This post is PG-13?

Anyway, the Bible says little on the subject of profanity. I'd have to go looking for the few lines that bring it up. :/

As for me, I avoid really bad words 1. to be on the safe side, and 2. because society feels that Christians shouldn't swear. If a Christian swears, it reflects poorly on Christianity. So I keep it clean for the most part.

It took a while for me to figure out what the other "b-word" was.  I'm still not sure if I got it right.

I think it's the intent and not the meaning.  Although, I guess shouting "Sexual intercourse!" when I stub my toe wouldn't have quite as much punch as that other word...

last i checked, the Bible only condemns using the Lord's name in vain... pretty sure that God's name isn't any four-letter word.

If it's the intent that's wrong, what is one supposed to do when say, you smash your finger in a car door?

I always figured the whole "intent" thing was what God cared about.
At some point in the world's history, seemingly ordinary words like "S---" and the f-work turned from casual words to obscenities and I have no clue why.I try not to say things with the wrong intent, but it's really hard in the moment of sudden pain. The bible does only cover using the Lord's name incorrectly... and the other b-word ends in t-a-r-d.

Some verses about speech/obscenities:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."Ephesians 4:29

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."Ephesians 4:31

"Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving."Ephesians 5:4

And i think it's all about the intent. The best think to try to do is to try to contain or "rid of" any negative emotions, or at least practice restraint to not say these words, as they do not benefit anyone or glorify God. Much easier said than done =P.

@misuriver@xanga - Who's talking about harassing anyone?

@misuriver@xanga - To be honest, I don't think I've ever even heard of anyone being harassed for cursing (in the modern day) outside of, say, a church youth group event or a religious private school.  It seems a non-issue.

And considering we're having a hard time finding consensus as to why the words themselves are wrong for ourselves (Christians) to say (as opposed to the emotional outlash itself possibly being wrong), I don't see how anyone who has commented thus far was even addressing taking the issue beyond ourselves (to nonChristians).

i'm not a church leader and i'm not in any ministry, nor is anyone looking up to me other than my friends and family, so i don't think my swearing matters much.

i'm not bothered by my cursing (NYC traffic would drive a saint to swearing) but i don't blaspheme because i don't think that's right. in fact, i wouldn't blaspheme the name of even other people's gods because i think it's disrespectful to them....although i guess using buddha as a swear word would be helpful to some buddhists since some sects are supposed to practice severe non-attachment.

@SeitekiChibiNeko@xanga - I wouldn't blaspheme the names of other's gods either, and it really bothers me that people who don't even believe in God will say something like "Oh my God" which, IMO, should be the start of a prayer (or like in the Jars of Clay song ;) )

When I'm at work I try very hard not to even mutter a curse because there are always children around (I work at a movie theater). But I'm very clumsy, so if I'm talking to someone while making popcorn & I burn myself I say something along the lines of, "Ouch, that was so stupid of me!" It's negative towards myself (but it IS stupid to be near a 470 degree kettle and NOT pay attention to what you're doing) but I don't think there's any "intent" there. 

And what exactly is "intent?" Is it the intent on cursing, the intent on blaspheming God, or something else entirely? Because yes, my intent is on cursing, but I'm not making 'ouch' a curse. I'm saying something aloud as a cry out in pain, but instead of screaming I'm just saying a word that describes how I feel & that is appropriate to say around young children.

I don't think cursing (outside of using God's name in vain) would be bad if the world didn't make it bad. That being said, saying those words does offend some people and it is against some people's religious or personal beliefs. Maybe someone can help me find the exact verse, but the Bible talks about how what is a sin for one person may not be a sin for another, but just because it's a sin to my friend and not to me, does not mean I should tempt my friend to participate in that activity because it IS a sin for him/her. So I avoid cursing because it is offensive to some people and could cause them to sin, even though I don't believe the act on its own is bad. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the heart behind it too, thankfully I don't have to make judgements on the heart behind actions. lol So I guess my direct answer to the question would be no I don't curse, but I don't think it could be labelled as "bad" either. 

We should also consider the FTC: You could get a hefty fine if you use some of those words in public broadcast media in the U.S.  So it's not just religious folks who have their knickers in a twist over this issue.

The best explanation I've heard-- which I readily admit is an extremely poor explanation-- is that these kinds of words are offensive because they are taboo, and they are taboo (of course) because they are offensive. Classic example is the word "bl**dy" in the UK: there's nothing particularly offensive about blood, but the word as an interjection is considered about as taboo as the f-bomb. (Which I believe they do allow on British TV, however.) In short, it's taboo for no other reason than it offends people, and it offends people mainly because it's so taboo.  Which makes hardly any sense at all, but is the best explanation I've seen so far.

(I'm considering obscenity, not profanity-- I think it should be fairly obvious why many people would take offense when religious terms, e.g. the names of G-d and Jesus, are used as curse words. Personally, I'm vastly more offended by "J---- C-----!" than by "F--- you!" On the other hand, is "Holy Cow" really that offensive to Hindus? I never heard any complaints about Harry Caray from Chicago's Hindu community.)

ChrisRusso offers a very tantalizing possibility in contrasting Anglo-Saxon with Latinate terms-- Saxon words are characteristically short, sharp, colorful, and direct, whereas Latinate words tend to sound like obfuscations to English-speakers. Perhaps it's the sound of the words, or perhaps some reflection of ancient ethnic tensions between the coarse peasant Saxons and the more "refined" Normans.  On the other hand, we'd have to ask why words like s*** and f*** are vulgar, while "muck" (which means the same as one, and sounds the same as the other, and is equally Saxon) is perfectly fine. 

I give up.