"Swearing"

[Sharky]

Where do you draw the line between swearing and casual optimistic slang?

Personally i've refrained from my optimistic slang here and kept with normal words . Things like

Spoiler: ahem!

kick ***!

or

Spoiler: w00t!

BLOODY AWESOME!

are quite oftenly used.

I'm willing to change if it's wrong. It's just my nature to sound aggressively optimistic, well in a sense. I've not been using the other f and s words etc though .

 

[Lbiagm]

I think those words are ok sharky.

 

[TonyW]

I usually try not to use any of the cuss words. But once in a while, I'll do something that will cause an occasional word to slip out. Then you realize what you just did, and get mad at yourself. But, sometimes you can't help it. :o 

 

[Lbiagm]

I am just like tony.

 

[Gerry]

Casual optimistic slang? lololololololol

 

[seebs]

It's language. You use it when it fits your meaning, and you adapt your linguistic habits to your audience.

 

[A Sheep]

If a curse word is what "fits your meaning" in any situation, then your meaning/thought/word(s) is one of hate and is sinful. Sin starts and occurs in the heart. But, even calling someone, for example, a "great friend," is a sin if you are yelling at the person and you are being hateful.

The meaning of words change all the time; it's the intention and the state of your heart that makes something like this a sin or not.

 

[A Sheep]

Though, ofcourse, all of the common curse words of the current English language are to be avoided; for they reflect badly upon your witness, upon Christianity, and it may cause other Christians to stumble and non-Christians to not believe that you are changed and "a new creation."

 

[* kittie *]

i don't know. for me, if it's words to be avoided in the culture, i don't wanna be using it either. it really IS the state of the heart, but i still don't like them.

 

[RevKidd]

It's language. You use it when it fits your meaning, and you adapt your linguistic habits to your audience.

I understand where you adapt your words so that a five 3 or 5 year old understands what you are saying.  But when it comes to speaking with adults, my language does not change.  Whether I am speaking to my pastor or a bunch of sailors, the words that come out of my mouth are all the same. 

I have no problem with people that will use a "curse" word occasionally because of a situation that might arise.  But people who continually throw out F-bombs and MF's and S--T every other word tend to annoy me and I don't like being around it.

 

[Mr.Cheese]

Cussing is so hard to stop. I've found that for me, it's related to my environment. I stopped cussing when I quit being a mechanic.

I won't get any deeper into it than that.

 

[altya]

I don’t like to curse myself or to use a word that is nearly a curse word. It always upsets me when I hear a lady swears – If they use the name of God as a swearword I feel like ‘killing’

 

[Kiwi]

swearing is very culturally influenced, like all language usage. I have travelled heaps and speak 3 languages and have had some real embarrassing experiences with swearing. Like in Spanish, what means one thing in Puerto Rico is not ok to say in the Dominican Republic and vis versa. My husbands pastor was preaching in a domincan republic and used a certain word, which was fine in puerto rico but in DR was a swear word for a certain male body part, he didn't find out till after. Also in Northern Europe I heard many christians saying 'S..t', in english, but for them this was not a bad word, it was like 'stink'. But they had their own version of this word in their languages which they did not say. Needless to say it was very funny to see native english speakers almost fall on the floor when their sweet, christian european host come out with this choice expression.

 

[Susan]

Originally posted by Leviathan
I have no problem with people that will use a "curse" word occasionally because of a situation that might arise.  But people who continually throw out F-bombs and MF's and S--T every other word tend to annoy me and I don't like being around it.

Amen. And while it's all sin, it again is a matter of degree. I consider it analogous to this:

I would not mind if the next-door neighbors occasionally had a beer. Although I would not do that and I consider it sinful, that is between their conscience and God.

However I WOULD mind if they opened up a full service bar next door and had drunks stumbling out the door all day.

In the same vein, if someone curses around me once in a blue moon, I will just politely say that I am offended and leave it at that, especially if the curse is an anomaly for someone who normally uses respectful speech. Usually, that is enough to convey the point and I won't resort to further action.

However if someone uses it every other word, is having a raving fit of cursing, or is using the "very worst" words for the smallest situations (IOW, if someone is screaming the "F word" or is cursing God because they bruised their toe on a cardboard box), I REALLY, REALLY do not tolerate that well, I consider such people immature brats, and try to stay away from them because their failure to control anger as well as their language is absolutely sickening.

Oh, and by the way, DO NOT EVER refer to a certain part of your face when talking to someone who speaks Japanese. (Those of you here who know will understand what that means) :o :o :o :o A missionary-kid friend of mine made that mistake, and I think I may have too, although I was not sure. I hope I didn't. :o

 

[lucypevensie]

For me, what really helps me clean up my language is knowing that my kids are listening and learning and copying everything I say. When your 2 year old son says DANGIT he seems to have lost some of his innocence. I tend to think that if it sounds bad for a 2 year old to say it then I should not say the word either. (I'm talking about profanity here, not legitimate words that only adults should use)

 

[A Sheep]

Originally posted by Susan
Oh, and by the way, DO NOT EVER refer to a certain part of your face when talking to someone who speaks Japanese. (Those of you here who know will understand what that means) :o A missionary-kid friend of mine made that mistake, and I think I may have too, although I was not sure. I hope I didn't. :o

Just one of the many consequences of the sin that occured at the Tower of Babel.

 

[lil_angel]

I used to swear alot, but now i am trying to stop, and it is very hard. But i barely ever said the f word mainly the lesser swear words. But i still slip up sometimes. I find if you hang round people who swear you'll end up swearing.  

 

[Lbiagm]

i am like lil angel but now i have stopped.

 

[Nosa Eresu]

Originally posted by lil_angel
I used to swear alot, but now i am trying to stop, and it is very hard. But i barely ever said the f word mainly the lesser swear words. But i still slip up sometimes. I find if you hang round people who swear you'll end up swearing.  

 

The words you use, conciously or not, reflect the thoughts you harbor.  If you want to stop swearing, clean up your thoughts, and the language will follow.  Most people could benefit tremendously by stepping out of themselves a bit and examining their thoughts closely. 

 

[ComQuirk]

To quote my hero, Comedian-Philosopher George Carlin:

"They're just words."

The sole reason anyone is offended by them is because it has been ingrained into our mins that these words somehow have a negative connotation. If the word "sunshine" had been used overtime like these words have, it and its variations would be the same. "Looks like your up sunshine creek, Bob," "Sunshinin' Wal-Mart! Why can't I ever get help there, Bob?," or even "The girl I met yesterday evening? Bob, The sun was shining at night!"

As long as you remember they are but derivatives of language and nothing more, you shall n'er be ofended by them.