{"id":55738,"date":"2009-11-13T08:12:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-13T14:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=55738"},"modified":"2022-11-13T08:14:28","modified_gmt":"2022-11-13T14:14:28","slug":"curses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/curses\/","title":{"rendered":"Curses!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Steve Klein\nToday we have experts and scholars on every subject imaginable – from global warming to cotton farming.\u00a0 Timothy Jay is an expert on cursing.\u00a0 He’s made quite a study of it, written two books about it, and talks about it often to his students at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts where he is a professor of psychology.\u00a0\u00a0 Mr. Jay recently reported that swearing among adolescents and pre-teens in America is on the rise.\u00a0 He estimates that the average adolescent uses roughly 80 to 90 swear words a day.\n

Mr. Jay further observed that cussing is a behavior that is often learned in the home.\u00a0 “It starts as soon as they learn how to talk,” he says.\u00a0 “At a young age, they’re attentive to emotions.\u00a0 When you’re swearing to be funny or when you’re angry, that just draws them right to it.”\u00a0 In a Gallup Youth Survey published in 2001, 46 percent of teens surveyed admitted to using profanity at least several times a week or daily, while 28 percent said they heard their parents cursing on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

The experts also say that casual cuss words are often used as “fillers” when the speaker is having trouble expressing himself or herself.\u00a0 P.M. Forni, author of Choosing Civility: The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct<\/em>\u00a0observed that indeed “The profanities are the fillers.\u00a0 They take the place of a more sophisticated way of speaking.”\u00a0 My daddy used to say that when a man cussed he was just showing his own ignorance.<\/p>\n

What is the cure for this cussing epidemic? The Bible suggests a number of remedies.\u00a0 If you are having trouble in this area, or know someone who is, why not try or recommend the following?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Keep your mouth shut.\u00a0 If you can’t express yourself without saying a curse word, then just don’t express yourself.\u00a0 “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back<\/em>” (Proverbs 29:11).\u00a0 “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles<\/em>” (Proverbs 21:23).<\/li>\n
  2. When you talk, talk less. The more words you speak, the more likely you are to say something you shouldn’t — using a curse word as “filler.”\u00a0 “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise<\/em>” (Proverbs 10:19).<\/li>\n
  3. Think about how you want others to perceive you.\u00a0 It is a fact that the use of profanity makes a person seem less intelligent and more worldly. “Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive<\/em>” (Proverbs 17:28).<\/li>\n
  4. Think about the example you are setting for others. People learn the use of language by hearing others use it. Whether we’re talking about the words that a child learns from parents or the words children learn from each other at school, we pattern our speech after the examples set by others.\u00a0 This implies that each of us also serves as a pattern for the speech of others.\u00a0 Paul told Titus to show himself to be “a pattern of good works” using “sound speech that cannot be condemned<\/em>” (Titus 2:8).<\/li>\n
  5. Stay away from people and situations that make you angry and tempt you to lose control. “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul<\/em>” (Proverbs 22:24-25).<\/li>\n
  6. Follow the example of Christ. Jesus didn’t curse. Not because He didn’t have the opportunity to curse or because people never provoked Him. He had plenty of opportunity and provocation. But He “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return<\/em>” (I Peter 2:22-23).\u00a0In this, He left an example for us.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Can the plague of profanity in our culture be reversed?\u00a0 Perhaps.\u00a0For that to happen, each individual Christian must determine to set the example!\u00a0 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers<\/em>” (Ephesians 4:29).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    by Steve Klein Today we have experts and scholars on every subject imaginable – from global warming to cotton farming.\u00a0 Timothy Jay is an expert on cursing.\u00a0 He’s made quite a study of it, written two books about it, and talks about it often to his students at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts where…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[492,1558],"class_list":["post-55738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-profanity","tag-speech"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19806,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-marriage-divorce-and-remarriage-in-the-bible-by-jay-e-adams-biblically-correct\/","url_meta":{"origin":55738,"position":0},"title":"Is “Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Bible” by Jay E. Adams biblically correct?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please, I would like to know if you have read the book \"Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Bible\" by Jay E. Adams. Is this book by Jay Adams biblically and scripturally correct, especially in regards to the remarriage of the innocent and guilty party in a divorce? I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94006,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/swearing-not-at-all-understanding-jesus-prohibition-in-light-of-the-whole-counsel-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":55738,"position":1},"title":"Swearing Not at All \u2014 Understanding Jesus\u2019 Prohibition in Light of the Whole Counsel of God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Becky Ren\u00e9 Few biblical subjects appear, at first glance, as straightforward as the prohibition against swearing found in the words of Jesus and James. \"Swear not at all\" seems plain, uncompromising, and universal. For this reason, some conclude that any oath-taking in any circumstance-including legal oaths required by civil\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84951,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/christians-and-bankruptcy\/","url_meta":{"origin":55738,"position":2},"title":"Christians and Bankruptcy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Art Cornell via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 On a recent visit to the Chapallear's home, I told Floyd I was working for a bankruptcy judge. He asked me whether I thought a Christian could file for bankruptcy. I thought for a moment and replied\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35956,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/where-does-the-bible-suggest-swearing-is-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":55738,"position":3},"title":"Where does the Bible suggest swearing is a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Where does the Bible suggest swearing is a sin? And how does it define what words or type of words are to be considered sinful to say? We all understand that taking God's name in vain is a sin. We are told this in the Bible directly. But I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69116,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-can-i-say-to-someone-who-frequently-says-i-swear-to-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":55738,"position":4},"title":"What can I say to someone who frequently says, “I swear to God”?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What can I say to someone who says \"I swear to God\"? Thanks Answer: The goal should be to get the person to think about what they are saying. Often, people use catchphrases without much thought. Thus, I would ask, \"Do you think so little of the truth of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66333,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-not-taking-gods-name-in-vain-just-about-swearing\/","url_meta":{"origin":55738,"position":5},"title":"Is not taking God’s name in vain just about swearing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I also would like to ask if you think this commandment refers only to oaths or if it may refer to saying the name of God without purpose, like \"God willing...\" without God in mind. Thanks in advance! God bless your work. Answer: This particular commandment is focused on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55738\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}