Q: Is it a sin to use “curse
words” or “foul language?” Where in the
Bible can this be found?
The acceptability of certain language
in our culture is certainly a standard which has seen a great deal of change in
the past two decades. I grew up in the era
of the “Seven words you can’t say on Television,” which seems to have been a
transitional time which left behind the excessively-conservative portrayals of
married couples sleeping in separate
twin beds, but preceded broad availability of networks such as HBO, Showtime,
and MTV, where nearly anything goes.
During those times, I remember being
instructed, sometimes even by well-meaning Lutheran School Teachers, that there
were certain words one ought not say because they are sinful. This reflects one side a divide that often
exists regarding the morality of using certain language. Some teach that there are certain topics that
are not permitted for discussion or combinations of syllables that are immoral
to vocalize, while others take the approach that, since there is no list of
forbidden words in Scripture, that anything goes. I remember once hearing it said that there is
no commandment reading, “Thou shalt not say **** an awful lot.”
These opposing positions are both
partially correct. On one hand, there is
no Biblical law regarding certain four-letter English words (since English as
we know it did not yet exist in the first century A.D.) or outlawing the
discussion of certain topics. On the
other hand, the Bible does frequently speak about our use of language.
For example, Jesus’ brother James
speaks in his letter about “taming the tongue,” and Jesus speaks once in the
Gospel of Matthew against the use of “idle words.” Several verses throughout the Bible,
especially in Proverbs, encourage pure speech and maintaining a good reputation
before one’s neighbors, but none of them specify the content of that speech in
such a way that certain words are permitted or forbidden.
Additionally, the apostle Paul says
in 1 Corinthians that “everything is permissible, but not all are beneficial,”
and in both 1 Corinthians and Romans, he discusses how Christians ought to
treat their “weaker brother” on matters which are neither commanded nor
forbidden by God’s law.
Most Christians regard the Ten
Commandments as the foremost summary of God’s law for humanity. Many of them would point to the Second
Commandment, which says, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God,”
as forbidding the use of certain words.
This is true, but this commandment only forbids misusing God’s
name. This means that Christians ought
to use the names and titles ascribed to God by the Bible in the ways that He
has commanded, but what about those other words that do not involve God’s name?
Some of the other commandments can be
helpful in this respect. For example,
for children to use language forbidden by their parents, teachers, or other
authorities would be to sin against the 4th Commandment. To use language in such a way that harms
another person, either by damaging their reputation or by being verbally
abusive or intimidating, would be a sin against the 5th or 8th
commandments. And, to use language in a
way that is sexually indecent would be a sin against the 6th
commandment.
In light of these verses and
commandments indicated above, we could probably conclude that the traditional
list of “naughty words” is pretty accurate, but not for the reasons usually
argued, and that not only they, but many of the other ways that we typically
use language, are also not in harmony with God’s commands. Even in the case where we could not say we
have a clear command from God regarding a word or phrase being sinful, the
Bible encourages us to consider how our actions will affect our reputation in
the world or the state of our neighbors with a weaker conscience.
In the end, it is not the
vocalization of certain syllables, but the manner in which we use our words and
the impact they have on our neighbor that informs its use. Therefore we ought to choose our words
carefully and consider their impact before we speak.
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