"oh My God"

[greentea]

I was always taught by my protestant parents that saying 'Oh my God' under any circumstance was a MAJOR sin. The view was that we aren't to take his name lightly, and to only use it when we are talking to Him or about Him. When I became Catholic, I was surprised to hear my priest say it casually after mass, like: "Oh my God Hi!! We haven't talked in forever!"

I'm not sure what the Catholic teaching is on this. Is it considered an exclaimation of praise when something is good is happening, like seeing someone you haven't seen in a long time, and a sin when you use it in anger or pain?

I told my uber-protestant brother that I heard my priest say it, and he told me that he (the priest) had just willingly broken one of God's commandments.

Veeeeery confusing....

[Thy Geekdom Come]

We believe that it is a sin and certainly can be grave. However, unfortunately, it has become so common that many people say it without even thinking about what they are saying, and so in many cases it cannot be considered willful, and so it would not be a mortal sin, I would speculate, in a majority of cases in our modern society.

However, yes, it is bad, and we need to get better at not using the Lord's name in vain. I suggest offering a small sacrifice of praise when it is heard ("Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ" or "Blessed by the Name of the Lord" or something like that) and, if the situation presents itself, to correct the improper usage of our Lord's name.

God bless,

Raphael