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Cuss Words/ Profanity

Cuss Words

Almost all of us have done it at least once.  We have said a word that is “bad” we have said one of those words that comes out in anger or in pain or in excitement.  A word that the culture we are in today knows as a cuss word.  You can’t watch commercials or even some kids movies anymore without hearing at least one or two of them.  There seems to be a scale of words too – some of them aren’t as bad as others so they are permissible for our children to hear and repeat? 

My husband, the scholar that he is, always says that it isn’t necessarily the word that you use; it is the way that you use it.  So I could be talking about a female dog used for breeding purposes and the “b” word wouldn’t be considered bad.  But when you call someone this term, it turns bad.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, I can stub my toe and in pain yell, “Fudge” and that is like saying a cuss word.  He really does have a point.  The term for donkey is used in the Bible.  Besides that, you never really know how bad that word is until you hear it from the mouth of your child.  Personally, I have said “oh my gosh” plenty of times, but hearing it from the mouth of my 2 year old (now 3) made me think about the way that I express myself. 

Now – one of the 10 commandments is specifically not to use the Lord’s name in vain.  God is a holy name, it is a name that is to be revered and respected and adored, not used in a way that expresses shock or grossness or anything other than reverence.  It specifically says in Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”  So the only time that we should utter “Oh My God,” should be when we are going to address him. 

I looked up profanity and the Bible and I found this.  There is no way that I could put it in better terms so I wanted to share it with you:

This is from http://erlc.com/article/christians-and-profanity-what-does-the-bible-say/
What is profanity? The word profane literally means “outside the temple.” The term originally identified people or things that were secular as opposed to religious. The proliferation of profanity in American culture indicates secularization and an attack on Christian values. Media ratings of movies, music and videos continue to use language as a criterion, but standards of censorship on public airwaves are clearly eroding.
Profanity is used for shock value in expressing anger and humor. The words often are associated with sexuality and filth. Names of the Deity are used to bring additional potency and irreverence to the expressions. It is worth noting in our politically correct culture that the blasphemous use of the names of God and Jesus Christ are not regarded as “hate speech.”
The Bible recognizes the power of words. God spoke His creation into existence, and the gift of speech is one aspect of man’s creation in the image of God (Gen. 2:19-20). In the revelation of God’s law, words as well as actions are assigned moral values. Lying, blasphemy, taking the Lord’s name in vain, and cursing are examples of sinful speech forbidden in the Mosaic Law.

The New Testament also commands believers to be pure in speech by controlling their tongues: “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way” (James 3:9-10). Christians should honor the purpose of speech by using our mouths to praise God and leading others to obey the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ. Every word we speak should be “gracious” and “seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6). We should always ask, “What would Jesus say?”
Christians are called upon to live differently and to act differently than the world of unbelievers. I do not need to speak profanity to win a cursing unbeliever anymore than I need to drink alcohol to win an alcoholic. The words of Scripture have all the potency and power we need to reach the heart of the lost.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

I echo that prayer and pray that my words and my speech will be pleasing and acceptable to God today and everyday. 

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