Friday, 28 August 2009
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Cursing...Just Do It?
You know, I really think that Christians should swear more often. I really honestly think it would help with our witness. Now, you are free to disagree with me. But this is something that has been on my mind a lot lately with the election. Too many Christians are posting blog messages or facebook status messages that contain words like "freakin" "geez" "darn" and "gosh"All of those words are referred to as a "minced oath" or pseudo-profanity. The trouble with a minced oath, is that everyone around you knew what you wanted to say. Your heart is clear, you chose to cover it up and lie by using another word. You chose to make your words smell good, by putting perfume on the manure pile that is swearing, by using a more "accepted" word. The only problem, is that because it smells better, you have possibly convinced yourself that it is ok. But it is not. God wants us to be honest. God told us not to lie, and to be upfront and honest. a minced oath, may smell better, but it is still a pile of manure. Instead of a "safe" word, why not try cleaning out the heart, and figuring out why you wanted to swear to begin with?
Personally, I would rather you just swear and get it over with. Sure a minced oath, might sound better. But I would have more respect for you if you just did it outright and be honest with everyone on your intentions.
P.S. I realize that I used the singular "you" but this post was not addressed to any one person in particular, however, if you feel guilty, feel free to repent.
To curse or not to curse? That is the question. Thoughts?
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- From: ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake@xanga
- Name: ProudToBeAChristianFruitc
- About Me: The name for this site was taken from a conversation where someone told me that all christians were crazy and were fruitcakes. I figured if he is correct then I am proud to be a christian fruitcake.
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Comments (71)
You see now you're saying something I've been saying for years now.
I find that the stigma against profanity in general is not backed up by any sort of Biblical truth. True, the Bible does say that everything that leaves your lips should be glorifying to God (or something along those lines), but I think that was more of a general guideline than a mandate. I'm pretty sure we can all agree we don't spend every waking breath praising God, and cutting out modern-day profanity tends to only make what could be a serious situation sound childish.
Thoughts.
Based on what we consider 'acceptable conversation', we may have conditioned ourselves to say "gosh darn it" instead of "goddammit".
You sound really stupid swearing a blue streak just because you're losing on the video game. (the growling from my chair watching Mario die for the 20th time was...fierce.) Especially when you're playing with a 15yo and a 9yo.
Very shortly, someone will post a comment concerning whether cursing counts as edifying conversation.
The Bible teaches against profanity...period.
@Romans_837@xanga - edifying conversation is a good topic :)
props. curse away. (okay as long as you have other vocabularity as well).
The thing about profanity is that what is considered "profane" by one culture or generation may not be by another. It's all in the meaning and what point "cursing" is used to enhance. When the Bible talks about "edifying conversation", the first thing that comes to mind is not to gossip or backstab etc. In fact, swearing could be part of edifying conversation if it is used by people who know each other well, are in a relationship of accountability, and need to be honest. As long as it's not condemning (cursing), then I think profanity is fine. People will be less hung up in general on the fact that you swore than if you were to sound like a mindless idiot who can't think of anything better to say than "fudge"!!
As long as we remember there's a time and a place for everything.
In front of a crapload of first graders is NOT it.
@proudmom87@xanga - that's an interpretation to a verse you've applied. It never explicitly says to not use profanity, just things that people often choose to associate with profanity.
The bible itself contains what would have been considered cuss words for its day (Paul uses the word "skubalon" which is often translated "rubbish" but means "human excrement." Technically, to by pass all kind wording, the proper translation of the word is sh*t).
The point about focusing on what it is that makes you want to swear is a good one.
I used to yell at inanimate objects if they didn't cooperate. My then-wife helped me see the pointlessness of that. Road rage went by the wayside in my late 30s. Getting really pissed off at unreasonable bosses got (mostly) dealt with in my late 40s. Now I need to stop cursing things that get lost, my mistakes, and ping-pong misses. And the Quality Control program director who had a conversation with a puppet during the training seminar last week.
how about just being a responsible person and not cursing because there is a public stigma attached to it and it is generally accepted as inappropriate for public use (not just by those nerdy Bible believers). I don't know, maybe that's a good enough reason not to swear.
on one hand, i think that swearing makes you sound less intelligent.
on the other, it doesn't really matter what words you use....... the intent is there, no matter what. and it's the intent that does harm. words by themselves are meaningless.
Matthew 19 16-20Jesus replied,
"You, too? Are you being willfully stupid? Don't you know that anything
that is swallowed works its way through the intestines and is finally
defecated? But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart.
It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing.
Perhaps we need to start with the heart rather than simply looking to the mouth?
x
My father has set me a pretty good example-- I have been working on living up to it for 23 years; I have never heard him say a cuse word, a psuedo cuse word, or even an expression of extreme frustration, lol. The most I have heard him say is when he gashed his hand on a nail and said "ouch".
I have a tremendous amount of respect for him because of this; the scriptures tell us to live self-controled lives. Unfortunately I still have a lot of work to do to get to this point in my life-- but fortunately he claims (though I'm not sure I believe him) that he wasn't always like that. So, supposedly, there is hope for me.
As far as the post-- "just do it". No-- you don't just toss out what God says and do what you want to do. People who are seeking to justify their life styles have tried to manipulate the scriptures to say that it is ok to use profanity but the fact of the matter is we're to live Godly, self-controled lives, as James said, bridling our tongues so that we are not consumed by it's raging fire.
Lieing, profanity, gossip, malicious speech, etc, they're all the same. Just don't do it.
I curse all the fucking time. :)
The first job is to define cursing.
Is my grandmother cursing when she says "I need to go take a shit?"
I do not consider that cursing. What makes that any worse then if she would say that she needs to go have a bowl movement?
I myself do not allow people to curse in the comments of my blog (at times I let some questionable things stay). there are a few reasons for that.
1. It offends many of my readers and causes them not to take what the person said seriously even if they may have a good point
2. It can quickly raise the anger level of comments and cause people to attack each other
3. It can cause people to sound stupid and uneducated if they believe that they need to throw in a swear word almost every other word.
Many times that people swear it is totally unnecessary and is just idle speech.
When you say "darn" instead of "damn" and so on, you mean it in the exact same way. I think much of censorship really isn't censorship, in fact. But that's a slightly different subject.
Yes we're to be real and honest, but we are also supposed to control ourselves in our actions and words. Self-control, respect in what exits our mouths. I say use neither the sub "tame versions" of cuss words nor the real deal ones, but if you are, you might as well use the original real McCoys. Cursing demonstrates a lack of vocabulary, in many cases. And when overused, loses its effects.
@Lil_Firefly_25@xanga - Yah Me too. I like cursing. It's honest and as long as your smart about using it then I think it's fine.
p
Oh and I forgot there is plenty of cursing in the bible, people, lands, crops, u name it there is a great deal of cursing and stuff going on. Calling someone "Raca" was considered worse than calling someone an ahole.
p
A good vocabulary means not having to use profanity.
I completely agree. I know that some people will bring up the "edifying conversation" statement from the Bible, but when we look at it, aren't we all guilty of having our speech not always fall into that category of edification? Whether we're putting someone down, complaining about work, or cursing, it's all the same. I would rather curse (sparingly) and get out the frustration and anger, than to bottle it up. It's not doing anyone any good.
I grew up Christian and therefore did not curse, and even though I'm no longer a Christian, I still choose not to curse. It simply does not sound ladylike, and I don't wish to be viewed that way. I would rather sound more dignified than to have to resort to cursing.
While full-blown cursing would make for clearer and more emphatic communication, it has the addition effect of affecting perception of the speaker.
A clean-speaking Christian really does seem different from a foul-mouthed Christian.
Personally, I get ruffled (don't read "pissed") when people attack external behaviors instead of addressing the heart.
Words aren't "manure" (you could also have said, oh I don't know, a couple of other words; we know what you meant); attitudes are.
C wut I did thar? 8D
The title "Cursing Just do it" is from the folks at revelife. I don't actually advocate cursing, as much as I am trying toget you to look at your heart and clean that out.
Neither is ok... the Bible says let your yes be yes and your no be no. I'm disappointed with a lot of people here on Xanga because of their profanity, but then again, I want to keep the focus on what I am doing, and not everyone else. I choose to lead by example, and I don't bash them for swearing.