In Defense of Swearing

When I was younger, I didn't swear.  Nope.  I was Mr. Conservative Christian.  And my motto was that there is never any need to swear.

But nowadays I do swear.  I'll use it for emphasis or because I'm angry or to tell people that my mother's favorite curse word is shit-damn-fuck.

Some Christians think you shouldn't swear.  And they're welcome to talk in any manner that pleases them.  But they're also welcome to shut the fuck up when it comes to educating others on what the Bible says about it.

Does the Bible say anything directly about using curse words?  Nope.

Does the Bible say anything ... kinda ... indirectly about curse words?  I don't think so.  They would disagree.  But I think they're wrong.  Here we go.

First, what we're not talking about.  We're not talking about swearing oaths.  We're not talking about taking the Lord's name in vain.  Moving on.

Jesus did tell people not to call someone 'raca', or 'fool'.  I think it would be understandable to carry that over to curse words.  I don't think you should call people names, whether they are curse words or not.  And I don't think you should swear at people.  Near, yes.  At, no.

In Ephesians 4 it says to not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up.  Clearly, this does not mean that every word out of our mouths must fit this guideline, or it would become very difficult to ask for directions or talk about the weather.  It's an admonition to not tear others down, and it has nothing to do with swearing.

In Ephesians 5 it says not to use obscene language or make crude jokes.  And this comes the closest to making me think twice.  But I have to wonder what is obscene?  I don't know that language should be considered obscene just because you throw in a 'shit' or a 'damn'.  I think language is much more obscene if guys are talking about their sexual conquests or people are slandering others or throwing about racial epithets.  That, to me, is obscene.

Studies have shown that using a swear word at the right time is healthy.  It releases tension.  Something in our brains feels like it has accomplished something or got something out of our system, so a few moments later we can start to relax.  You know what doesn't have the same effect?  Fake swear words.  Those same studies show that when people say 'Darn it all to heck!' instead of 'Damn it all to hell!', it doesn't have the same positive effect in the brain.

So I'm going to keep swearing.  In moderation.  Not at other people.  Mostly in private when my computer is being a pain, but sometimes in front of others, when I feel strongly about something.

And because I fucking want to. (You know I had to end with that, right?)