Thou Shalt Not Be a Religious Asshole

As previously mentioned, I’m reading a book called Jewish Literacy. Somewhere within those first 50 pages is a discussion of the ten commandments (which are more, he notes, ten statements…as one isn’t really a command of any sort), including the command about “Thou shalt not take the Lord thy God’s name in vain.”

Now, for years, I’ve struggled with this one. The Christians interpret this to mean that you shouldn’t say “oh my god” or “goddamn.” The Jews take it to mean don’t even use God’s name–write G-D instead of God. But is that how it’s actually meant? Seems like a trivial thing beside the Do Not Murders and Do Not Bear False Witnesses, right?

I’ve thought for a while now that it makes much more sense for it to mean: don’t blame God for your bad behavior. Don’t misrepresent Him. Don’t say you follow Him (taking His name) and use it as an excuse to mistreat people or hate them or kill them, in particular.

Aka. don’t do shit like the crusades or 9/11, people. Don’t use God as a platform to get rich. Don’t act like God ordained you to steal and kill and destroy. That would be someone else’s domain.

Interestingly (and this is the first I’ve read of this), Rabbi Telushkin agrees. He points out that the Hebrew work that we translate as “take” means “carry.” Don’t carry the Lord thy God’s name in vain.

Take seems to imply one action, one time, one instance. Carry seems to imply a long-term commitment, a continued action. Calling your life one thing and then doing things that misrepresent that which you carry.

In his words: “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.”

In other words again: don’t misrepresent God.

And finally, in yet another set of words: thou shalt not be religious and an asshole at the same time. Or thou shalt not be a religious asshole.

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