#%@! Cursing

Cursing is clearly wrong! But that has nothing to do with swearing. If you are actually cursing you are involved in witchcraft.

Some swearing can come under taking the lords name in vain. Much more rare these days. Scatological insults or claims abotu ones heritage seem more popular.

Scripture says calling someone a fool is a sin. Seems to me that coers a lot, but it made no difference between fool and %&^ fool.

I have seen several Jews type G-d as a sign of respect, so as not to even mistakely take the name of the Lord in vain.

People say, "Oh my G..! How are you?", and that is disrespecting the name of G-d, in my opinion. It is minimizing it's importance, and reverence.

Imagine if people at your work started using Chconcerned in place of swearing:
What the Chconcerned is that?
I am so Chconcerned?
I was so Chconcerned up last night
Who the Chconcerned does he think he is?

At first, you might think it was funny, but when you heard your name repeatedly said in anger, frustration, as a curse towards another, you would start to feel pretty offended.

Other words tend to make you speak more vulgar and with more frequency. I remember one guy in high school telling a story, saying, (word changed), "I was at the flippin' quarry with my flippin' dirt bike and my flippin' brother and we flippin' went down this flippin' hill and I flippin' fell off the flippin' bike and flippin' landed on my flippin' shoulder and it flippin' hurts like a Son of a Preacher Man."

When he swore, it had no effect.

However, because I don't swear, hardly ever, trying to find more positive words to say, trying to be respectful of other's religious beliefs, trying to be pure of word and thought, when I do swear, people stop and hear it. They know that they have really angered me to hear something like that come out of my mouth.

And it should shake people up that much.

I don't think it makes a man "a man." It makes him "a guy." It makes him vulgar, kind of base, like a guy who describes his bodily functions for all to hear.

Is it moral? According to Christianity, yes, you are supposed to have a pure tongue. According to Buddhism, you should be pure of thought and word. And I have found that when you try not to swear, try not to even substitute "Oh my gosh!", or "Dagnabbit", that I am more patient with people, kinder with people, more sensitive to the weight and effect my words can have on others. I am more respectful and reverent and fearful (in a reverent kind of way) to God, than if I freely swear - kind of how I never called my Dad "Ralph", or how I learned not to sass my parents, and especially not swear in their presence.

Do I see it immoral of others? That isn't something that I focus on. It's hard enough checking my own words and thoughts before they fly out of my mouth, especially in times of frustration and anger.

keith99 said:

Some swearing can come under taking the lords name in vain. Much more rare these days. Scatological insults or claims abotu ones heritage seem more popular.

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I have never heard "scatological" used in that context. That is hillarious!

Beanieboy said:

I have seen several Jews type G-d as a sign of respect, so as not to even mistakely take the name of the Lord in vain.

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That is not the reason. The idea is to never write any name of God in a location where it can be deleted or removed.

Used liberally they aren't really morally wrong. Many of these words were changed in meaning over the years, and several now have dual meaning. Everyone has their own set, so it's hard to even discern which ones you're not supposed to say anymore. Everything seems to have a double meaning now a days, so technically to cut out all swearing we'd all have to become basically mute.

Mankind made a lot of these words what they are now. We can't take them by today's standards because most everything is "dirty" now. And of course the whole concept of white meat, and dark meat, actually came about in the medieval ages, when it was wrong to say 'breast' or 'thigh.' Now they're commonly used in medical terminology.

It's not what you say, but how you say it/mean it. If you're not directing it at another person, then you're good. So essentially if you stub your toe, or a window falls on your hand, it's ok for an utterance every now and then as long as you don't take the Lord's name in vain while doing so. I don't go for the overuse out of personal preference. It dulls the language too much for my tastes.

I honestly don't see anything wrong with "bad words". It's stuff culturally shaped and I don't think God cares at all unless you are being angry, hateful or crude or something... which if that was the case, the language isn't really the problem there either, it's your actions and feelings and context.

Just saying "what the [crap]?" though... I cannot think of a reason why that is wrong in the slightest aside from the fact that it may offend someone else. So I do try to keep swearing to a minimal. Some people just don't like it and I respect that. Plus they lose their kick if you use them all the time. Also, you don't seem very literate if every other word out of your mouth is a cuss word.

keith99 said:

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Some swearing can come under taking the lords name in vain. Much more rare these days. Scatological insults or claims abotu ones heritage seem more popular.

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I live on campus (but i don't go to a lot of student activities) so the swearing isn't as bad as in some places... however in media at least taking the lord's name in vain is still quite common to say the least.

Scripture says calling someone a fool is a sin. Seems to me that coers a lot, but it made no difference between fool and %&^ fool.

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ya.

I find when i'm in a mood where I tend to swear a lot i'm rather unproductive and not in a good mental state that's good for thinking problems out.

I swear quite a lot. Why not, it's good for comical effect, isn't it?

Supreme said:

I swear quite a lot. Why not, it's good for comical effect, isn't it?

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not really. None of the swearing i've sen people do has been comical, or has had comical effects on the eindividual or anyone around them...

Altho if someone come up and hosed their mouth with foam soap or something, that would be comical... unfortunately that's pretty much illegal.

I've only seen it pulled off comically once, and that was in star trek 7.

b&wpac4 said:

That is not the reason. The idea is to never write any name of God in a location where it can be deleted or removed.

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Um... you realize how impossible that is, I hope. Anything can be destroyed or erased.

I don't think swearing is a good use of the English language, as there are far more intelligent words that could be used. Like strumpet instead of the other word, or excrement instead of another two words.

keith99 said:

Cursing is clearly wrong! But that has nothing to do with swearing. If you are actually cursing you are involved in witchcraft.

Some swearing can come under taking the lords name in vain. Much more rare these days. Scatological insults or claims about ones heritage seem more popular.

Scripture says calling someone a fool is a sin. Seems to me that coers a lot, but it made no difference between fool and %&^ fool.

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'Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!' was the first thing that came to mind. No really, it was.

b&wpac4 said:

That is not the reason. The idea is to never write any name of God in a location where it can be deleted or removed.

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Like say... any surface which could potentially be hit by a nuclear blast and wiped from existence...?

People are only ever offended by swearing on other people’s behalf, never on their own. From this we can conclude that swearing actually offends no one.

I think swearing is part of a rich and colourful language and can be used to great effect. There is no good reason not to swear.

keith99 said:

Scripture says calling someone a fool is a sin. Seems to me that coers a lot, but it made no difference between fool and %&^ fool.

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lol doesn't the bible call atheists fools though, what gives?

edit

also because its appropriate to the thread, "Oh my God". If you take the first letter of those three words and use it, you get a warning. Not to mention it could be in reference to "Oh my Gaia"

cantata said:

People are only ever offended by swearing on other people’s behalf, never on their own. From this we can conclude that swearing actually offends no one.

I think swearing is part of a rich and colourful language and can be used to great effect. There is no good reason not to swear.

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Thread winner.

My mom use to say, anyone who needs to swear is not creative enough to be original.

There is some data suggesting that swearing relieves pain. Yelling out some choice four letter Anglo-Saxon words when you smash your thumb or stub your toe may activate a part of the brain which inhibits pain impulses.

Though as the article notes, if you do it too much, the effect lessens.

visionary said:

My mom use to say, anyone who needs to swear is not creative enough to be original.

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when television censors movies with alternate dubbings its rather flat, lacks impact. I refuse to watch movies on tv because of that.