That is one thing out here in the East that I don't think I will ever get used to. It's such a part of common speech, even little kids swear all the time, and their parents don't teach them not to, because they are the ones the kids are learning it from! I know some very spiritual people as well that use God's name in vain, and I want to ask them what the third commandment means to them. I know it also means to not swear false oaths, with God or man, which I will talk about after this next quote, but I don't know how people so blatantly disregard such a clear commandment. O.k. so I know partly, it is everywhere in the media, and swearing is addictive, once you start, it's really hard to get those words and thoughts out of your head.
But Elder LeGrand Richards said this of profanity:
“It is difficult to understand how a person may truly and sincerely approach God in prayer, seeking a blessing at his hand, at the same time be so disrespectful as to take his name in vain.
“Profanity is incompatible with reverence. Surely at this critical time in our nation’s history, when we need the sustaining help of God, we should see that we do not offend him by reason of our language. We appeal to our young people everywhere to hold in reverence the sacred name of Deity, that they may walk acceptably before the Lord, so that, should there come a time in their lives when they need his sustaining help, they may go to him with good conscience and call upon him with faith that he will hear their plea.” (In “The Third Commandment,” The Ten Commandments Today, pp. 52–53.)It says at the end of Exodus 20:7 the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. The footnote to that says
Exodus 20:7d IE utters an oath or makes a promise using the Lord's name without valid purpose.
That means those baptismal, sacrament and temple covenants you make are very serious. God will hold you to those things you promised to do for him. And obviously he will keep his side of the covenant, but it is not a flippant thing for us to disregard them, and it is taking his name in vain, even if we never speak his name irreverently on our lips.
But of course as we follow this commandment, the spirit is allowed into our lives more. We become more changed, the natural man continues to be eliminated from our lives and we are happier.
I remember Spencer Kimball teaching that "profanity is evidence of a weak mind trying to express itself powerfully." That was back in the 70's. Consider how our ability to express our self deteriorated since then. I concur that God will not hold us blameless. Good blog.
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