Q
Quoth
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Though I'm sure much of what I'm about to say has already been said, let me put my two coins in the coffer. I am a Conservative Christian, as far as I understand the term. I also swear like a...person who swears quite a bit.
I was raised in a Conservative Southern Baptist household, where swearing would result in the iron hand of my father swiftly on my backside. However, I also went to a public school. I quickly learned what swear words were, and how to utilize them.
The main verse I hear quoted time and time again to denounce the use of cuss words is Ephesians 4:29, which says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
I was raised to believe that because of this verse, I was to refrain from swearing, or words like "gosh," "dang," "darn," "crap," and other "pseudo-swears." However, upon entering the real world at age 21, I learned that for most people I came in contact with, Christian or not, swearing is a part of life. While that may not be true overall, it has held true in my life experience.
What I prefer to do when it comes to quoting a verse is look at the verse piece by piece. Instead of glancing over it and gaining a superficial meaning, I believe much can be learned from examining the pieces that create the whole. Much like a pie, you don't shove the entire thing in your mouth; you eat it slice by slice.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths...
By itself, this statement can be understood as, "Don't let anything considered bad or offensive proceed from your mouth." If the verse stopped there, I would take it as, "No swearing, no ridicule, no sarcasm, etc." Nevertheless, the verse continues:
...but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
First off, what does "helpful" mean? I don't mean to insult the intelligence of the reader, but helpful is an adjective meaning "giving or rendering aid or assistance." Our every word should be helpful or beneficial to those who hear us.
With that understanding in mind, we should set out to benefit others with what we say. However, as a friend of mine in the Marines says, "there are some situations where <expletive> is appropriate." He was used to being shot at in the field of combat, and having small pieces of metal thrown at you at high velocity so as to end your life does not lend itself to kind words. If you're in combat and the guy in front of you says an expletive and ducks, it is both his words and his motions that motivate you to follow suite. Had your comrade simply ducked, it would not express the importance of the situation. Even simply saying "get down" is not as motivating as someone using words to show severe distress.
Swear words, I believe, are highly cultural. While most Americans consider a bag strapped about the waist to be a "fannypack," some Australians and New Zealanders would take offense to the word "fanny" (preferring "bumbag" instead). Fanny is a slang term in those countries, and Americans wouldn't think twice about using it. There we see that in America, a word that is considered rather benign is highly offensive in Australia.
Similarly, if I'm hanging out with my friends and happen to be describing my day, I might describe it using a swear word (especially if it was a bad day, or I want to emphasize whatever mood it was). If I'm with my parents, someone I know with an aversion to swearing, or with someone who I am unfamiliar, it truly does not inconvenience me to forsake swearing in that time.
If I go to a country with a radically different language and ask (in English), "Where's the bathroom," I might be telling them that their mother is the daughter of a fatherless ogre. However, if I use a long string of expletives, they might simply point to the bathroom. It's a silly example, I know, but the bottom line is that what we consider offensive in our language isn't necessarily offensive in another language.
I have heard Christians who love the Lord describe their walk with the Lord as "<expletive> awesome." I take joy in that description, because sometimes--due to the world that Christian grew up in--that is the only way they know to communicate.
Swearing is cultural. If someone wants to come on the boards and swear, as long as it isn't done to insult or defame others, I have no problem with it.
I was raised in a Conservative Southern Baptist household, where swearing would result in the iron hand of my father swiftly on my backside. However, I also went to a public school. I quickly learned what swear words were, and how to utilize them.
The main verse I hear quoted time and time again to denounce the use of cuss words is Ephesians 4:29, which says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
I was raised to believe that because of this verse, I was to refrain from swearing, or words like "gosh," "dang," "darn," "crap," and other "pseudo-swears." However, upon entering the real world at age 21, I learned that for most people I came in contact with, Christian or not, swearing is a part of life. While that may not be true overall, it has held true in my life experience.
What I prefer to do when it comes to quoting a verse is look at the verse piece by piece. Instead of glancing over it and gaining a superficial meaning, I believe much can be learned from examining the pieces that create the whole. Much like a pie, you don't shove the entire thing in your mouth; you eat it slice by slice.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths...
By itself, this statement can be understood as, "Don't let anything considered bad or offensive proceed from your mouth." If the verse stopped there, I would take it as, "No swearing, no ridicule, no sarcasm, etc." Nevertheless, the verse continues:
...but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
First off, what does "helpful" mean? I don't mean to insult the intelligence of the reader, but helpful is an adjective meaning "giving or rendering aid or assistance." Our every word should be helpful or beneficial to those who hear us.
With that understanding in mind, we should set out to benefit others with what we say. However, as a friend of mine in the Marines says, "there are some situations where <expletive> is appropriate." He was used to being shot at in the field of combat, and having small pieces of metal thrown at you at high velocity so as to end your life does not lend itself to kind words. If you're in combat and the guy in front of you says an expletive and ducks, it is both his words and his motions that motivate you to follow suite. Had your comrade simply ducked, it would not express the importance of the situation. Even simply saying "get down" is not as motivating as someone using words to show severe distress.
Swear words, I believe, are highly cultural. While most Americans consider a bag strapped about the waist to be a "fannypack," some Australians and New Zealanders would take offense to the word "fanny" (preferring "bumbag" instead). Fanny is a slang term in those countries, and Americans wouldn't think twice about using it. There we see that in America, a word that is considered rather benign is highly offensive in Australia.
Similarly, if I'm hanging out with my friends and happen to be describing my day, I might describe it using a swear word (especially if it was a bad day, or I want to emphasize whatever mood it was). If I'm with my parents, someone I know with an aversion to swearing, or with someone who I am unfamiliar, it truly does not inconvenience me to forsake swearing in that time.
If I go to a country with a radically different language and ask (in English), "Where's the bathroom," I might be telling them that their mother is the daughter of a fatherless ogre. However, if I use a long string of expletives, they might simply point to the bathroom. It's a silly example, I know, but the bottom line is that what we consider offensive in our language isn't necessarily offensive in another language.
I have heard Christians who love the Lord describe their walk with the Lord as "<expletive> awesome." I take joy in that description, because sometimes--due to the world that Christian grew up in--that is the only way they know to communicate.
Swearing is cultural. If someone wants to come on the boards and swear, as long as it isn't done to insult or defame others, I have no problem with it.
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I think the thread evolved into a discussion of christians & cussing in general. But I was curious where she heard the rumor too.
