I'm curious to know if some of you can't help themselves saying " Thank God" or Oh my God", even though you're atheist or agnostic ? Just an hour ago I was sure I lost my presto card ( bus card in Toronto). I was panicking... Looking everywhere. When I finally found it I said " Thanks God !!" But immediately I thought God has nothing to do with that. Or anything ! Lol
If I sneeze,and someone blesses me, I ask that they save their blessings for the children raped by catholic priests. Shocking yes, but it makes them think.
Most of us have spent a lifetime saying OMG or thank god, etc. Even among the religious I never see people actually thanking a god. It is only words. I view this the same way when people are praying for you or sending prayers your way. These words are simply sayings. NOBODY is actually doing these things. It is empty words.
We spend so much time thanking real people, it becomes an instinctive habit. It is the "oil" that keeps the wheels of society turning. When there is no-one obvious to thank then your reaction is natural. But you could thank yourself for looking in all the right places and keeping calm and logical.
It's something we've heard and said all our lives. It's not going to leave your head just because you don't believe. It's like the 4 leaf clover I carried for a year because I found it at an emotional time in my life. I didn't believe it brought luck, but for some reason I kept it.
I also say "I'll be back," even though I don't believe in the Terminator. They are just part of our shared language.
just like saying any other common words...just because you say oh shit doesn't mean you did...
If I am not allowed to say it when I was religious, no one is going to stop me now.
How about Jesus fucking Christ? I say that
I use figures of speech and colloquialisms all the time. But I've never actually ate a horse, hit any hay, and still don't believe in deities.
When dropping a can on my foot in the supermarket, I hear the guilty by standers snicker when I say "Fudge sickles!" or same sounding oaths. Just naughty enough for them say "Huh?"
Took me a life time to get out of the habits of the more common oaths like saying "thank God" for jalopenaia!