The Ten Commandments: The Name of God

"Thou Shalt Not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." Exodus 20:7

"It's not God's fault if you stub your toe."

As God continued to reveal The Ten Commandments, He shifted his focus from who his people worshiped to how. As their law giver and Father, God instructed the Israelite people not to use His name lightly, with the ominous warning that those who did would not be held guiltless.

Jesus Christ further explained this Commandment during His Sermon on the Mount. Referring to practice of swearing by God's name, He said: "Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool... Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Matthew 5:33-37.

Today, it is growing more and more difficult to find somebody who won't take God's name in vain.

Why Is It So Bad to Disrespect God's name?

What we say changes who we become. It influences our behavior, our feelings, and our thoughts. The words somebody could say about us may upset us and bother us, but the things we say about them can affect us so much more. As the Savior once said, "...that which goeth into the mouth [doesn't defile] a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." We can defile our opinion of others with sarcasm, criticism, and speaking badly of them. This is why I feel that this commandment is so important.

God wants to have a loving relationship with us. He wants us to not only obey Him, but to love Him and be loved in return. When we say disrespectful things about God, we damage our relationship with Him. We hinder our desire to know Him and to follow Him. A lack of respect for God's name makes every single commandment more difficult to obey, and so we often loose the blessings we should have received!

In addition to God's name, we should be very cautious in using biblical terms such as Damn or Hell. If we use these words to condemn others, how can we expect God to not use them to condemn us? We must also never use vulgar terms which degrade the Human body, for when we do, we are also degrading God's body in our eyes. In short, we should avoid saying anything that can create disrespect towards God, our body, or our fellow man.

"You said what? To whom? That's Disgusting!"

Ideas to Follow This Commandment

I wouldn't recommend starting a swear jar. That leads to an awkward moment when you're able to pay off debt because of the money you saved swearing like a sailor.

Give Ourselves time to think before reacting
Sometimes swearing comes in when we react to something, like a stubbed toe. If the time comes when we find ourselves on the verge of dropping bombs, we need to clamp our mouths shut. If we can give ourselves at least five seconds to think about what we're going to say, we'll be able to correct our language before it escapes our mouths.

Think about what we're actually saying
I think a lot of the time, we use swears "just for emphasis" without actually considering what we're saying. If we think about our language, we may realize that we've been saying some creepy, gross stuff. That horrible realization alone could straighten up our talk.

Modern Commandments: Pray Always

"Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work." Doctrine & Covenants 10:5

Prayer is known to lead to blessings.

Praying has always been one of the most important ways to connect with God. We can increase in spirituality through scripture study and gospel discussions, but we as human beings are social creatures. We naturally want to talk to each other and God feels the same way.

In the scriptures, we read many stories of prophetic men who didn't just talk to God, but they talked with God. When God declared that a wicked city would be destroyed, Abraham negotiated with the Lord to spare his friend Lot. When God declared that the Isrealites would be destroyed for their rebellion, Moses begged Him to lighten their punishment. I've always been amazed by those early prophets in The Holy Bible, because talking to God was so natural to them. Their personal relationships with God gave them a lot of faith and trust.

God wants all of us to have a personal relationship with Him. Although there is no record of God specifically commanding people to pray in The Holy Bible, it is clear that it is God's will that we should watch and pray always.

How Can I Have a Personal Relationship With God?

Depending on what we understand about God, this could be difficult. The belief that God is a formless spirit doesn't inspire much confidence in having a personal relationship; neither does the belief that God is three beings at the same time. I believe that God is human like us, although he has greater power, intelligence, and glory than we do. I believe that He is our literal Father in Heaven and that His central desire is to bring us long term happiness. I also believe that Jesus Christ is the literal Son of God and our older brother in this life.

When we recognize that God is not only a person, but our Heavenly Father, our desire to know Him increases. We become more interested in learning who he is and what he wants for us. We become more spiritual because we see God as He truly is, a loving Father who wants the best for all of His Children. This perspective helps us relate more to Him and it makes a personal relationship possible.

How Can I Feel Comfortable Praying?

Nobody feels comfortable at first. However, when we know who God is and what He wants for us, praying becomes a lot easier.  Prayer is no ritual, it's literally socializing with God! When we talk to Him just like we would any other person, He can answer us more easily. Imagine how frustrating it can be to talk to someone who doesn't quietly listen while you speak, or to talk to somebody who only repeats the same things over and over. It would be very frustrating and you probably wouldn't want to talk to that person again. That's why it's so important to talk naturally with God.

Here's a simple outline that shows what a comfortable prayer looks like.

• We begin by addressing Our Father by Name.
• Then, we talk to Him like we would any other person. We can express our feelings, ask for support, confess mistakes that we've made, ask Him for forgiveness, and ask Him questions, which He will answer in His own way.
• Then, we close in the Name of Jesus Christ. We make sure to close in the Name of Jesus Christ to express gratitude for Him and His Father's sacrifice. We say Amen at the end of the prayer because that's a word that expresses that our prayer was sincere.

I've found several ways to improve the sincerity my prayers. One of them is to find a quiet place where we can pray out-loud without interruption. I've found closets to be a great location, especially during the calmer parts of the day. I also like to pray in a posture of reverence. It seems like the standard is to kneel with a bowed head and folded arms, but the position is not as important as simply making sure that we're being respectful to God. Finally, when I want to feel God's love the most, I focus on being thankful rather than making constant demands. In these ways, we can show God that we love Him more, so that He will show us His love.

Ideas For Living This Commandment

Prayer is all about making a time and place.

At Night, Pray before you get Tired
It's important to pray before you go to bed, but it's difficult to have a sincere prayer when you're tired. The need for sleep can lead you to either skip praying or say an uninterested prayer just to get it over with. If you pray in the evening just before you begin to get tired, you will be able to not only get to bed when you want, but also receive God's assurance that He will watch over you.

In the Morning, Pray just as you Wake Up
Unlike in the evening, where you want to avoid praying while tired, you should pray right when you wake up. That initial prayer will invigorate you and help you start your day with a positive attitude.

The Ten Commandments: Any Graven Image

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image..." Exodus 20:4

Imagine this plated in gold. Would you worship it?

Immediately after explaining Israel's obligation to worship Him, God decreed that they should avoid idolatry at all costs. Even as He declared the commandment, He knew that the future history of Israel would be stained by the evils caused by idolatry. Kings would fall, rebellions would arise, abominations would cover the land, and in the end the kingdom of Israel would collapse because of it. He knew and solemnly warned the people that Idolatry would bring destruction to their descendants who continued to practice it. His warnings were solemn and final.

However, it didn't take long for Israel to falter. Moses, who was God's representative, left them alone for forty days. By the time he had returned to their camp, they had already invented a golden calf to worship. Moses was furious. He invented the expression to "break the commandments" by smashing the tablets God had given him against the ground. He then proceeded to destroy the idol in the most extravagant method possible. "And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it." Exodus 32:20

Does This Commandment Even Apply Anymore?

How it applies depends on the culture. Some faiths involve special shrines or images that they worship. They could represent God or an ancestor. However, even in cultures without this form of worship, idolatry is still one of the most common practices around. The problem hasn't changed, but its form sure has. Idolatry has gone digital!

It only takes a single search on Google Images to see that Idolatry is alive and well. Celebrities have ascended far beyond healthy fame to become world-wide obsessions, fictional characters have become more influential than many real life people, and the name of Jesus Christ has become hidden behind heroes who imitate His feats without any sort of saving power. Idolatry used to be limited to certain religions, but in this digital age, idolatry is everywhere and almost nobody is exempt. Today, the challenge isn't avoiding Idolatry, it's getting out of it!

So yes, this commandment still applies; it's one of the most overlooked and yet, one of the hardest to live.

What Is Modern Idolatry?

This is how I would explain Idolatry. God has his own personal throne in all of our hearts where He helps manage our lives (not a literal throne, don't be so silly). Everything's fine until something or someone boots God out of His seat. God is our Heavenly Father, so when a idol replaces Him, that becomes our father! Many of the bizarre and disturbing problems in this world (people who think they're dogs or cats, for example) come from idolatry changing their perspective of who they are. If you want a powerful example of this, consider pornography. This poisonous cocktail of lust and idolatry will stain every aspect of life with darkness. People have already observed that most of the crime in the world begins from normal people viewing pornography. Gambling and hoarding also come to my mind as prime examples of how frustrating and addictive idolatry is.

The key to all of this is that throne in our hearts (the metaphorical one).Who is sitting there? If God is already sitting there, we need to keep Him there. If He's not though, we need find out what is on His throne and boot it off! But how do we do that? How can we possibly overcome ingrained idolatry? The solution might actually be simpler that we think.

Whenever any form of image or sensory enters our brain, our brain initially believes it, and then labels it as either real or fictional. Thus, even if we know something isn't real, it still has an effect on us. We can literally change who we are by changing what we view. Changes as simple as viewing more images of God and reading the scriptures more often can slide Him back onto His throne and restore our perspective. We can break free from the sorrows of idolatry and enjoy the company of "The True and Living God, Jesus Christ"

Ideas To Live This Commandment

Don't let Idolatry distract us from what matters most in life.

Watch out for Repetition
Usually when something becomes an idol to us, we end up viewing or using it over and over. Let's take Facebook for an example. Ever had those days where you checked your Facebook over four times in a half hour? Nothing is different, but you just have to check! The best way to escape the idolatry loop is to step back and take a break. Do something you haven't done in a while, like reading a book or visiting with your family.

Participate in more Spiritual Activities
We can place God back on His throne by spending more time with Spiritual Activities. This is how I look at it, the more time we give God, the happier we'll be during our remaining time. Activities like fervent prayer, scripture study, and church attendance bring us closer to God and place Him back on His Throne in our hearts. We will have a happier thought process and receive the constant blessings of loving God more than Idols. We will see ourselves as Children of God with divine potential rather than as servants to vain fantasies.

Consider all of the Consequences
If we're struggling with Idolatry, we can increase our desire to escape it by considering the consequences that come from it. Am I willing to create tension in my family, just to play this violent game? Am I willing to sacrifice the peace in my family, just to do meth? Usually when we consider the consequences, we discover that Idols cost far much more than they're worth. This method can help us keep our lives from being thrown out of balance by Idolatry.