"Oh my God."

Last week while visiting an elementary school the teacher of one of my first grade classes asked me to explain to the students the correct pronunciation of “Oh my God.” Apparently the students learned this phrase from a popular Japanese drama and now they run around saying it all the time. Just as I expected neither the students nor the teacher knew the meaning of what it was they were saying so I made a deal with them. I told them that I would only tell them how to say “Oh my God” if I could first explain to them what it meant. An explanation, however, was more challenging than I anticipated.

I began with translating the words into Japanese. I thought if the students knew what they were saying then perhaps they would understand why it was best that they didn’t say it. I assumed that the ideology behind using God’s name in vain, whether it be directed towards the one Christian God in which I believe or towards any one of the deities a Shinto believer may worship, would be a cross-cultural concept the students would quickly grasp after simply learning the meaning of their words. I soon found this not to be the case as both my students and the classroom teacher did not seem to be even the slightest bit moved by my explanation.

At a loss for words I ended up giving the students the pronunciation and then telling them that if I said “Oh my God” in front of my mother she would be upset with me and therefore they should be careful about when using their newly learned words. Whether or not my scare tactics had any impact on the kids I guess I’ll never know.

After thinking probably too much about that afternoon I spoke with Curtis and then with Kyoko and finally I searched the Internet. I wanted to find some sort of parallel between something Japanese and the words “Oh my God” so that next time I would be better equipped to explain myself to my students and co-workers. Here is what I came up with:

Until the defeat of World War II the emperor in Japan was believed to be a son of god. Consequently, the Japanese idolized the emperor. Anyone questioning the authority of the emperor was punished and exiled. While today the emperor in Japan is no longer considered to be a descendant of god, it still remains taboo to speak improperly about the Japanese emperor or anyone in the Imperial Family.

Just as the Japanese believe it is improper to misuse the name of the Japanese emperor Christians believe it is improper to misuse the name God and this is as close as I have come to finding a sufficient explanation. While it isn't perfect I think it comes close to explaining the weight that the words "Oh my God" can carry when used in the wrong context.

Of course I understand that these words are used lightly every single day and I must confess that within the time it took me to type this blog I think I said “Oh God” or one of its variations about three times. I guess in a round about way I’ve learned more about myself than I actually taught the kids that afternoon. Maybe I should listen to my own advice on this one.