Ban the *#*?//**+ thing!
Hi guys!
Last blog of the third quarter... Early in Part Two, Montag swears, using the name of Jesus and God as an expletive. He also uses a few cuss words. Why do people do this? (I mean, besides students (or teachers), children (or parents), and bad drivers (or colorblind police officers) messing up your day) IS swearing wrong? Is cussing wrong? Are they the same things? When someone swears, should we stop listening to that person, or if it is in a book, should we stop reading that book? If it's in a movie or a TV show, do we shut it off or walk out? Why or why not?
Let's have your opinion on these thoughts!
Love,
Mrs. D
posted by Sister Sara @ 8:09 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
In Ephesians 4:29, Paul wrote the the church in Ephesus saying, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth. But only such a word that is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear." Does cussing really give grace to those who hear it? I've never heard it do that before. Secondly, the cuss word is just another way of saying curse word. So it's literally "calling curses down" on others or on youself. That doesn't sound edifying. Third, curse words are thought of as bad words by everyone, even those who use them. As Christians, people look to us, consciously or subconsciously, to be the good example of how to live. If cussing is thought of as bad, do you think we as Christians should take part in this "pagan" act. No. In several areas of the Bible it says that the tongue is a powerful weapon that pierces the heart and can start "wild fires"(paraphrased of course). So in conclusion, I think we as Christians should not cuss or curse because as when we call ourselves Christians we are taking God's name on ourselves. I do not think Christ would curse (unless of course directed at Satan and his demons). Basically, I don't think we should curse.
I personally don't like to curse, but I don't necessarily think it's a huge sin. Like Adam said, I think God's more concerned with the state of our hearts than whether or not we cuss. And like Gibby said, who decided what the cuss words were anyway? If I say, "Oh, darn it!" out of frustration, then why is that different from cussing? I'm going to quote one of my favorite books, "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller: "I had this friend from Seattle named Mark who was the pastor of a pretty cool church near the University of Washington, in the village . . . Mark had written several articles for secular magazines and had been interviewed a few times on the radio and had gotten this reputation as a pastor who said cusswords. It is true that Mark said a lot of cusswords. I don't know why he did it. He didn't become a Christian till he was in college, so maybe he didn't know he wasn't supposed to say cusswords and be a pastor. I think some of my friends believed that it was the goal of the devil to get people to say cusswords, so they though Mark was possessed or something, and they told me I should not really get into anything he was a part of. Because of the cusswords. But like I said, I was dying inside, and even though Mark said cusswords, he was telling a lot of people about Jesus, and he was being socially active, and he seemed to love a lot of people the church was neglecting, like liberals and fruit nuts."
So, I believe that God can use people whether they say cusswords or not. I think it's more wrong to gossip about someone than it is to cuss. If you cuss, you aren't breaking Jesus' main command to love each other, but if you gossip about someone, you obviously don't really love and care about that person. That's all!
I think cussing is just a way that some people talk, like Hope said. But, like Patrick said, God also calls us to be edifying, and lift people up, not tear them down. So, I think our best bet is to set the example and not swear because one, it sets a terrible example of what Christians are, and two, i'ts kind of stupid.
Is "cussing" wrong? In my personal opinion, I do not think so. Using expletives is usually indicative of a lack of vocabulary, and I don't blame people for being stupid. Of course, I am not saying it is only stupid people who curse/swear/cuss, but you will often find that the less the intelligence, the more filthy the language.
On another hand, I am NOT one to say that you shouldn't "swurce" (tehe) simply because it offends people, and if anyone tells me otherwise, I will punch them in the face. People will find anything to be offended by. One classic example? Christianity.
In addition, I do not personally see swurcing as a sin, except in the context of abusing God's name. Even so, I'm not going to stab someone in the face for saying "Jesus Christ!" out of context.
As for the last question... tuning people out simply because of the fact that they swurce has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. If you choose to not listen to anybody who is different in beliefs/opinions then you, two things happen. 1) You become dangerously narrow-minded, and 2) You have officially shot your own credibility out of the stratosphere. You can pretty much give up hope of ever being taken serious again.
Also... technically, any word used out of context, or as a filler word, is an expletive. Saying "crap" is as bad (for lack of a better word) as saying "damn".
Side note: Gibby, your synonym sentence had me rolling on the floor laughing. Well done.
I have various opinions on this and will try not to rehash what other people said, but I am only SO original so i just might, and it's purely unintentional.
ANWAYS, about cussing/cursing. I think they are the same thing. There's not much different. I don't think cussing is sinful. But I also don't think it's mostly glorifying to God because of they way it is used. A curse word can be used to express very strong emotion in a context that is not degrading to those around you. However, most of the time we encounter pointless profanity that is just vulgar. Again, I'm not saying it's wrong, because Paul did say all things are legal. But he also said not all things are beneficial. I have cursed now and again because I am human. But then again, even the Bible curses. And I don't mean damning someone to Hell. I mean a full out blatant cuss word. I'm sure even God cusses because there is a time and place for everything. I am honestly much more offended by taking God's name in vain (although I do it as well) then I am of actual curse words. I think the reason we shy away from a perfectly useful part of the English language is because of the Society's view of cursing and what is vulgar and what isn't. If we weren't so concerned with status and other's perceptions of us, I think we'd be a much more honest group of people and much less self-obsessed (this coming from me. I know).
BTW, I found dookieheadman's blog to be most entertaining, and I to some degree agree with what he had to say.
Also, another thing. The whole don't do this because it doesn't glorify God thing. Although I don't disagree directly, I think some clarification should suffice. God is not dependant on me for his glory. God is unchanging. If I do something good it's not like he suddenly has more glory. We're not glory machines. We do something good and *POOF* more glory. lol. His glory doesn't go away if I do something wrong. I think it's funny we think we add to his glory. We can't ADD to God. God will not ever get any bigger (because he is infinite. It's a mathematical principle folks). However, he does allow us to partake in his glory. He shares his glory with us. Although, it would be fun if God's glory took the form of cotton candy, and then every good thing I did *PPF* more cotton candy. But then, that would be doing good for selfish reasons and God's glory would disappear. And then he'd fry me with a lightning bolt for being altogether unglorious. Which is why his glory is not on a shifting scale, he is not dependant on us, other wise he'd cease to exist on a conceptual scale. :)
Graded. Good answers, although I must admit I was shocked by Jeff M.'s first word.
Shocking. Graded.
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