vanity

First thing first....this is not meant to offend anyone; that is not my intention. It is merely to share my thoughts and to solicit yours.

What does it mean to take God's name in vain? I would presume that many people would say that saying "God" when expressing disgust is using His name in vain. Is it though?

"God" is not God's name. God is who God is. He is God. Historically, theologically, and symantically speaking, saying "Hallelujah" with no emotion or purpose is closer to using God's name in vain than saying "God." But I also presume that few would raise an eyebrow if they were to hear someone utter "Hallelujah" when they stubbed their tow....at least less offense would be taken than if the word "God" was heard after such stubbing.

So what does it mean to take the Lord's name in vain? What is His name? ...and why have we come to use "God" as His name?

Is it because we commonly refer to "God" as "God?" ...and so have we made "God" the name? ...and if that is the case, are we to treat the word/name "God" as the sacred name that we are not to take in vain?

I apologize for the lack or organization in this post. I hope it is still coherent to whomever may read it....and once again, no offense is meant whatsoever if any is taken by the reader. This is not a trivial topic to me; but one that I earnestly wonder.