anti-“oh my god” people need to understand vanity

In a world of unprecedented access to our own images, we’ve managed to distort what vanity actually is. An IG reel (no one will ever make me download tiktok) from a Christian influencer questioned and criticized her own use of the term “oh my god” as it “takes the name of the lord in vain.” While the distortion of vanity from social media is relatively recent, the misalignment from religion has existed at least since the crusades.

Vanity is self-serving, in service of ones own goals or achievements. I don’t see a problem with “oh my god” because it’s a figure of speech that offers nothing to its speaker other than self-expression. In contrast, using religion as a means to colonize is vain. Calling yourself a “good Christian” to gain political favor is vain. The entire point is that you do not use the image or idea of the lord in pursuit of yourself or your image. “Oh my god” does not fit the definition, though I suppose you can feel some type of way about it.

As an aside, vanity from social media-use occurs because we were simply not designed to see or think of ourselves this much. This focus on the self detracts from community and ultimately serves tech oligarchs. More than that though, rumination often leads to depression, and this sort of repetitive thinking about appearance IS rumination.