Why Does Apple TV Use Jesus’ Name as a Curse Word?

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"I’ve never heard someone accidentally strike their toe against the door and shout, “Buddha!”

I need to tell you something I’ve been noticing more and more, and I bet I’m not the only one.

I was recently watching a show on Apple TV, and there it was again: one of the characters used the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—not in worship, not in reverence, not even in conversation—but as a substitute for a curse word.

A character got upset, and instead of using the usual profanity, they shouted the name of Jesus like a swear word. It was loud and deliberate.

After several instances—by different characters, in different scenes throughout the show—it began to feel intentional. It became a pattern that included the name “Jesus Christ” combined with other curse words, using His name as punctuation for filth.

I started asking myself: Why Jesus?

Why not Muhammad? Why not Buddha? Why not Confucius or Krishna? Why not even names from groups classified by biblical scholars as cult leaders—like Joseph Smith or Charles Taze Russell?

I’ve never heard someone accidentally strike their toe against the door and shout, “Buddha!” I doubt anyone ever dropped a plate and exclaimed, “Joseph Smith!”

But Jesus? His name gets dragged through the script almost every episode in some shows.

So I have a question for Apple TV—why?

Why the name of Jesus? If He’s just another religious leader, why single Him out?

You say you want to be inclusive. Respectful of all faiths. But the one name you don’t seem to respect is the name that millions around the world call Lord and Savior.

You’re careful with other names, cautious not to offend, yet the name of Jesus is fair game for mockery, irreverence, and profanity.

As someone who reveres Jesus not only as a teacher but as God in the flesh, I find this pattern revealing—and disturbing.

But I’m not just writing this out of offense. I’m writing because this very pattern raises a deeper question for everyone reading: 

Why is Jesus' name the only one used this way?

 Scripture gives a clear explanation.

James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” 

The enemies of God tremble at His name. In the Gospels, demons didn’t just acknowledge Jesus—they feared Him.

In Matthew 8:29, the demons cried out, “What have You to do with us, O Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

In Luke 4:34, another demon-possessed man cried out, “Leave us alone! What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

Even the evil spirits in Scripture had no confusion about Jesus’ authority. And I don’t think the spirit at work in Hollywood is confused, either.

If you don’t believe the Bible—if you think it’s just a book of myths—then ask yourself a simpler question:

Why is Jesus the only religious figure whose name becomes a swear word?

There’s no logical reason for profanity to involve the name of a religious figure—unless that figure has a spiritual significance that provokes either reverence or rebellion.

Before becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, I used profanity a lot. Even then, all those years, it never crossed my mind to use the name of someone I love and respect as a curse word—or even in the same sentence as a curse word. No doubt, to use anyone's name in that way shows that you actually hate that person. It's certainly not a sign of love and respect.

John 7:7 records Jesus saying, “The world... hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.” And in John 15:18–21, Jesus says, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

Jesus isn’t just another teacher. He is the Light of the world, and as John 3:19 says, “people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

So when His name is misused in media, it’s not just casual blasphemy. It’s spiritual warfare. The enemy doesn’t attack names that don’t threaten him.

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

That claim is exclusive. And it’s also why His name is targeted.

Apple TV you may not realize it, but you’re making Jesus famous every time you use His name. Not in a good way, but famous nonetheless. And you’re confirming what Scripture said long ago: the world hates Him. Not because He was a myth, but because He is real—and He is Lord.

So here’s my challenge:

If you really want to be fair, respectful, and inclusive, then show Jesus the same respect you show every other religious figure. Or be honest with your viewers—and admit why you don’t.

Because deep down, maybe you know what the demons know. There’s power in the name of Jesus. And no matter how much the world tries to reduce it, that name still saves, still heals, and still makes the darkness tremble.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." —Philippians 2:9–11