lexicon -- perhaps a dozen such items (“godspeed,” “godlike,” “godfather,” “godsend,” “godforsaken,” “godawful”), according to Random House/Webster’s Unabridged, 2nd edition.

Here it’s up to you. I always replace “godsend” with a synonym. “Godforsaken” has high emotional content, so I can get away with it in the right contexts, when nobody’s paying any attention to language (see below). Same for “god-like” or “godspeed,” though I would usually find a synonym.

Interjections

The third type of God-talk is interjective. It expresses a burst of negative emotion – “Goddamn (it),” “for God’s sake,” and others. Should we be inventing God-free alternatives?

Not necessarily.

Remember that in a believer’s view, every use of God by an atheist can be considered to be “taking his name in vain.” I have actually never understood exactly what is prohibited. Does “in vain” refer to every mention of God outside a house of worship (and therefore it’s in vain because he doesn’t listen, and you have no hope of calling upon his power)?

And why “take”? Shouldn’t it be "mention" or "use"? I have no idea what it means to take a name.

What does it really mean?

The Jewish Publication Society’s authoritative version of the Torah acknowledges this translation in a footnote but prefers “swear falsely by” in the main text (Exodus 20:7). I’m still in the dark. Is this when you swear to do something and ask God to witness it, then go back on your word?

Don’t know…just guessing. I’m sure there are a hundred interpretations by clerics, but that’s their spin. The fact is that this commandment is more than a little obscure.

Broad application

But what I do not have to guess at is that a great many people have decided that this commandment applies to all God-talk AND foul language. So every time I use “God” in an interjection, I’m violating one of their precious commandments. Sometimes I even point it out: “And when an atheist swears to God, you know he means it.” Let them chew on that one.

Some believers, notably Jews, get all primitive and mystical about God’s name. They can’t utter it so they move up one level meta-wise and say ha-shem (‘the name’).

I recall a documentary about the exclusions and ostracism of Orthodox Jewish gays in Brooklyn, and one of them addresses the deity, who BTW has called him an abomination and condemned him to death, and STILL uses the honorific replacement form: “I would say to ha-shem…”

Atheists saying “God”

Also – very important -- the God-interjections are uttered in a state of high emotional arousal, in which you are not likely to be called on your language. I know of only one exception – my wife’s grandmother insisted that my atheist wife really did believe in God, only because she’d say “Oh my God.”

So yes, I can be heard to utter an occasional “Goddamn (it)!” and use “goddamn(ed)” as an adjective, though I’ve reduced the amount of God-talk by delegating more curse-work to his son.

I say “Jesus!” a lot (e.g., for agreement, while a person is relating bad news), as well as “Jesus Christ!” (e.g., when the cat has knocked over my whole shelf of hundred-year-old grammar books), and even “Jesus H. Christ!” (reserved for exclamations of stunned astonishment and occasionally replaced by “OMG!”). No “Christ on a crutch” or other exotic variants. I also get a lot of mileage out of “holy (fucking) shit.”

Out of the bedroom

There is one more interjectional context from which God must be purged: sexual pleasure and climax. There are many things that can be said during sex that don’t involve God. Train yourself, at the moment of orgasm, to shout not “God!” – but the name of your lover. That’s who’s really giving you the Big O, right?

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Comment by Alan Perlman on October 28, 2012 at 4:20pm: To everyone to whom I have failed to comment...thanks you for contibuting. I just read comments all the way back, and I appreciate everyone's contributions. Please feel free to keep this thread going. If I haven't answered, please remind me. It's interesting that the typical curse-words referring to sexual acts and bodily functions are also considered "swearing."

Comment by Alan Perlman on June 19, 2012 at 11:22am: Thanks, Sandy. I forgot to add one of my most extreme interjections, which blends religious and non-religious cuss words: "JEE-zus fucking CHRIST!"

Gregor, great comeback to one of the believers' favorite gambits -- must remember that one.

Comment by Glen Rosenberg on June 19, 2012 at 10:13am: An atheist is expelling germs. A theist is loring her soul.

Sense and nonsense. Realism vs. superstition. Progressive approach v reactionary backwardness.

Melt the layers away. Be an atheist today.

Comment by Sandi on June 19, 2012 at 8:04am: Nicely written Alan, thank you for the read :) and certainly an interesting subject. Interesting that whilst some may find it offensive and blasphemous, a lot of religious words are cuss words.... I share most of those with you too with the added jesus bloody christ.

I never say bless you or anything else when someone sneezes, the sneezer should be saying 'excuse me for spraying my spittle all over the room'.

Comment by Alan Perlman on June 18, 2012 at 12:35pm: OK, Glen, you've convinced me. I will keep my mouth shut when someone sneezes, see what (if anything) happens.

Comment by Alan Perlman on June 18, 2012 at 12:34pm: annet...Thanks for your perceptive comments. Holy moley, I just feel like a comic strip character when I mince my oaths. If I were a Brit, I'd use "bloody" a lot more.

Creative alternatives to "godspeed" can be developed from context. They can be as general as "Hey, go for it"...or specific, as when I tell my brother "Be careful up there" whenever he gets into his Cessna (and I really mean it).

There already is a commandment about bearing false witness, so is the "in vain" commandment for when you say things like "as God is my witness," but you're telling a lie? That's what the "swear falsely" translation implies. This one continues to elude me.

Comment by annet on June 18, 2012 at 11:54am: Nicely elucidated! Still chewing on "when an atheist swears to god..."

I use gesundheit (health) often to avoid god bless you when I catch myself in time.

The performatives are most offensive to me and I try not to use them. I have embarrassed myself by thanking gosh more than once. OMG has lost all religious connotation to me just as "by jove" doesn't conjure jupiter. I find the minced oaths to be amusing such as gosh, gol blimey, darn, gee whiz, etc..

Godspeed is a unique word. To me it means "go and get a lot done and be safe." Is there a good English alternative?

IMO, the "in vain" commandment is about lying and not swearing.

Comment by Glen Rosenberg on June 18, 2012 at 10:16am: Alan, conspicuous silence post-sneeze is an opportunity to educate the offended.

Social convention such as opening the door for a lady or pulling out her chair are sensible. God bless you and company-not so.

I was unaware of illocutionary. Thanks for the knowing.

Comment by Alan Perlman on June 18, 2012 at 10:07am: To Glen...

My point exactly: when does the "illocutionary force" (intended effect) not match the literal meaning, and how can we take advantage of these situations? I can say "goddamnit" and "gesundheit" even though both the listener and I know I don't mean it literally. Still, I appreciate your point about "gesundheit." I'll never say "bless you," and now I'll reconsider "gesundheit."

Don't you feel that social convention requires you to say something when someone sneezes? Or is it a minor concession to unreason, as in your examples, and should be classified with not stepping on a crack or under a ladder? (My mother's back has remained intact despite numerous violations of the taboo.)

To James...

Jews don't hear or use all the wonderful variations of exclamatory "Jesus Christ," so I invite all atheists from Christian backgrounds to remedy my ignorance and send examples. It seems that Christians sometimes like to add a note of absurdity or outlandishness to their Jesus-interjections.

To Edward Teach (Black- or Bluebeard?)...thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it.

Comment by Glen Rosenberg on June 17, 2012 at 10:35pm: Alan, do not say gesundheit evaaaah for christ's sake. Unless you wish to affirm the theistic mumbo jumbo of an escaping soul.

It is arbitrary. Why not acknowledge when someone blinks, yawns or brushes the wall when walking.