If you are the kind of person that thinks we should never criticize others words or actions, then do not read any further. But this has been on my chest for a long time.
The Bible says at Ephesians 4:29,31: “Let a rotten saying not proceed of your mouth, but whatever saying is good for building up as the need be, that it may impart what is favourable to the hearers. Let all malicious bitterness and anger and wrath and screaming and abusive speech be taken away from you along with all badness.”
So to me, swearing, cursing and using bad language do not contribute to a better, freer world. Instead, crude language generally pollutes our mental and spiritual environment, like trash left on the beach or garbage left laying around in the woods
To give you a better idea why I feel the way I do about swearing and course language, please allow me provide you a little background…. When I was very young, I knew virtually nothing about “bad words”, then when, I did hear them, on rare occasions, I did not learn what they meant until many years later. I must confess, regretfully, I did see considerable displays of anger and impatience from certain quarters. … but not bad language. Mom was and still is a very reasonable and patient person. She has always been very strong emotionally. Despite a popular myth to the contrary, I grew up with the impression that women are usually more logical, understanding, intelligent and honest than men. Be that as it may, there is no denying that women are more patient than men.
To my mind, it takes brains to be patient. I have always been able to get along better with women, and so I’ve had more women friends. Though I have always had a few special men friends, it has only been in the recent years that I have been accumulating men friends with more appreciation. However, my views of women have not changed, and men ARE generally more impatient. Although Impatience is definitely not the only basic cause for swearing and rough language, it is a primary one. Impatience and anger are blood brothers, and bad language usually goes along with them. Mom got upset quite often, or would lose her patience at times, or even get mad, but she very rarely used bad words or became unreasonable. She taught us to learn to choose our words carefully, to express ourselves in a meaningful way. She was a Lady and she spoke and acted like one.
Anyway, the first swear words that I heard were the “simple” damn, and “hell”. “Hell” still triggers very unpleasant feelings in me. That is because it conjures up scenes and memories of people who were impatient and angry. It still makes me shudder whenever I hear someone say “hell”, not due to its proposed significance, but because of my own recollections of the times when it was used. To me, the word has an association with extreme impatience. … Even if “hell” to a JW, is only the common grave where the dead are unconscious awaiting a resurrection, still it is an awful thing to say to anyone: “go to hell!” or “he can go to hell as far as I am concerned”. It is even more terrible if you really believe that “hell” is a literal place of torment from a supernatural and everlasting fire.
I have better reasons not to swear, but I have always thought I have enough difficulties in speaking English to spend my time and energy swearing. Ironically, there are certain people who always think I am swearing when I am not. I know many handicapped people who swear and use rough language. I must say it annoys one even more to hear that type of language from the disabled than those who are not. Why? …
First of all; Religious persons should know better. Those who are not, you would suppose that they avoid using religious terms as much as possible. To use “God” and “Jesus” as constant interjections are very hard for me to fathom. For example, some who consider themselves very religious, will often look with disdain on those who do not live by a strict moral code. Yet whenever they are expressing their disgust at someone or something, they say “God!” “Jesus!”. Why? What is their purpose? Some who read this are going to offer the excuse that they do this without thinking. But that seems to be a very weak excuse. This has always been a great conundrum to me. Obviously, speaking a language is a major form of communication. So when people are swearing, what are they communicating?
The Bible at Exodus 20:7 says “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain”(RSV). The expression “goddamn” should be very offensive to Christians. What are those who use this expression really communicating? Are they “only” expressing their anger, impatience and displeasure? Or do they enjoy sounding rough and tough? Or are they ‘only’ trying to add emphasis to their words? Are they “damning God” for their problems, small or big, or asking God to damn everything and everyone that gets in their way? Either way their attitude is wrong, … Everyone can make a slip of the tongue once in a while. But some get their kicks from using it and other swear words as often as possible, even ten times a minute. They might yell for something which is not immediately forthcoming and say “O Jesus!” or “for God’s sake”.
Usually, they are yelling for something that has nothing to do with God’s will e.g. the man yelling to a nurse to hurry up and bring him a cigarette. How incongruous can a person be? Or when things go wrong, they yell out “Jesus Christ!”. Again, what are they saying? If they do really believe in Jesus, then are they imploring him to help in every trivial thing? Or are they blaming Jesus for not helping them? For those who are non-religious or anti-religious, do they hate what others consider sacred so much that they must be constantly demeaning it?
Obviously, much of the time, swearing and the use of bad language amounts to cursing in the sense of “pronouncing evil upon someone or something. Other times it is used only “for the fun of it”, to add spice, and for emphasis. But why pretend to curse? Why continually go contrary to your intentions? What is so enjoyable about always trying to be so rough and tough. It seems so incongruous and this is also the Bible’s viewpoint as seen in the words of James 3:9-12 (the Phillips Modern English [version] ): “We use the tongue to bless our Lord and Father and we use the tongue to curse our fellow-man, who are all created in God’s likeness. Blessing and curses come out of the same mouth — surely, my brothers, this is the sort of thing that never ought to happen! Have you ever known a spring to give sweet and bitter water from the same source? ” Have you ever seen a fig-tree with a crop of olives, or seen figs growing on a vine? It is just as impossible for salt water to produce fresh.”
Matthew 5:33-37: “Again you heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You must not swear without performing, but you must pay your vows to Jehovah’. However, I say to you: do not swear at all, neither by heaven, because it is God’s throne, nor by earth, because it is God’s footstool of his feet, nor by Jerusalem because it is the city of great king, Nor by your head must you swear, because you cannot turn one hair white or black. Just let your word YES means YES, your NO, NO, for what is in excess of these is from the wicked one.”
Matthew 12:36: “I tell you that every unprofitable saying that men speak, they will render an account concerning it on Judgment Day.” (note verses 34 and 35)
I know a resident in the Unit who is more than eager to accept any or all little religious services from any and all who walk in the door. She also swears continuously, presumably without giving any real thought to the misuse of words that should be used in relation to God and sacred things.
If you will excuse me for making a “wisecrack”, there is one word that only nurses (especially those who work in e E.C.U.) should be allowed to use. Before moving to Quesnel I rarely heard it. Now I hear it dozens of times every day, including by those outside of the Unit. If you can not guess what the word is, here is an obvious clue; “crap”
For those of us who can not care for ourselves in the toilet, it is not easy to avoid embarrassing others by our open comments about our daily bodily functions. ”Another thing that I find is a conundrum is the habit of many of mixing “toilet” jargon with sacred words. The Bible at Philippians 4:8 makes this refreshing and encouraging exhortation: “Finally brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are chaste whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well spoken of, whatever virtue there is and whatever praiseworthy thing there is, continue considering these things”.
Mark My Life 