You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God. (Ex. 20:7, NIV)
No name has ever been misused more than the name of God, and the result is that millions of people struggle over the very mention of his name. One way the name of God is misused is in distorted claims.
The name of God has been attached to some of the most horrific acts of violence in our time. We live in a world where some people will fly planes into tall buildings claiming that they do it in the name of God.
Other folks volunteer to strap explosives onto their bodies, and walk into a crowded street with the aim of destroying themselves and as many other people as possible in the name of God.
It is easy to point the finger at Muslim extremists, but all you have to do is read Christian history in order to quickly see that the problem hits much closer to home. Western history is littered with acts of violence done in the name of God. One of the most notorious examples of this is the Crusades. During the Crusades thousands of Muslims were slaughtered by Europeans who fought under a banner bearing the emblem of the cross.
So it is hardly surprising that a growing number of people have noticed that a great deal of violence in the world seems to be associated with the name of God, and they have come to the conclusion that his name is actually a liability.
Have you seen people react negatively to the name of God because of these kinds of distorted claims? How so?
