To $&^#$ or Not To *&*#^@
8:56 AM Edit This 10 Comments »
As a child, did you ever get your mouth washed out with soap? Can't say that I ever did.....but that doesn't mean I didn't get punished in some other way for saying a "dirty word"....which brings me to the topic of my post for the day. What exactly is a DIRTY WORD? What classifies it as such and who determines which words are taboo and which ones are bearable...God, your parents, or possibly even your own conscience? I have to say that I've thought about this a time or two and I have yet to reach a conclusion that I am comfortable with. I definitely stay away from the obvious four letter words, but what about the derrivatives of those words? By saying frickin', shoot, darn, or crap...are you still in the danger zone? Worse yet, by accepting these words are we desensitizing the next generation to the actual root words? Being the wild woman that I am (not), I tend to err on the side of caution and stay away from all "dirty words" and TRY to do the same for their derrivitives. Unfortunately, it is so easy to use them when explaining something or trying to place emphasis on an emotion. Lately I have felt that using those words is a sign of intellectual laziness and I'm trying to get away from it. As there are both Christians and Non-Christians that frequent my blog, I know that there will be a lot of different opionions on this topic. Let me know what they are..........PS: Here are some applicable articles I found on the net for more info. (Disclaminer: Just because I'm putting them on here doesn't necessarily mean that I agree with what the author is saying. Also, be forewarned that the very words we are talking about are used in these articles!) Click on these Cussing and Expletive Diluted. If you would like to read up more, just go do a search for "Ethics of Cussing" or something similar.
10 comments:
Sarah-
Did you know that in Philippians 3:8, when Paul wrote, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.." that the actual word Paul chose for "rubbish" in the original language translates in today's language into s***? But Bible translators didn't seem to think that was appropriate...
I like Tony Campolo's stance on the issue. He's famous for saying to crowds full of Christians, "ten thousand people around the world are going to die today of starvation, and you don't give a sh**. The sad thing is, you're more concerned with the fact that I just said 'sh**' than you are that 10,000 people are going to die today."
I'm not necessarily trying to endorse using "dirty words." But I do think Christians sometimes tend to make too big a deal about it. I agree with what you say about being a sign of intellecutal laziness. But I do think that sometimes they can have their place to make a powerful statement (if used with the right attitude).
Another example is from the pastor of the church I went to in SC. One Sunday he was going off on hypocricy and said, "You call yourselves Christians and then go out and do whatever the h*** you want to do." He said that he was NOT sorry for saying it, that the behavior he was describing came straight from Hell, and was turning people away from Christ. You could have heard a pin drop. I guarantee that if he had used the word "heck", the point would not have come across even half as strong.
Just my thoughts...
I fully agree that you can definitely use choice words to bring a point home. Unfortunately, that isn't what we as a society usually use them for. It's pretty rare that I hear those words used in the context that you just mentioned, but they really made all the difference in the circumstaces you brought up. I still maintain that if we use them frequently (as seems to be the trend), people will become desensitized to them and then they won't even be effective in the ministry situations you mentioned. Right? Great thoughts Laura.... keep em coming! (it helps me exercise my brain and actually think about what I believe....imagine that!)
Eagerly awaiting comments from SOMEONE.....ANYONE? Is anyone even reading this thing? Or did I just pick a totally uninteresting topic to post about?
Well...during MY childhood I actually got to the place where my mom would give me "the look" and I'd go soap my OWN mouth. I didn't say bad words, though....so this story doesn't really apply. Write something about being a smart aleck and I'll comment on that... :)
I think I remember witnessing your mom getting her mouth washed out with soap for calling me a nasty.... when we were in our younger years. Oh..wait a minute. Thay was me that got the mouth-washing... (for calling her a doody-head)
Hey, sis. I thought I’d finally get around to responding to your little question. I’m only a month behind!!
As far as who determines what “bad” words are, I think it’s culture; certainly not God (after all, the Bible is written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek…you really can’t even spell our dirty words in their language, not to mention the fact that their foul words were of a totally different vocabulary than ours). Our Western, English-speaking culture decided, long ago, what words are socially inappropriate, and what words aren’t. Our parents are merely teaching us about society and culture, and good manners, when they teach us what words are inappropriate and what ones aren’t. And in time, new words will be invented, and society will judge some of them inappropriate as well…and some old foul words might have new meanings and usages which will become socially acceptable in time. Language is always changing!
But what’s God’s involvement? Well, I don’t think God cares so much about what sounds come out of our mouth, but he does care about the condition of our hearts. I can teach a baby a swear word, but if he doesn’t know what it means, is he really swearing when he says it? It’s obviously much more than what sounds come out of our mouths.
Paul wrote, “and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks,” (Eph 5:4). That’s the only place I can remember the Bible ever getting close to talking specifically about “cussing.” Even then, he’s not talking about specific words; it seems he’s talking about the over-all nature of our conversation. I think gossip or slander could fit in this category just as much as the “F-bomb.” Rather, we are to temper all our speech with thanksgiving for the gospel. After all, Christ did say, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart,” (Lk 6:45). Paul is describing what a pure heart “sounds” like, rather than trying to give us rules. We don’t change our behavior, and hope our heart follows. Our heart changes, by the grace of God, and our behavior falls in line without much effort or thought. First things first!
When it comes to using words that our culture has labeled “cuss” words, I think what’s most important is 1) is our heart pure in the midst of speaking? and 2) will anybody be unnecessarily offended by what I’m about to say? We certainly don’t want to offend anybody just because we’re careless, and we don’t want to be speaking out of anger, or discussing things about bathroom and/or sexual activity in foolish ways and at foolish times. So I think, in theory, a person can drop several of our four-letter friends in the right company and in the right way and be totally innocent of any wrong-doing. Rather than make lists of what words are G, PG, PG-13, etc, let’s get to the root of the problem.
We have to remember, the Christian life isn’t about rules and regulations, but rather about the condition and meditations of the heart. I’m not saying you’re doing this, but a lot of people think Christianity is about behavior. However, the Bible’s pretty clear, it’s a pure heart the Lord is seeking…even if our behavior is “good,” Christ knows the truth; “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do,” (Heb 4:12-13). And of course, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” (Mt 5:8).
Keep up the hard thinking! Love ya, and have a great day.
Thanks for the info, Jerm. I understand what you're saying. Though this isn't a hugely important subject to me, I feel torn by it. I think being nit-picky about words is tiring and silly but I also care a lot about how Non-Christians perceive me as a Christian. You're right that curse words are society-based, but society is made up of a lot of Non-Christians. So, if I'm cussing and a Non-Christian overhears me....does that affect my witness? As you said, it totally depends on what group of people you are talking to, but who's to say that Joe-Schmoe in the next cubicle won't hear you? We've all (or at least I have) been caught in the act of saying something we shouldn't. I understand and agree with what you said about the root of your heart being what counts. My worry is that people won't take the time to see the quality of my heart if they hear something THEY think doesn't reflect a good heart. Okay, I'm starting to not make sense to myself any more....must stop typing.
Right, which is why we have to be very careful in our speech and actions! Good stuff.
Love ya! BTW...Did you get my voicemail the other day?
Yup. I was actually home, but didn't hear the cell ring. I can't ever find good times to call! Weekends seem to be my best bet, but sometimes they are overrun with other stuff. Will try this weekend!
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