Considering Dirty Words »
Bob Parsons (of GoDaddy) talks in his blog about the arrival of dirty words in the English language. Dirty words are present in the piece, though they are offered in an educational manner. You have been warned.
I have no idea about Bob's qualifications for such an argument, but it sounds logical to me. I think what it makes me think about, however, is that it seems to me words such as these, considered dirty by many, are often considered sins by those in the church. I've always had trouble with this argument, because nowhere in the bible does it say Thou shall not use vulgarities.
In fact, the only approximation of such a thing is the command that tells us that we Shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. That's an entirely differnt story. Taking a name in vain means to use it in an irreverent or disrespectful manner.
So saying the words Jesus Christ during a prayer is okay, but saying Jesus Christ! when some moron cuts you off on the freeway is probably toeing the line a bit.
Comments (3)
Like you, I struggle with this as well, particularly where synonyms for such words aren't necessarily considered vulgar, and range from excessively casual to appropriate in nearly any company.
Ephesians 4:29 exhorts us to "let a rotten saying not proceed out of your mouth", where the original word for "rotten" is related to spoiled fish or decayed fruit. And in Matthew 5:22, Christ warned against addressing your brother "with an unspeakable word of contempt" or says 'you despicable fool!' (where I assume the latter covers the intent, not just that literal phrase).
That's about the closest I've ever been able to come for an explanation of why "cussing" is a sin. But I still think about it from time to time and even pray for understanding once in a while.
Posted by Kyle | April 16, 2005 7:37 PM
As a little girl, I once had a friend that couldn't say certain words because they could relate back to Jesus, etc. Example: Jeez....
So, is it better to say f*** than Jeez?
I believe that nobody should damn anything living. However, I believe it is okay to state, 'DAMN!' when someone cuts you off. It's not like you are damning them....
I feel as if I can pretty much say any cuss word I want with the exception of taking God's name in vain or damning any living creature.
Posted by Denise | April 25, 2005 8:43 PM
Interesting. I've often told my class that if I hear one of my seventh graders saying "Oh my God did you see his hair!" or using God's name in an empty way again, I'd shout out 'F**k!'. Probably not the best approach, but I feel the same way. Since when did the 'uncivilized' Anglo-saxon word for sex get "worse" than a blatant (though often thoughtless) misuse of God's name?
Posted by Jesse | April 28, 2005 1:15 PM