Jesus Christ- A swear word to some- Lord and Savior to others

Jesus Christ: A swear word on Stranger Things

I was watching the season 5 premiere of Stranger Things the night before Thanksgiving when I noticed a pattern from previous episodes. The swear-word most frequently used was "Jesus Christ."

This was the go-to when danger was near. Coming in second was God followed by damn. How did the Name of this historical figure, whom some say is their God, turn into a curse?

Why did the Duffer Brothers incorporate so many disrespectful uses of the Name of Jesus in Stranger Things? In an interview, their mother alluded to their attending church, where surely they heard a few times not to blaspheme the name of the Lord.

Even if they did not attend church, why profane a Name that many hold dear and risk offending them?

Jesus Christ as Lord on Days of Our Lives

Ironically, the following day, which was on Thanksgiving I saw something quite opposite play out. I watched an episode of the soap opera Days of Our Lives on Peacock were Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) and his son Tate Black (Leo Howard) fell to their knees in a hospital and began praying.

The scene shifted to Roman Brady (Josh Taylor), who opened his holiday prayer by saying Lord Jesus. He closed his prayer with "In Jesus Name." On Friday, Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes) ended her Thanksgiving prayer with "In Christ's Name."

Religion in television

This was different from episodes of Days of Our Lives I have watched for the past 53 years. The characters have always prayed and gone to church and they read the Christmas story from the Bible (Luke chapter 2) each Christmas Eve. I have never heard the characters express faith in Jesus specifically.

On the flip side, when Days of Our Lives: Christmas aired on Peacock in 2021, several men on the series stripped to "We Three Queens," which was in the tune of the Christmas hymn "We Three Kings."

Many fans said it was disrespectful to have a striptease to the tune of a church hymn. Now it seems the soap that began on NBC is going in the opposite direction, but fans know everything can change in an instant.

Two opposing views

We simultaneously have one form of entertainment where the Name of Jesus is used out of frustration and anger, and another where He is shown respect. Two different creative visions have been represented.

What I find interesting is that no one uses the names of Allah, Buddha, Mohammed, or Joseph Smith (founder of Mormonism) in vain. I counted at least 10 times on the Season 5 premiere of Stranger Things where someone said "Jesus Christ" when they were in trouble.

They were not asking for His help but using his Name instead of sh*t or Fu*k, which are common curse words. I was intrigued that no actor questioned this or refused to say the lines. I thought perhaps a parent of any cast member under the age of 18 might have objected.

The Name Jesus Christ is like beauty, which the adage says is in the eye of the beholder. To some, it's just two words used in frustrating situations. To others, He is the Savior who died for the sins of the world.

Why Jesus Christ?

Still, there is no answer to the question of why objectify Jesus but not other religious figures? One theory is that this is a form of rebellion against Christianity.

I have a relative who is friends with someone in the Church of Satan who says she does not believe in the devil but wants to irritate Christians who try to force their faith on her.

Perhaps the usage of the Name Jesus Christ can be summed up with the phrase "Never the twain shall meet." As long as this current world system remains, humans will express diversity and often hold different viewpoints on the same subject.