What the God

Written by Jesse Medina

The following list was compiled as the result of very in-depth scientific data gathering among today’s Christians. Consider it on a level just beneath the canon of the Bible.

Top 10 Most Offensive Things to Christians

10. The following books/movies: Harry Potter, DaVinci Code, The Golden Compass
9. A dislike for Joel Osteen
8. Cussing
7. Smoking and/or Drinking
6. Being a Democrat
5. Watching R-Rated Movies (scholars are divided on whether The Passion is included)
4. Preferring secular music over Christian “music”
3. The word “masturbation”
2. A dislike for Kirk Cameron
1. Saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”

Today, I want to focus on number 8 – cussing. Though dropping an f-bomb is not nearly as bad as saying “Happy Holidays” for most Christians, it is still severely frowned upon. In fact, in most Christian circles, using a word that can be defined as cussing is enough for your salvation to be called into question…even if the rest of your life is completely in line with Christ.

Part of what is interesting about this, though, is that there isn’t a consensus on which words are considered cussing. For some, words such as gosh, darn, freak, and shoot are just as bad as the words they replace. I know this firsthand as I was once berated for saying “freaking” at a youth group event. According to the volunteer/mother of one of the students, it was "just as bad as saying the real thing." In my not-so-wise response, I offered to say the real thing. She wasn’t happy.

There is another one that is particularly abrasive for Christians, though I think most people wouldn’t say it is an actual cuss word…just a word that they don’t like. I’ve used it several times in sermons and my wife always tells me how bad it is: pissed. I don’t know why, but it is like nails on a chalkboard for Christians.

But what does the Bible say about cussing? Let’s examine a few things:

Verses

There are a few verses that it seems everyone brings up in relation to this conversation:

James 3:9-10

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

Seems pretty clear, right? Not necessarily. James here could be talking about cussing, but he could also be talking about cursing someone – and these are two different things. The context seems to indicate this about the process of building someone up or tearing them down. Either that or gossip. Or wisdom. But it doesn’t seem to be talking about “bad words.”

Colossians 4:6

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

The shortcoming of this verse as reason to not cuss should be obvious: grace is not about specific words but the attitude/tone of conversation. My words can be completely void of cuss words and still not be infused with grace – and if you’ve ever been on the receiving side of someone who, without cussing, tears you down, you know how terrible it feels. On the flipside, I could cuss like a sailor and show more grace than many Christians do.

Matter of the Heart

But perhaps the more important question that we should be asking when someone says certain words is what it reveals about the heart. Though many of us adhere to the old adage of “garbage in, garbage out” Jesus didn’t. In fact, in one particular instance, he says that it is not what goes into a man’s mouth that make him unclean, but what comes out of it since that is a reflection of the heart.

Still seems to condemn cussing, right?

Not necessarily. When Jesus taught on this, he said nothing about bad words. Instead he listed some of the evil things that come from the heart: evil thoughts (no clarification there), murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.

So here is a question worthy of considering: can a positive message be communicated even when so called “bad” words are used?

Cultural Construction

Would cuss words be considered cuss words if nobody told us they were bad? Or what if we grew up and cuss words were normative for our vocabulary – would they be sinful? We would definitely say this for some things: murder, adultery, etc., but we aren’t so quick to say the same when it comes to words. Perhaps the reason is because we don’t even have consensus on which words are bad among our different Western cultures.

But can we really say that sin is relative to one’s culture? That’s a slippery slope.

Think about it.

The Bible's Writers Sometimes Used Cuss Words

Say what?!?! God cusses? For shizzle my nizzles. For example, when Paul says that oft-quoted, feel-good thing about how he considers all things rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8), the word he uses for "rubbish" is a sort of street-language way of saying feces. It isn't quite the same as saying "crap" either, though. Paul is actually using a vulgar word here to make a point. Essentially, he is saying that he considers all things "shit" compared to knowing Christ.

That's hits us in a different way, a more real way, than saying rubbish or crap or dung or poop, doesn't it? The darkness of the term makes the light of Christ shine all the more.

Want more examples of God's filthy mouth? Check out this (much more serious, insightful, boring-but-still-great) article.

Bearing with the Weaker Brother

With all of that in mind, then, I have to conclude that cussing is not necessarily sinful. Dropping an f-bomb isn't in the same category as lust or idolatry or murder. It may be a sin, but it is only that to the extent it reflects something sinful in the heart.

That said, before you go off and drop the f-bomb in Sunday School there is something you should be aware of. Some may be weaker than you. Some may not understand that it is not a sin. The trouble is, you will not know who those people are right away. Since that is the case, be careful how you exercise your freedom.

What do you think? Can "cuss words" be used to build up or are they all bad? How might this affect the way you choose (or choose not) to use cuss words?