07 Dec 08
Originally posted by ale1552Most people in these fora have grown up in a predominantly Christian culture, and Christianity has had a strong impact on the English language which is the main forum language. I am sure people would use expressions like "Holy Shiva!" or "Oh my Zeus!" just as readily if they were an established part of the language.
Just curious. Why is it that people never take the name of a Brahman god, the Muslim god, or any other god in vain...only the names sacred to the Christian.....just wondering.
In Germany, there are clear regional differences when it comes to the use of religious (Christian) expressions. The Bavarian dialect is full of such expressions, while they are far less common in Northern Germany. It might have to do with Catholicism vs. Protestantism (Bavaria is predominantly Catholic, most parts of Northern Germany are predominantly Protestant), but I think it probably has more to do with the fact that Christianity plays a much bigger role in Bavaria. It would be interesting to see if you can find the same tendency in different regions in which English is spoken.