Exclamation or Expletive, OMG Is Omnipresent

Historically, sanctions against certain expressions "focused mainly on religion," Jay says. "People were punished for depravity because they said something scurrilous about the church."

Over time in the United States, authorities gave up on the prevention of anti-church epithets, Jay says. A major shift in emphasis came in the late 1960s when the Motion Picture Association of America began rating movies. Television and radio followed suit. These days lawmakers are focused on prohibiting sexual and biological word-darts (George Carlin's seven dirty words) and hateful epithets.

Taking the Lord's name in vain was denounced again this year by the Vatican, but here in America some religious institutions are softening their stances. Take St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic School in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. The principal, Sister Kathy Avery, recently read to students a list of words that are unacceptable on the school's playground.

Asked if the phrase "Oh my God!" is on Avery's list, a school employee says, "We don't encourage that, but it's not on Sister Kathy's list of swear words."

The first written record of the word "God" in English, according to the OED, is from the 9th century. "Gosh" enters the lexicon 900 years later. In 1804, one writer observed that "by gosh" is the "most elegant and classical oath imaginable."

And so there are two kinds of people in the world: those who say "Oh my God!" and those who say something else. Even atheists have been known to cry "Oh my God!" on occasion.

"Sure!" says Eric Mintz, webmaster of the Ask an Atheist Web site. "I say it all the time."