I believe this expression makes perfect sense.

If someone can bring out the best in you, for example, scaring you can possibly bring out the worst. That's how I interpret its meaning.

Ohferpetessake... if I yell "Oh Gawd" during sex does that mean he joined us?

Guys, when after taking(!) a leak you shake your d*** off, how do you get it back on?

And why do they call it taking a dump instead of leaving a dump?

Its just like to make holy water you boil the hell out of it.

Is "go to hell" a benevelent platatude as hell is a place of freedom as you are not required to be a worship slave?

Park on the driveway and drive on the parkway. Makes no sense at all. And yes I have used the expression you scared the hell out of me, scared the crap.out of me too!

Personally I use god, hell, Jesus, baby Jesus, damn, satan..along with the some well known four lettered words...in most of my exclamatory sentences. With zero religious connotations. They’re just fun words to me.

Many of our common idioms come from Medieval customs. "It's a red-letter day" came from the 15th century custom of marking all feast and saints' days in red on the ecclesiastical calendar.
Or the 14th century word, "nest egg," is from when farm wives left one egg in each hen's nest when collecting eggs, to encourage the hens to keep laying.

Welcome to one of the peculiarities of the English language.

Here are some more for your amusement:

• Of people and dirty dishes "they do the washing up", but dirty trucks "get a washing down".
• People and timber both "get dressed".
• "Pop goes the weasel".
• You draw up a contract, but you draw down a loan.
• It's okay to forge a friendship, but it's not okay to forge a banknote.

Don't worry about the horse going blind, just load the wagon.

Where I live proper church folks don’t talk that way, only us sinners. What the hell difference does it make?

Listen, not all "religious" expressions are to be taken literally as an abdication of your beliefs. One uses them all the time because they have become colloquial, part of our everyday language, don't even fret if you use terms like oh god, jesus or jesus h christ, or the hell variations, or even bless you when someone sneezes, it's easier and faster than to say gesundheit, and just reflects your civility and politeness than just shutting the fuck up when someone sneezes in front of you, nor will you go to non believer hell if you celebrate christmas, many of us participate notvreligiously but exchanging presents and indulging. My suggestion: chill.

@Caroline

Nobody ever said that to me. Did you jump out suddenly and scare people?

It is kind of like "you scared the shit out of me" they don't actually shit themeselves it is just a saying. they want to get a negative reaction from you without saying they are mad because you scared them. Just my opinion.

I got the Hell scared out of me in 1987. Went to Baptist Church as a Boy who had an alcoholic dad and overbearing mom. I didn't know what was right but i knew that it wasn't my life. I was a gullible boy and the preacher talked about Hell. Well i knew for damn sure i didn't want to go and he talked about i may not live to make it home if i didn't make a decision right now because god may strike you down in your car on the way to your house if you reject him. I mean how can you resist a thought like that. So i did go up and get saved. I did have an emotional experience and things were wonderful for a period after that. However after a short while things went back to normal.

As an adult, i thought about that experience. The more i thought about it the more deceptive i thought it was. Its like dragging someone to a bridge tying them up and then threatening them if they don't ask for forgiveness that you are going to throw them off the bridge. When they do ask for forgiveness you don't throw them off the bridge but you do expect them to thank you for the rest of their lives for not throwing them off the bridge even though they did nothing to deserve being thrown off and it was a situation that you created.

I think it means the experience took away all your arrogance, attitude, "sinful" thoughts, took you off your pedestal, and turned you into a humble, egoless, scared little child.

Calling someone who goes to a lecture an "attendee". He/she should be called an "attender". The lecturer would be the "attendee".

Conversely, when someone exclaims, "You scared the B'Jesus out of me!", does it mean they are no longer Christian? When someone says, "Your boyfriend's a hell of a guy!", does that imply he is diabolical? When it is said that "The devil is in the details", does that mean that no good can come from scrutiny? What about, "That's a damned good hotdog!"? Does that mean goodness is synonymous with being damned?

"you scared the hell out of me?" Excellent catch. Either way, THEY are sure, THEY win.

So, are you now going to surprise everyone? If so, does such not reflect a concern for their souls and well-being? They may misinterpret your motives. Especially those who think as your 2nd example.

But, at least half will be in opposition of whatever is presented.

Please create a second thread where you ask this question, but focus on "you scared the shit out of me." Impatiently awaiting...

It is just a form of expression, doens't mean what it actually says, just that you were startled. How about: "If you don't stop pulling that face the wind will change and it will stay like that."

Maybe Hell and The Bejeezus are actually the same thing.

"Have your cake and eat it too." What the Hell is the cake for?

A game, "is not over till the fat lady sings." Official athletic events start with singing but not end with them. Then there is, "it ain't over till it's over," started by Yogi Berra. (ex Yankee player and hitting coach,) getting cheesy. That only caught on because everybody loved him.

Just another example of insane religious redundant oxymoronic gibberish.....there is no making sense of religionists and their utterances....all religion is fake and ILLOGICAL...."fear gawd" "IN gawd WE TRUST" prEying to the USA flag : " UNDER gawd " ....or in German : " gott MIT UNS " Pinnochio with us ????? Beliefs about religions predictably make no sense.....White House preacher lady is prEying that pregnant women " spontaneously abort Satan's children " .....figure that theocracy out with TrumpOLINI approval and Pence meeting inside the Vatican with the other living pope last week ....Pence was a childhood catholic who converted so some insane anti-abortion protestantism as an adult Rethuglican