Older children might be interested in the historical perspective regarding this
Commandment. I am quoting below a few paragraphs of commentary from the
Interpreter's Bible relating to the background of the Third Commandment,
which you might want to share with older students:

"The Third Commandment deals with the use of Yahweh's name in vain, i.e.
for that which lacks reality or truth. The name of God expresses his character
and power. To call upon unreality, i.e., that which is not an expression of the
divine character, by means of the divine name is to use the name in vain. Not
only perjury, but also the practice of magic, which constitutes the invocation
of ultimate powers with whom God stands in conflict, and the invocation of
the dead, were in all probability among the specific prohibitions implied by
this commandment at its inception.

"The misuse of the divine name was especially heinous among people who
believe that the name was an essential part of the personality. The very naming
of the name invoked the power of the whole person of whom the name was a part.
The magic use of the divine name seems to have lingered on among people who
were only beginning to know that true religion is more nearly related to moral
action than to magic formulas. The magic use of the name was frowned upon as
a part of a campaign to banish superstitious ideas and practices from the people.
There may be reference here also to swearing falsely by God, and to light and
blasphemous use of the divine name. We still are subject to both kinds of
temptations, to belief in the miraculous power of sacred names, and to the
blasphemous use of holy names.

"Every minister is tempted to cater to the primitive urge on the part of some in the
congregation to hear over and over again certain magic formulas which seem to
them to guarantee soundness of faith and comfortable doctrine. Whether the
phrase is "the blood of Jesus" or "the brotherhood man," it is merely magical
when it is used as a spell. Religion for many people consists in the good feelings
aroused by the repetition of certain beloved formulas. This type of piety can be
recognized by its extreme harshness in the denunciation of those who do not use
them. It is not an easy type of religion for others to live with. Its sin is disobe-
dience to the Third Commandment, which forbids the cheap and easy use of the
divine name to cover up poverty of real thought and feeling.

"Common cursing and swearing are due to the desire on the part of inarticulate
people to impress others. The easiest way to shock another person into attention
seems to be by the use of some particularly sacred and holy name. But the effect
wears off almost immediately, and blasphemy simply becomes a boring habit, an
expression of impotence and weakness."

To summarize what has been written so far, here are some of the ideas for
lessons to teach your children and pupils:

The Third Commandment forbids:

Using God's name to swear or curse. Even if our friends and parents do it,
we must understand how precious God is to us, and we to Him, and why we
would not stoop to using His name for such cruel purposes.

Using God's name as if it had magical powers to do good or evil, just by
being spoken over and over again, with no meaning or feeling behind it. Our
prayers must be heartfelt.

Using God's name to take an oath, especially if we do not mean it. In courts,
we are asked to swear on the Bible. We are expected to honor this type of oath
and not lie. In our private life, we should not hide behind the words "I swear to
God that . . ." Our life should be so honestly lived, that we would not need to
say that. Our simple statements and our personal promises should stand on our
trustworthiness.

Using God's name, or words about Him, to cover up our shortcomings or
insincere motives. We should not show off our ability to "talk" God or to
worship Him by following church rituals and traditions, while in our hearts we
are not really thinking or feeling the unselfed love that God really wants His
children to express. Jesus demonstrated what a true, humble Christian should
be like. If we are not living up to his Sermon on the Mount, if we are not
following his life examples, no amount of church attendance or donations or
committee work or reading the Bible Lessons -- will save us from the discipline
eventually administered to hypocrites.

Using God's name to justify going to war or killing or hating those who do not
share our religious beliefs.

Using God's name lightly or jokingly for purposes other than the sacred
adoration that all His children owe Him daily, for their life and blessings. God
is "Amazing Grace" and His name should be seen as no less.


Literally and morally, the Third Commandment teaches us not to use or
abuse God's name for our own personal needs or selfish purposes; it tells
us not to use God's name lightly or jokingly, or as a "magic formula." But,
what about a spiritual meaning, useful for those of us who practice Christian
Science, and wish to understand the Commandment on that level? Obviously,
this is something that needs to be revealed to you in your study and practice,
and those of our children. My sense of a spiritual meaning at the moment,
is that, as the image and likeness of God, man must use the qualities and
talents that God gives us only for purposes that are good and worthwhile.
We should use our spiritual qualities to glorify God, not ourselves, and we
should expect to bring forth "fruit" -- demonstrate God's name, or nature,
and prove His power in our earthly life.

One way to accomplish this is to do what is sometimes called in Christian
Science our "daily identification work" -- taking the time to get a clear
recognition in consciousness of our true spiritual identity as a child of God.
We identify ourselves as God's spiritual reflection, as His "image and
likeness." We awaken ourselves from the mesmerism, the "deep sleep," that
would claim we are sick and sinful mortals. We affirm our identity as ideas
of the divine Mind, expressions of His intelligence, substance, truth, life,
and love. Believing that God could create, or permit, a less-than-perfect
material universe, filled with sin, sickness, and hatred, could be considered
taking His name in vain. We must not identify with that false belief!

Practicing the Third Commandment -- as is the same with any of the Ten
Commandments -- is not always a "black and white" matter. As Jesus taught us,

these Commandments are to be fulfilled in love, and a dose of common sense.
If we try to force ourselves and others to be perfect humans, sticklers for the
law, we may lose our ability to think for ourselves, and to render good judgment
and mercy when called for.

With that in mind, here are some suggestions for questions to ask your child, or
pupils in your Sunday School class, to get a discussion going. Most of these
questions are more suitable for older children and teenagers. Use these to get
the pupils to think deeply, and express their opinions. Guide them along, if
necessary, to possible answers, without telling them their own answers are
wrong. Let yourself be surprised!


What would you do if one of your parents habitually uses God's name while
swearing or cursing? What should we do? Should we speak to them about it?
How can we best do that? Does a parent using profanity give us the right to do
so, as well?

What if one of our good friends uses profanity? How might we handle that?

Is there any value to memorizing Bible verses or other inspirational citations,
even if there is no meaning for us when we first do so?

If your parents are forcing you to say "your prayers" at night or in the morning,
do we have a right to protest doing so, if we do not feel like praying? What might
be the motives of a parent who asks their child to say prayers every day? What
will you do when you have your own children to raise? How would you
encourage them to get to know God?

Is there any value to public group prayers -- such as saying the Lord's Prayer
out loud at a church service? Explain your reasoning. Why do you think the
Lord's Prayer is used by so many churches in their services?

What steps might we take to get past "just saying the words" in a Bible verse,
or other statement of truth, and start to feel, or connect with, the underlying idea
or message?

In courts of law, people who take the witness stand are first asked to place
their hands on a Bible and "swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth, so help you God." Do you think this action stops everyone from
lying in court? Do you think if a person does not believe in God or the Bible, he
doesn't have to take this oath seriously? Why is it so important for people to keep
this oath?

Is there any situation where it might meet the approval of God, for us to go to
war, or kill, or hate, anyone "in the name of God"? Especially "our" God?

Should we judge a particular religion or denomination by how some of its
adherents behave, especially those who may be hypocritical? Why or why not?
Should we even make judgments about the value of other religions? Does God
make judgments about churches and what they teach? What do you think God
would consider to be sincere worship of Him?

In the Bible story of the woman taken in adultery, we see Jesus treat the
woman with mercy and compassion, even though she broke the Seventh Com-
mandment. However, as you can read in Matthew 23, Jesus was very angry
with the Pharisees because of their hypocrisy, and called them all kinds of
terrible names! Why would Jesus be tougher on them for breaking the Third
Commandment, than he was for the woman who broke the Seventh? Why might
religious hypocrisy be seen as a worse sin?

Is it possible in this day and age to be obedient to this Third Commandment?
Aren't there too many occasions that require our putting on a face of 'godliness'
even when we aren't there in our hearts and minds? Isn't it too easy to make light
of God, or laugh at jokes about Him and His son, Christ Jesus? Is there a
compromise we can make?

I recently received a useful idea to share with Sunday School pupils, from a
reader in Mexico: "One aspect of the commandment that I've found helpful is
connecting the quotation from the Bible (I AM THAT I AM) with my daily life.
If I am tempted to say, "I am sick" or "I am unhappy," this is, in reality, taking the
name of God in vain. That idea has been quite helpful in keeping my thoughts in
the right channels."



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