Why do atheists like Penn Jillett, use God’s name as profanity?

Reading Time: 6 minutes

I’ve been watching Penn & Teller (Penn Jillette and Raymond Teller) do their blend of illusion and comedy from when they were first on Saturday Night Live, through their TV specials, guest appearances, and most lately their “Fool Us” and “Tell a Lie” shows. I have not had the privilege of watching them in person, although that would be very cool even though both are atheists.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that on and off stage (via YouTube video clips) that Penn Jillett uses God’s name as profanity in an assortment of ways. Penn’s blasphemy is a show of disrespect, a desecration and debasement of and is an offensive attack on God (The Father, Only Begotten Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit) which is sinful, violating the first, second, and directly violating the third commandment given in, ‘The Ten Commandments’ – Exodus 20:7 "Never use the name of the LORD your God carelessly. The LORD will make sure that anyone who carelessly uses his name will be punished.” GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)

Why do atheists like Penn Jillette who openly says and teaches his daughter that “God does not exist” use God's name as profanity instead of using false gods names like, Allah, Buddha, Ra, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, etc. as profanity? Penn Jillette and other atheists do it because of the power using God’s name as profanity brings to them as they know God is real unlike, Allah, Buddha, Ra, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, etc. who are not real.

Their openly demeaning God with such blasphemous behaviors is serving them in three ways; it helps them continue to deny God, it helps them cope with their denial of God, and it gives them power when defying God and using God’s name as profanity. It helps them to continue to deny God because each time they use God’s name as profanity they say to themselves; “See, God really doesn’t exist as He didn’t drop me dead for using His name that way.” It helps them cope with their denial of God by their looking back at their habitual use over time of the most mighty name ever as a curse word without any consequences giving them comfort with themselves in their denial of God.

Atheists like Penn Jillette don’t use the names of Allah, Buddha, Ra, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, etc. because there is no power in using the names of these false gods. Atheists like Penn Jillette enjoy the power using God’s name as profanity brings to them. The ACLU (and atheists) claim that God’s name is divisive, offensive and controversial. Thus when atheists like Penn Jillette who use God’s name as profanity, knowingly are calling upon that divisive, offensive and controversial nature of God’s name to bring more emphasis and power into their statements so to bring to themselves more power via their profane use of God’s name.

Think about these questions:

  1. Is it rational that a person who claims God doesn’t exist (like atheist Penn Jillett does) to continually use God’s name in their vocabulary in any way at all in public or private settings?
  2. Is it rational that people who hold God’s name as Holy and deserving of respect are being forced to stop using God’s name in public because it is said by the ACLU (and atheists) that God’s name is divisive, offensive and controversial?
  3. Is it rational that atheists like Penn Jillette who publicly says God doesn’t exist, to publicly use God’s name as profanity?
  4. Why is God’s name divisive, offensive and controversial and the names of Allah, Buddha, Ra, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, etc. are not?

The atheists’ use of God’s name as profanity confirms that they know God exists and that they are merely choosing to deny God. If the atheist actually believed that God did not exist, the atheist would not use God’s name as profanity just as they don’t use the names of Allah, Buddha, Ra, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, etc. as profanity.

“A wise (or as some people may say a ‘bright’) person is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is careless and overconfident.” Proverbs 14:16 GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)

“Do not be stubborn as in the past when you turned against God…” Hebrews 3:8 New Century Version (NCV)

“God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, … Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear…” Hebrews 4:7 The Message (MSG)

“Instead, in order that none of you be deceived by sin and become stubborn, you must help one another every day, as long as the word "Today" in the scripture applies to us.” Hebrews 3:13 Good News Translation (GNT)

“Yet, Pharaoh continued to be stubborn and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, as the LORD had predicted.” Exodus 7:13 GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)

"You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you and I will have to give account of every useless word you and I have ever spoken.”  Matthew 12:36 Good News Translation (GNT)

"Every sin or blasphemy can be forgiven — except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgiven.” Matthew 12:31 New Living Translation (NLT)

Please do not be as Pharaoh who continued to be stubborn and who continued to harden his heart as the time will come when God will  add to your hardened heart. If you continue to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, meaning that you flat out reject and never will choose to accept God’s grace, mercy and love for you, you will never be forgiven because you have chosen to not be forgiven. Exodus 10:1; Romans 1:18-32

You are reading and/or listening to this right now which means that at today, your heart isn’t beyond your softening it to truth.

Our knowingly doing what we know is wrong and our knowingly not doing what we know is right is called sin. Everyone (including me) sins. In fact, I have myself used God’s name as profanity. As with all choices we make, each have a consequence and our choice to sin has a consequence. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 English Standard Version (ESV)

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (Christ Jesus), that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged ; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." John 3:16-21 New American Standard (NAS)

“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered.” Proverbs 28:26 New American Standard (NAS)

“You don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while. Then it disappears.” James 4:14 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

“Today I put before you a blessing and a curse: The blessing if you give ear to the orders of the Lord your God, which I give you this day: And the curse if you do not give ear to the orders of the Lord your God, but let yourselves be turned from the way which I have put before you this day,…” Deuteronomy 11:26-28 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

“The path of life for a wise person leads upward in order to turn him away from hell below.” Proverbs 15:24 GOD'S WORD Translation “GW”

Make your choice today wisely as there may not be a tomorrow.

 

2 Comments

  1. Wow, you really show your ignorance of both the Bible and Quran. Every Christian knows Allah is not any one of God’s names.
    Also, “belief” isn’t the same as “knowing” either.

  2. “Why do atheists like Penn Jillette who openly says and teaches his daughter that “God does not exist” use God’s name as profanity instead of using false gods names like, Allah, Buddha, Ra, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, etc. as profanity?”
    First of all Allah is simply the word “God” in Arabic. A Christian speaking in Arabic would say “Allah” to refer to God. Secondly, its not rocket science. Penn Jillette is American, and saying “God” as swear word is part of the American vernacular. It has nothing to do with belief.

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