Is cussing a sin?

[Dorothy]

<< My personal opinion is that the Baptist college in this area is absolutely correct and the Catholic college which has shown this type of lewd play on Ash Wednesday is absolutely wrong. However, I have no authority over what is going on in the Catholic Church. I guess that in Catholicism, it is OK to use and to write this type of gutter, blasphemous language, and Catholics don’t think it is a sin at all, otherwise, why do we get statements from a Catholic Cardinal praising the work of Father Greeley?>>

Catholics who desire to follow true Catholic Church teaching would agree with you wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, there are some cardinals, bishops, and priests who are giving very bad example. An informed, prayerful Catholic can discern which priests are following true Catholic teaching.

That is why we have organizations such as Catholics United for the Faith, and similar groups.

Peace,

Dorothy

 

[Lorrie]

I swear extremely often. Its mostly out of habit and something I’m truly trying to work on. I asked my boyfriend to help me clean up my language, now everytime I swear he’ll swat me on my hand - its not really helping me, its more irritating than anything. Finally I told him today not to help me anymore.

 

[CelticSword]

Fidelis:

Vulgar language, defined, is "coarse: conspicuously and tastelessly indecent; “coarse language”; “a crude joke”; “crude behavior”; “an earthy sense of humor”; “a revoltingly gross expletive”; “a vulgar gesture”; “full of language so vulgar it should have been edited”
As mentioned above, is conduct unbecoming a child of God: it dishonors God’s image in us and lends scandal and bad example to those who hear it. Scandal and bad example are both, at least, venial sins.

The interesting conclusion from this thread–a conclusion which flies totally in the face of my experience in the secular world, anyway–is that yelling “Jesus Christ! What in God’s name were you thinking??” at someone in frustration is more offensive in a religious sense than using the “four-letter words” for excrement or sexual intercourse. You could at least argue, though, that the use of “the f-word” is demeaning to the sacred sexual act.

 

[Dorothy]

Lorrie:

I swear extremely often. Its mostly out of habit and something I’m truly trying to work on. I asked my boyfriend to help me clean up my language, now everytime I swear he’ll swat me on my hand - its not really helping me, its more irritating than anything. Finally I told him today not to help me anymore.

Dear Lorrie,

Since you sincerely want to change this habit, say a special prayer, over and above your regular prayers, to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary for the grace to overcome this sin. Make it a point to say something else, such as “yikes”, etc. And, as your prayer continues and time goes on begin to pray for a deeper peace, which will enable you to remain fairly calm, then totally calm in all situations.

After all, losing our temper never helps a situation!

The Lord will honor your consistency in prayer and you will begin to change!

Peace to you,

Dorothy

 

[wcknight]

I used to swear like sailor, especially when I was young. BUT I always knew when it was appropriate and somehow subconciously could control it when in ‘polite’ company, for example in school or around adults like my friends parents etc.

I swear a whole lot less, and I try very hard to not to let loose BUT in very stressful situation (driving in particular) my control sometimes gets lost.

It is largely habit and in order to control it you have to be very aware of what your thinking almost at all times. IF you are thinking ahead you can control your anger, and your propensity to let choice curse words out.

Habits CAN be changed but it takes determined will power and awareness to develop new better habits. And yes, it is a sin, but not a mortal sin UNLESS you deliberately and with foreknowledge use the Lord’s Name as a curse.

wc

 

[Lorrie]

Dorothy:

Dear Lorrie,

Since you sincerely want to change this habit, say a special prayer, over and above your regular prayers, to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary for the grace to overcome this sin. Make it a point to say something else, such as “yikes”, etc. And, as your prayer continues and time goes on begin to pray for a deeper peace, which will enable you to remain fairly calm, then totally calm in all situations.

After all, losing our temper never helps a situation!

The Lord will honor your consistency in prayer and you will begin to change!

Peace to you,

Dorothy

Thank you Dorothy, but I must clarify that I rarely ever lose my temper. I’m a very calm person. When I said that I swear extremely often I meant that I swear just in general, not out of anger. Example: I went and saw “blank” movie last night, it was soooo f****** good!!! Stuff like that.

 

[stanley123]

Lorrie:

When I said that I swear extremely often I meant that I swear just in general, not out of anger. Example: I went and saw “blank” movie last night, it was soooo f****** good!!!

Right. This is the language which appears to be acceptable to Catholic priests such as Father Greeley, in his novels, and the cussing at Catholic colleges which have students participate in plays such as the V_monologues. The last I heard frofm the Cardinal Newman website, was that there were about thirty or so Catholic colleges which have been promoting this lewd play. I notice that Father Greeley thinks it is OK to use this type of cussing and expression when referring to Almighty God, as I indicated in a previous post.
Personally, I would have to agree with the local Baptist college and with the Protestant missionaries who say that Christians are called to use decent language, as indicated in the Biblical passages I mentioned before. This is just my personal opinion as I know that it goes against what the Catholic priest Father Greeley is advocating and goes against those Catholic authorities at Catholic colleges who promote cussing and the showing of lewd plays on Ash Wednesday.

 

[Lorrie]

Well, I definitely didn’t say it was something I was proud of, just guilty of.