For Christs Sake!

We often hear people (or ourselves) using religious phrases when cursing. For example, a common usage is the phrase "For Christ's sake!". I always found this usage strange and intruiging. I never understood why a person might use this sort of phrase. Where did it come from? What was its origin and why did people persist in using a phrase that not only had no relevance to its usage, but also didn't seem to make any sense in its own right?

I have an athiest friend who had the nasty habit of cursing with blasphemous phrases. His favourite phrase was simply "Jesus Christ!". After hearing this vocal expostulation numerous times I could no longer ignore the absurdity of it. I replied with the following statement. "Do you realise that every time you say that, Jesus Christ has to get down off His throne in Heaven, and come down to find out what you want, only to realise that you didn't really want to talk to Him at all. Don't you think that would really piss Him off!"
Of course this response was not meant to be taken seriuosly because it was given in jest, but my point was nevertheless very serious. If a person didn't even believe in God then what was the purpose in using a phrase that actually referred to that God. Wasn't it in fact the most absurd thing that an athiest could say. I added that it would make no more sense if he were to blurt out "Mohammed!", or "Hare Krishna!" yet strangely you never hear people say that.
Well I suppose he felt rather sheepish and guilty from my comments and I don't recall hearing him blaspheme from that point on. I think this points out that we often do and say things that are truly based in nonsense from our point of view, and that expose the fact that we often don't think before we speak or act. I think it is a very important thing to self reflect on our behaviour and speech, and to ensure that they match our belief system. An atheist speaking religious phrases is just as non-sensical as a Christian speaking satanic phrases. In fact it is probably more ridiculous since at least the Christian acknowledges the existence of the devil whereas the athiest denies both.

Now despite being able to rationalise the ludicrous situation of religious phrases being used in the wrong context and by non-religious people I was still left with the mystery of the phrase "for Christ's sake" to ponder. Then one day I heard someone finish a prayer with the phrase "for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ". Aha I thought. This sounded very similar to the "for Christ's sake" expression, and I wondered if they were related. Some time later my suspicions were confirmed when I heard the very phrase used at the closing of another prayer.

Later I discovered that this exact phrase actually appears in the Bible.
In 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV) it says
"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.".
Its all about doing something for the benefit or sake of Jesus Christ. This is pure unselfish servitude to Christ, to honour His name and glorify His power and dominion over all things. In contrast to this, when blaspheming with the same phrase we find it is almost always about the person speaking. In other words, it is not at all for Christs sake that they swear, but rather for their own sake.
In another version (NASB) I found further references.
1 Corinthians 4:10
"We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor."
Philippians 1:29
"For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake"
Philemon 1:6
"and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake."

Its sort of funny you know, how the level of intensity can change based on the word you use in this phrase. For instance, you might say "for goodness sake" and nobody would be offended because you are appealing to peoples sense of justice for the better good. Even "for Pete's sake" is not too offensive and probably conveys a marginal level of frustration, but certainly not rudeness (presumably this is a reference to the Apostle Peter). Yet when someone says "for Christ's sake", you know that they are at the end of their tether, and this cursed utterance becomes highly offensive and manifestly more intense. I wonder why the level of obscenity increases as we substitute "goodness" with "Pete" and then more so with "Christ"?
My suspicions are that, much like a weapon, the more powerful it is, the more devastating it can be in the hands of a person with ill-intent.

I find it typically disturbing how a phrase initially used for the honouring and glorification of God is used in precisely the opposite manner with the result of blaspheming His name and disgracing its speaker. It is through the lack of clear and logical thought that brings us to misuse such phrases I believe. My friend who prided himself in cold, clear, logical thinking was ashamed, I think, to have been caught out, and to his credit made a conscious change in his speech to reflect his thinking and beliefs. Perhaps we should do the same.

It's time we started saying what we mean and meaning what we say. Otherwise we should just shut up. Especially when it comes to speaking out the name of the one true Almighty Creator and God of all things. Certainly many people are unclear about what they truly believe and it takes someone to point it out to them, so they can see how their speech or actions are out of step with their worldview. Or perhaps to show them that they don't even realise that their worldview, or belief system, is horribly flawed.

Next time you hear someone say "For Christ's sake" point out to them the absurdity of their speech, and encourage them to be more consistent with their beliefs. It is my opinion that if we are this honest, then people will realise that their flawed belief system is unworkable in practice, and they need to re-visit some deep and serious issues regarding what life is all about, and who is really incharge of it all.

In the true meaning of the phrase, I say these things FOR CHRISTS SAKE!