In my first post on this blog, I warned that I may be using
a few choice vulgarities in my writing. Then I demonstrated such usage. I also
mentioned God, and although not explicitly stating my faith in Christ, I am
sure you guys probably assumed it. For some people, this seems to be a
contradiction and a sort-of controversy. I thought about it for a few days, and
decided this is just begging for a blog post. So here goes!
(also, this is way off topic, but I found a BK crown on my
walk home from school this morning. I can honestly say I've never felt so
empowered writing a blog as I do while writing this one bearing said crown
right now.)
First, some background:
Growing up, I was always that kid who never swore. All throughout high school, I would see some of my friends swear and instantly
judge/worry that they were drifting away from Christ. Even when repeating a line from a movie I had seen, I would 'bleep' it out
by saying 'F-ing A' and the like. And who didn't love 'H-E-doublehockeysticks'? But I can distinctly remember sometimes after driving
home from a hard nights work at Panera, and just sitting in my driveway,
smacking my dashboard while yelling some obscenities in secret. It was more about the external appearance for me.
Then college came. I continued to be that guy who did not
swear, up until the summer after my sophomore year. Something about that summer
just opened up the new world of swearing to me. After talking to some of my
christian friends who sort-of justified it, I decided to give it a try. I must
say, it was pretty satisfying to be able to give myself free rein in an area
which I had previously been so controlled. I loved the intense rush of such reckless
abandon. It eventually progressed until it became kinda fun. Throw in an academically-hard junior year and then working on a marine base in Japan all
summer, and here I am with my at-times borderline sailors mouth.
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So, whats my justification? In short, my opinion is that it
is all about Heart and Context. Lets look at a few
questions and I will share my opinions (yes, opinions) on the matter.
-What about the
verses in the Bible that condemn swearing?
I mean aren't we supposed to
be 'set apart'?
-Can God be glorified
through the use of an expletive?
Or could a
well-placed expletive positively stir the soul?
So, lets look at the verses that seem to explicitly condemn
cussing. The most often used verse is usually 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."
A lot of people point to this and say that unwholesome talk
equates to cussing. I have to disagree with this assertion. If you look at the
context of that phrase, it is contrasted with 'what is helpful for building
others up'. It seems to be saying that unwholesome talk is the opposite
of what builds people up, which alludes to gossip, slander, insults, etc..
Where did we get cussing out of that? I feel like that might be more
of our traditional-american-church's interpretation. The church was at first
very against tattoos, rock music, piercings, etc.. and I think we all know now
that these are all things that can be used for Gods glory.
Or Colossians 3:8, which says:
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and
obscene talk [or filthy language] from your mouth.
But why do we automatically assume that cussing is along the
lines of filthy language? There are many, many other verses that allude to
this, but they all seem to be equally as vague.
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We also have some philosophical dilemmas here. Is the
homeless man (who has grown up in a rough environment all his life) at fault if
he were to say ''Damn, I love this Jesus guy" or "I fuckin love
Philippians!" In his heart, he means to praise God or His Word,
although his diction is a bit abrasive compared to the traditional church. Is
he sinning or glorifying God?
A long time ago, I read an article in Relevant Magazine that
asks "Can Offensive Art Be Christian?' This article
really got me thinking and examining my beliefs behind cussing. I'd really
encourage you to read it. Now.
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Before I fully break down my cussing parameters, I think its
also interesting to mention Philippians 3:8 here:
"What
is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider
them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."
Another article that I read talks about how that word
'rubbish' is the greek word Skubalon. It then begins to explain what this word
means and represents:
"skubalon – In secular Greek this depressing word means rubbish and muck of many kinds: excrement, rotten food, bits left at a meal as not worth eating, a rotting corpse. Nastiness and decay are the constant elements of its meaning; it is a coarse, ugly, violent word implying worthlessness, uselessness, and repulsiveness... The only NT usage is Paul’s in Phil 3:8, “I count (estimate, evaluate) them as (nothing but) dung.” The coarse and violent word shows how completely Paul had ceased to value them." [New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology Vol. 1, Zondervan: 1980, pg 480]
Now, correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Paul saying that he 'consider[s] them shit, that I may gain Christ'? There's your Bible friends. (Also, off the record, I also can't help but think that Paul probably would use this word to describe the ship he was sailing on before he was shipwrecked, among other things.)
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Alright, this is getting long, lets get to the opinion part.
In my opinion, the use of cussing should be measured by two
things:
1) Your heart
behind it, and
2) The context.
Let me simply break down this first 'rule'. Look at these two statements:
"Crap!* I stubbed
my toe!"
"Shit!* I stubbed
my toe!"
In both instances, the * word is conveying something along
the lines of: "an outcry of disgust from physical pain". But we don't
actually say that, as the word crap/shit is a heck of a lot easier. Is one word
more sinful than the other? If so, why? In my opinion, both words are fine.
But lets look at another situation:
"That guy is a
moron*"
"That guy is a
fuckface*"
In both instances, the * word is meant to belittle, insult,
tear someone down, etc.. I would reason that BOTH of these instances are wrong.
As Jesus said:
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not
murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But
I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be
subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister,
‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’
will be in danger of the fire of hell."
It seemed to be more about the heart here.
In terms of the second 'rule' of context, this is just a common-sense rule. It would probably not be best to walk into a preschool to pick up your daughter while dropping F-bombs the whole way in. Duh. This rule speaks for itself I think.
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By no means do I think we as christians should be known as
'cussers'. But who is to say that cussing can't push someone closer to God? If
my friend comes to me (christian or not) and tells me her dad just got
diagnosed with cancer, I am not gonna respond by saying 'Well thats just a darn
shame!'. The situation is nothing short of shitty. Some words pack a bigger
punch than others, and I don't think we should be so afraid to use them. This
world can be a shitty place, and I think we as christians need to acknowledge
this instead of only speaking about what we wish the world was. As that
Relevant article so beautifully articulated: "We relegate our art [speech] to the way we wish the world should
be and not how the world actually is."
Heres the link again. Seriously, go read it now.
There is also something to be said in terms of humor,
because lets be honest, it's way funnier if 'I shat in a field on the first day
of school' than saying 'I pooped in a field on the first day of school'. So
long as you aren't seriously tearing a friend down, I think cussing is fine in
all instances of humor. Caution needs to be employed in making sure none of
your jokes or teasing go too far and hurt a brother, not so much worrying about
cussing.
In conclusion, my opinion is that one should check their heart, check the context, and then possibly partake in a bit of vulgarity. Maybe it can be hearkened to alcohol
in that sense. Or maybe I have just been writing so long that the desperate and terrible metaphors are coming out. I would love to hear your guys' thoughts on
this topic, so please join the conversation.
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