Swearing

[Stephen]

If I hear someone swear, I automatically assume that they are either a carnal Christian or not a Christian at all. As for what's a swear and what's not, I believe that anything that is...how do I put this...abbreviated, such as "F-word" and "S-word", is a swear. For example, "s***" is abbreviated as "S-word" while "poop" is not abbreviated at all. Nobody writes p*** when speaking about poop.

Its the intention of your heart that matters more. Jesus taught that if you hate a man, you have already killed him. Thus, hating someone is sin. To say the word poop...is not different then saying sh*t. Because in your heart you have already said it.

[Debitt]

I've had a bit of a problem with swearing, 100% honest. I don't use "vulgar" words unless I'm angry or frustrated, but I swear nontheless. I suppose it's a bit hypocritical of me, then, to say that I dislike hearing people using profanity so flippantly, especially when rude words start filling up holes in an already shaky vocabulary. I'm trying to wean myself off of using profanity when I get upset, though. ^^; Hopefully I'll be able to stop that habit.

When I hear people swear once or twice it doesn't really strike me that they're "not a good Christian" or "unsaved." It just strikes me as a bad habit that someone has. Everyone has a stumbling block or a problem, whether it be swearing or a porn addiction or dishonesty, etc. I really don't think it's fair of us to judge one's heart so quickly. Yes, we should be reflecting God in all our actions, and therefore we should abstain from vulgarities. However, judging someone based solely on a swear that comes out of their mouths, I think, is just as bad as swearing.

And on another somewhat offtopic note: Profanity, when used sparingly in writing, is something that isn't at all offensive in my eyes. For example, if there's a villain, I don't think it would be fitting for him to suddenly exclaim "Oh golly gee, foiled again!" If it fits with the character, and if it's used only to express extreme emotion (rage, sorrow, etc.) then profanity can (at times) be used effectively and artistically as a method of characterization. (though I do, at times, substitue a rude word with "he swore" or something to that effect)

[Mr. SmartyPants]

i assume there are multiple ways looking at it. But ive thought of this possible one

society has laws, some laws are such like "dont murder!" or "dont steal" and such, and they happen to be the same as Gods law. If societys law went against Gods law, then we should follow Gods law, capice?

Now, the bible says that we should follow our country's law "blah blah blah cesears coin whatever"

now society says that "oh nos you said the f-word, its taboo!" so maybe we shouldn't say it, even if its for a humorous way"

The pharisees said "thou shall not kill" Jesus said "don't even be ANGRY at people"

maybe when society says "don't be angry and say bad words" maybe we should consider "don't say taboo words at all?"

[Fsiphskilm]

well

[Myoti]

And when I say the word Frickin, or Fudge, I'm not trying to use a substitute for F***. I like the words Frickin and Fudge because they're funny and innoscent.

Ditto that.

Most people I hear cussing, like at my school, weren't brought up the same way I was. When I came back to public school after being homeschooled, I was freake dout by the constant usage of it. But now I try to shrug it off, sometimes giving hints to people I'm offended by it if they're my friends.
Christians shouldn't shouldn't cuss not because it's a bad word, but because it's showing the lost that we're not much better than they are. If you were around other Christians and you cussed, you'd generally would catch yourself and apologize for it. So why don't many Christian cussers do this around others? Becuase they want to be accepted. They don't want to take the time to try pull they're unsaved friends up, so they just decide to drop down to their level.
I'll be honest and say I have cussed on accident, but I caught myself and haven't done it since. So, if you're a Chirstian you may accidently say it, but you need to realize it and try your best to avoid situations that could bring it up again. If you tolerate it once, you're likely to do it again.

[ShiroiHikari]

because it's showing the lost that we're not much better than they are.

now wait a minute. who says we are better than "the lost"? that's simply not true. everybody's a sinner, everybody's human, but we Christians are at least trying to live right. we attempt to serve our Lord and recognize His sacrifice, and accept his forgiveness. most of "the lost" don't care and choose to reject Him. that's the only difference. this kind of attitude is what turns people off to Christianity. we are not "better people" than they are. different perhaps, but not better.

[Kaligraphic]

The pharisees said "thou shall not kill" Jesus said "don't even be ANGRY at people"

maybe when society says "don't be angry and say bad words" maybe we should consider "don't say taboo words at all?"

The Law of Moses said "Thou shalt not kill" - Jesus was simply explaining the meaning of that law.

The F-word is considered vulgar because it comes from (IIRC) Dutch, which was "lower" than the aristocratic tongue (not "The King's English"). Same reason you have a sheep when it's alive, but once it's dead, it's mutton (mouton) - sheep is English, mouton is French. (France at one time ruled England, so the French got to rename a bunch of foods.) There's nothing wrong with sheep, but if you brought sheep (meat) to the table, you were uncouth and vulgar - people of any class ate mutton/mouton.

There's a big difference between cussing and cursing.

Cussing is simply the use of certain words. From my studies of the Bible, I have no reason to believe that God F*ing cares about cussing. I've found that many people hear the "don't cuss" bit and think "well so much for me, I'm outta here." It actually shocks some people to find out that I'm a Christian who isn't phased by their language. (Seriously, Jesus came as a man to build common ground - not to make artificial separations and call random things impure. To say that the words that I use could ever make me impure would be an insult and an affront to the purity that I have in Christ.)

Cursing is what God doesn't like. He went to the effort of getting rid of the curse, and now you're throwing around new ones? Saying seriously to someone "You're an idiot." is a curse, even though it's perfectly "clean" language. Saying "You're quite an odd f***er." isn't.

As far as vulgarity goes, the word vulgar come from Latin. It simply means common - as in, of the masses. I myself don't tend to cuss a lot - but not because there's anything wrong with cussing - simply because I tend to be around a lot of people who don't tend to swear. Common language creates a bond - you can usually get close to a spaniard a lot faster speaking Spanish, or to a german speaking German. If you are talking to a white, high-society socialite from New England, addressing them as "dawg" would create confusion. On the streets of LA, however, it could create rapport. (well, depends on who you're talking to/to whom you are speaking.)

And because it's related:

*** Now talking in #christian
-Word_of_God- Welcome Abstruse to #christian I am a Bible Bot. For more info type: /msg Word_of_God !info
<Abstruse> !kjv numbers 22:21
<Word_of_God> Numbers 22:21 -- And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ***, and went with the princes of Moab. - (KJV)
*** SageRider sets mode: +b *!*@c211-30-208-111.rivrw3.nsw.optusnet.com.au
*** Word_of_God was kicked from #christian by SageRider (Please dont Swear)
<Abstruse> I know I'm never going to be able to come back in this channel again after this, but d**n was it worth it to see that...

[Hephzibah]

now wait a minute. who says we are better than "the lost"? that's simply not true. everybody's a sinner, everybody's human, but we Christians are at least trying to live right. we attempt to serve our Lord and recognize His sacrifice, and accept his forgiveness. most of "the lost" don't care and choose to reject Him. that's the only difference. this kind of attitude is what turns people off to Christianity. we are not "better people" than they are. different perhaps, but not better.

Personally, I think what Myoti was saying was that we are called to be lights, shining His glory. When we swear (or commit other sins for that matter), we aren't doing that. The world sees that as hypocrasy, and why should they be interested in a 'religion' that preaches one thing but does another?

[Fireproof]

I've produced a new system to deal with swearing. Replace the swearword in question with "smurf." It's workin' great so far.

[Ingemar]

>Replace the swearword in question with "smurf." It's workin' great so far

OOOOOkayyyyy.

I won't lie to you--I drop Fbombs in my day to day life. I've even said bad words to my folks (though I never went as far as calling them by those bad words). I know that there are better, cleverer ways to get a point across (and more polite may I add), but I just can't help it. Is it wrong to think that a string of four letter words is theraputic?

Though I wish to clean up my language, I can't help but admire some cussers. Some of them do their job so eloquently.

[Doubleshadow]

I don't cuss and I don't use cover up words either. There are too many verses out there for me to think that cussing (different from cursing) is allowable. Maybe it isn't a big deal, but every little decision we make will push us towards Christ or away because you either made one that honors Him or one that doesn't. My rule of thumb is: if you have to give it too much thought, don't do it. Walking with Christ isn't a line you don't cross, it is a direction you take. Maybe what is filthy language is is nothing more than an arbitrary cultural definition, but since both my mom and I have known people who told us they knew we were Christians because we didn't cuss, I would say avoiding certain words is still a good witness and therefore something to at least attempt.

[oro!]

Cussing personally bothers me, but that's just 'cause I sorta visualize it when they say the f word and hurts me when they use the d word so loosely. Do you nkow what power that holds? Whether someone lives with God forever or is tormented by His lack of prescense, among other things. The equivalent to crap isn't that bad, but it still irritates me.
You see, the school I come from, everyone cusses. And especially after school, it seems like they want to use the cuss words as many times as they can just to show how cool they are and WHAT a rebel. I just sorta want to cuss them out, but that would not be a good witness.
Sure, I have slipped up, but I have made a commitment not to.

[Nate]

I've produced a new system to deal with swearing. Replace the swearword in question with "smurf." It's workin' great so far.

You know, if I wasn't so sure it would get deleted by an admin or a mod, I would SO put that scene from Family Guy here.

[Rogie]

Think of it this way: if you say that you're a Christian and you're cussing and using those words, are you truly representing Christ on this earth? Although it may be a 90's cliche, would Jesus use those words or that language?

A personal example. I never cuss or use any foul language. That doesn't necessarily say that I'm a Christian, but it doesn't say that I'm not a Christian, either. I was in an interpersonal communication class one day and we were reading role-play skits regarding conflicts. A part in my role contained a minor curse. When I got to the word, I simply read over it, causing the room to erupt with such things as "aaaw, man!", "I thought he was going to say one of those for once!", etc. The teacher apologized to me after class and said that she didn't mean to offend me because I was a Christian. She didn't know it up until then, but my refusal to say the word spoke volumes and actually witnessed to others. See, it's a good thing!

Also, regardless of society's role in making some words bad and others not, should we not just go with society's definitions of vulgar language to prevent confusion in the lost? And I agree: what's the big deal in using these words? Why use them at all; they're quite pointless, especially when the English language is filled with a broad and diverse range of word choices.

Get creative and increase your vocabulary beyond 4-letter words! (I feel like I'm leading a movement with that last sentence... )

[Mr. SmartyPants]

[quote="rogie_san"]Think of it this way: if you say that you're a Christian and you're cussing and using those words, are you truly representing Christ on this earth? Although it may be a 90's cliche, would Jesus use those words or that language?

A personal example. I never cuss or use any foul language. That doesn't necessarily say that I'm a Christian, but it doesn't say that I'm not a Christian, either. I was in an interpersonal communication class one day and we were reading role-play skits regarding conflicts. A part in my role contained a minor curse. When I got to the word, I simply read over it, causing the room to erupt with such things as "aaaw, man!", "I thought he was going to say one of those for once!", etc. The teacher apologized to me after class and said that she didn't mean to offend me because I was a Christian. She didn't know it up until then, but my refusal to say the word spoke volumes and actually witnessed to others. See, it's a good thing!

Also, regardless of society's role in making some words bad and others not, should we not just go with society's definitions of vulgar language to prevent confusion in the lost? And I agree: what's the big deal in using these words? Why use them at all]


i would have to agree with rogie, i don't recall Jesus ever using any sort of vulgar language... wether in a light-hearted fashion or not

[Azier the Swordsman]

Agreed..... despite my beliefs about cursing (I don't believe the usage of certain words is a sin) I still make it a point to never curse. This often serves as a silent witness to those around me, people are often surprised when they are around me and I don't curse.

Now... I'm not perfect, and occasionally I've let a word or two slip out on accident, when I was alone or really ticked, but for the most part, swearing is one thing I'm more cautious about; as I personally feel it falls into the 'stumbling block' rule, and I wouldn't want to be a stumbling block for other Christians who have even stronger convictions than me, or even unsaved people I hope to witness to.

As for hearing it, it doesn't bother me as long as it's not taking God's name in vain.

[Maledicte]

It actually shocks some people to find out that I'm a Christian who isn't phased by their language.

I know the feeling. When I tell them I'm a Christian, they seem to expect me to start preaching at them on how they speak. Now I may be a preacher's daughter, but I don't think I could go that far....and besides, it's not their language that's condemning them, it's their sin, so I shouldn't be so uptight about how they speak anyway.

Though I wish to clean up my language, I can't help but admire some cussers. Some of them do their job so eloquently.

I can't help but agree.

However, I myself very rarely cuss and make it a point not to do so, and I don't like hearing excessive amounts of it when there is no reason for such words to be said.(like those annoying guys in that booth at Del Taco...) Like rogie-san said, expand your vocabulary. Intelligence (and your testimony, in my opinon) lasts longer than being "in" or "cool".

[termyt]

Certain words are defined by our culture as being vulgar but I seriously doubt any word can be considered obscene.

As Kaligraphic pointed out, vulgar originally basically meant common or ordinary and thus unsuitable for the upper class. The working class generally did what was vulgar all of the time, or it would not have been labeled so.

That said, words are words. Whether I use the f-bomb or not, if I improperly proposition a young lady with suggestions of improper behavior, then I am being obscene. The f-bomb would just be a more succinct why of expressing myself.

It is far more important to consider the intent then the actual words. Moses relied “Thou shall not kill,â€

[John316]

maybe when society says "don't be angry and say bad words" maybe we should consider "don't say taboo words at all?"

I don't think that's a good way to go about it. Society currently says "you have to be thin to be attractive as a female," should we then consider "starve ourselves to skin and bones?" By that line of thinking?

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

I know that people are focusing specifically on the very last part of this quote, but aren't we missing what is truly important here? I don't think this is a technical verse in the sense that it's telling us that we're simply not allowed to say certain words, but that we're not supposed to let anger, rage, malice, slander guide our speech and thus generate "filthy language" from our lips.

It's not the words themselves that make language filthy, it's how and why you use them. I can write up some pretty stingingly hateful prose that is full of malice and slander without using a single "swear" word, and also casually say "Oh that was a <s-word for "crappy"> movie" without any kind of evil or malicious intent.

What bothers me is when people use "replacement" swear-words like "fudge." I know you mean no harm by it, but what you meant would have been exactly the same had you used the original equivalent, and both would have been harmless but for the fact that the originals are deemed to be somehow "defined" to be unspeakable.

Also, I believe there is a town in Austria whose name is the 4-letter f-word followed by "ing", surely we don't think that this town is automatically filthy for choosing a name that, while benign in their language, happens to be considered filthy by some of us?

Remember the bible doesn't say which words specifically are considered "filthy." I believe it's far more important to heed the message of not hurting others with your speech with malice or anger, rather than focusing on removing words completely for "filthiness" based on our own emotions and desires. In my eyes, to do so would be spiritually petty.