Infelicitous Performative Utterance

This concept is sort of a tricky one and it took me awhile to come up with an idea.  But I was thinking about when people say the phrase, “Oh my God!”  Now, that phrase—if it is taken literally—is saying/doing several things.  It is mainly a proclamation of someone’s trust in God.  It says “I believe in God and I am acting on my faith by turning to Him for help.”  It’s also often used as a cry of joy or excitement toward the Lord that reinforces who they are and where their joy comes from.  Mostly, it’s a way for Christians to be Christians.  It’s a phrase that tells other people who they are and also communicates to God the relationship that they have with Him.  However, what if someone who doesn’t believe in God says that phrase?  Many Christians will refer to that as “taking the Lord’s name in vain.”  And that is the exact phrase that made me think that this phrase might fall into this category of an infelicitous performative utterance.  Obviously, to do something “in vain” means that to do it would be pointless or useless.  If there is a way to “take the Lord’s name in vain” then that implies that there is a way to use His name not in vain.  So, back to the example of a non-Christian saying “Oh my God!”  What are they actually saying/doing when they use that phrase?  Honestly, most of the time I believe it’s just a careless exclamation that nobody really thinks about.  But I think it can also be an intentional choice to use that phrase rather than another.  I think that (whether consciously or subconsciously) if the person exclaiming it doesn’t mean to speak to God, then they are throwing around that name very lightly.  It’s almost as if they are saying that the phrase is vain or useless.  It can be rather offensive to people who are Christians to hear it used that way.  And I think that it also declares something about who they are.