Cussing: Part Two

For lack of time and energy I've stayed out of this discussion up 'till now. I believe that I have already sufficiently answered your questions in my original post. Re-read it. No really- go ahead and re-read it.

Alright, now that you've re-read it, you will have noted the verses that I quoted:

Ephesians 4:29 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." That pretty much eliminates profanity or any other words you or someone else might think are "unwholesome."

Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, Brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Just because English cuss-words hadn't been invented yet in Jesus' time doesn't mean that they are ok to use. Why do you think that people are not allowed to cuss on the job? Or why kids aren't (supposed) to be allowed to use profanity in schools? Why do arguments between people become escalated when one of them starts cussing at the other? It's because cuss words are viewed in Western culture as being OFFENSIVE and profane. There is no direct command in scripture not to use cuss words, but the simple fact is that if I drove down the street and started cussing at my neighbor, he would probably take it offensively. If I was at my workplace and used cuss words when conversating with a client, I could seriously offend someone and hurt my company's reputation. Cussing is wrong for the Christian to do because they are words that are insulting. The "F" word, especially- "F*** THIS, F*** THAT".... how is that not offensive?

I grew up around the ghettos of Oakland California. I am a Californian. I am well aware of the fact that not everyone talks the same way here as they do at my Assemblies of God College in Missouri. But check this dawg, cuss words are still offensive in the ghetto. I've worked in the prisons around here and cuss words mean the same thing there as they do in Missouri- they just might not be spoken as frequently in the Bible belt. And I'm not talking about training camps in Afghanistan, I'm talking about the continent that I am on. Besides that, most languages and cultures have their own set of offensive cuss words, too. And those words are used with the intent to be offensive and also taken offensively within those cultures. The 2nd time that I traveled to Israel to work with the International Christian Embassy, I was teaching a class of pre-schoolers. I had one little Russian boy who didn't know any English- but he spoke fluent Russian and Hebrew. He started running around and making a lot of noise, so I asked a little English and Hebrew speaking girl how to ask him to be quiet, because my interpretor had stepped out of the room. This little girl had just come over from the UK with her Mom, and she spoke Hebrew pretty well, but still hadn't mastered it. She told me "when my teacher tells my class to be quiet, she says '_________'" I repeated the word back to her and she said "yes, that's right." So I proceeded to ask the little Russian boy to be quiet. Immediately the little boy started freaking out and screaming and yelling and throwing a tantrum. I later found out that the word that the little Brittish girl had told me to use to ask him to be quiet was actually a very dirogatory way of saying "shut up" in Hebrew. It is a cuss-word in the Hebrew language. It is wrong of me to use cuss words in any language because they are used and taken offensively and insultingly.

My uncle turned his back on God largely because all the Christians in his church still used potty-language and went out to the clubs and got drunk on the weekends. I'm not saying that it is right to stake your Christianity on how someone else is living- but Christians need to realize that people are watching. The world is watching- and we will be held accountable for the lives that we live out in front of them.

Christians need to stop justifying using filthy language. The reason using the "S" word rather than saying "oh poopie" is wrong, is because cuss words are taken offensively and used offensively by many people in Western Civilization.

And that's all I've got to say about that.