Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain...

Today I heard it again, "Oh my God," said the teacher. Then, she had the student repeat it after her in an effort to teach the student an English phrase to say when a moment of defeat occurs. I have heard this phrase countless times from Japanese teachers and students while teaching here in Japan. I think it began as a result of Japanese people watching English television programs in which the actors flagrantly used the phrase. Also, it seems that non-Christian English teachers here in Japan have taught the phrase, or at least reinforced the phrase. Typically, the phrase is used when some degree of a defeat or failure occurs during an English game in class. Unfortunately, the meaning of the phrase is not fully understood by the people here and they really have no idea that they are saying God's name in vain. I try to correct them when I hear it by saying, "oh no," or "that's too bad." Ultimately, I think it is tragic that it has continued to be taught to the children and thus it will continue into the next generations. To further complicate the matter, if I confront the teachers who are using the phrase and point out that it is offensive, then it is possible that I will be offensive, so I must be careful with my words. So, let's pray that the use of God's name in vain would not continue to be taught to the children and that I could speak the truth in love when correcting the teachers.