Take Not the Name of the Church in Vain, by Randall Smith

I’ve never found very convincing the notion that the commandment against taking the name of the Lord in vain is about swearing.  I’m not defending swearing, but I also don’t think God expended one of only ten commandments to rank as a mortal sin saying “g-dammit” when you’re aggravated. God is just not that thin-skinned.

And “God” isn’t his name anyway.  The Scriptures tell us He “has the name above all other names,” which for some purposes is signified by use of the “sacred tetragrammaton” – so sacred that the four letters YHWH, which may represent “I am who am” or “I am with you,” were not to be spoken. …