Cussing, Cursing and Swearing . . . Oh My!

Many people habitually emit curse words in everyday conversations. But treating crude language as no big deal is a sign that society has degraded.

Today, the media, literature, and music people consume is full of profanity.  But when I was a child, my mom would wash out my brother’s or my mouth with soap if we dared to say the “b-word.” And that word wasn’t “b*tch” or “b*stard.” It was “b*tt.” That four-letter “b-word” calling attention to one’s posterior was bad enough to consider verboten just a few generations ago.

As I matured into adulthood and began my career as a teacher, however, the line of acceptable language had moved. A couple of decades ago, the new crude words that I would not allow my students to use were pseudo-swear words like “sucks” or “crap.”

Anything Goes in the 21^st Century

The above examples took place in the 20^th century. But nowadays, no one bats an eye if a little kid says “sucks.” Not only is “b*tt” used in everyday conversations by parents and children alike, society spouts off “a**” and “a**hole” in frequent fashion. These once off-limit cuss words are now considered too trivial to care about.

In prior generations, TV forbade the utterance of the “f-word” and “s-word.”  Today, a variety of TV shows employ those words along with frequently using the words “Jesus” and “God” as exclamations.

Many popular podcasts, most comedians’ comedy acts, and much of the music industry routinely use profanity.  Some of the most popular podcasters and the majority of comedians use vulgarities as their fundamental way to either express their displeasure or to get a laugh. One in every 47 words in hip-hop lyrics is a swear word, with “n*gga/n*gger” and “b*tch” the most popular.  But only black people may use such words.  If a white person utters these words it’s racist.

Too many previously censored curse words are now acceptable in everyday conversation. And both youngsters and adults have become accustomed to hearing vulgarity everywhere. They are not only conditioned to accept it, they have been shaped to use it. What once was considered bad has been normalized to be considered fine. But it is in reality still unscrupulous.

Profanity Is Unbiblical

An authentic Christian knows that profanity is not just bad manners and vulgar, but using it goes against what the Bible says. Several verses in Scripture warn of the immorality of crude language.

• “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil; Pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).
• “He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one” (Matthew 15:10-11).
• “But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths” (Colossians 3:8).
• “If anyone thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain” (James 1:26).
• “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers” (James 3:10).
• “No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).
• “So be imitators of God, as beloved children . . . Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:1,3-4).

Modern culture treats profanity as no big deal. Christians, however, should never use  profane language.   As creatures made in the image of God and having the Holy Spirit in us, we should not defame with our mouths.

How to Stop the Swearing Habit

What can we do to curtail the cursing if it is a vice of yours, or if you catch your children using profanity? One thing anyone can do is to substitute silly or nonsensical words and phrases when we have the urge to emit a strong emotion. For example, my mom was famous for saying someone should “go to the devil!” instead of using the word “hell.”

When I was a school principal, one of my teachers would say in front of her misbehaving middle school students, “What the heckaroni-beefaroni are you doing?!” And when students uncaringly turned in poor work, she would call it “crud on a cracker.” She got the point across how exasperated she was. Additionally, she gave her preteens and teens some ideas of things they could say that would not be considered vulgar language.

It might help your kids to understand the negatives of cussing by discussing how intelligent people with large vocabularies do not need to resort to profanity. There are clever exclamations that scholarly, gifted people can use in place of swear words, such as:

• Call someone a “filthy hikikomori” instead of an “a**hole”;
• Tell someone “your absence is required” instead of “f*ck off”;
• Exclaim “botheration!” instead of “sh*t!”

Parents should let their children know that when they resort to crass language, they debase their self-worth. There are so many better, more refined and eloquent ways to express their thoughts and get across a message than using worthless, profane nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

Moms and dads can also keep their kids from being inundated with profanity in the media they frequent. Websites, such as PluggedIn.com, rate movies and video games and note what inappropriate language they contain. Websites such as ClearPlay.com and VidAngel.com filter out the bad language (and nudity) on streaming movies played on the home TV.

Of course, when children hear their friends swearing all the time, it is easy to slip into the same bad habit. So a basic adjustment parents can do is to make sure their sons and daughters hang around good influences.

Some families put a “swear jar” in the kitchen. Anyone caught cursing has to put cash (such as $1.00) into the jar. At the end of the month, the family member with the least amount of times caught using bad language gets all the money in the jar.

One might also try to replace the bad habit with a good habit by immediately saying to oneself a Hail Mary or the Act of Contrition prayer after accidentally letting out a curse word. Catholics should also confess the abundant use of profanity and/or taking the Lord’s Name in vain when confessing their sins to a priest.

What Would Jesus Say?

Society is pushing the limits of profanity use and saying it is no big deal. Some even justify swearing as stress relief that is good for you. But those who love Jesus should take heed to His words and pray that the Lord strengthens them to get rid of this particular vice:

“Either declare the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit.  You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:33-37).

So Jesus says we will be judged for uttering “careless” words.  How much more, then, might we suffer eternal consequences for intentionally speaking profane words?

Swearing = Sinning

Call it what you want – cursing, swearing, cussing, being vulgar, using profanity, or using obscenities. When bad language comes out of one’s mouth it is undignified at best and a sin at worse. It is a sin to be disrespectful or to debase others, and that is often the reason for using profanity.

It is somewhat understandable when someone lets out a loud “f*ck!” when they really stub their toe. Conversely, it is entirely going against the commandment to love one’s neighbor when one calls his or her neighbor a “f*cker!”

To build up the Body of Christ is a Christian’s calling. Swearing tears down more than builds up, plus it does not promote intelligent conversation.

The Book of Proverbs (18:6-7 and 20-21) informs us that:

“The lips of fools walk into a fight, and their mouths are asking for a beating.  The mouths of fools are their ruin; their lips are a deadly snare.

“With the fruit of one’s mouth one’s belly is filled, with the produce of one’s lips one is sated.  Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who choose one shall eat its fruit.”

Many of us need to control our tongues. This includes not only refraining from speaking badly to or about another person, but curtailing a bad language habit from becoming so engrained in our daily lives.

A Hard Habit to Break

We know breaking a bad habit is not easy. But it is worth the effort to keep ourselves – and our children if applicable – from cursing.

It is one thing if we are trying to break the bad language and airheaded habit of saying “you know” or “like” too many times in our conversations. But when the bad language habit is the overuse of disgusting words and vile phrases, we must definitely put an end to it.

By working towards speaking more intelligently, tactfully, and civilly, we will feel like a more respectful and respected person. We also should feel both our intelligence and spiritually increasing.