Is d*mn a bad word?

[Str84ward]

Is saying damn a bad word.

“I can’t find the damn entrance, then damn keys.”

Must I confess this?

 

[adamhovey1988]

Is saying damn a bad word.

“I can’t find the damn entrance, then damn keys.”

Must I confess this?

I would say it can be but since it seems to be out of habit I don’t think it is and even if it was it’s not necessarily a mortal sin now if you put God in front of it it would be a mortal sin. I mean even the Bible uses the word damn. Don’t worry so much about it. I mean even Saint Paul used the koine Greek equivalent of the s word which for some reason would be censored if I type it here but I’m not one who invented this forum so it’s not really up to me. It is wise to watch your tongue just don’t be scrupulous over it.

 

[mVitus]

Swear words are not sinful in themselves. It’s their usage that can be sinful. Saying “F*** it, I lost the keys.” is notably different saying, “F*** you, you lost the keys.” And in the latter case, the sin isn’t in the use of f*** but in insulting the other person. So I’d imagine your case is non-sinful.

Though so that it’s known, if you’re scrupulous, make sure to ask these questions to a priest, not an internet forum. We can give our opinions, but we’re not final authorities.

 

[Mary_Estelle]

It can be a bad word if used to curse someone or to take/use God’s name in vain. It is a bad habit that one should to erase from one’s vocabulary. Think of another word to express your frustration, emotion or response. Mine is OH Crud! Peace.

 

[Dorothy]

If one feels the need to exclaim out loud, how about “Oh, no” instead of damn or vulgarities.

Children pick up easily on how their parents express themselves and may start using the same words.

 

[twf]

I personally couldn’t imagine the use of the word being grave matter unless it was willfully and deliberately directed at another as a curse. “Damn you foul enemy of mine!”

 

[twf]

If one feels the need to exclaim out loud, how about “Oh, no” instead of damn or vulgarities.

Children pick up easily on how their parents express themselves and may start using the same words.

I agree, but the OP was asking whether the use of the word was grave matter requiring confession.

 

[pianistclare]

It’s amazing how this habit of cursing has crept into our lives so that many believe it to be harmless.

Cussing is a euphemism for cursing.
When we “damn” something, we wish it to be cast into hell.

So, we want strangers, our kids, our cars, our pets to be cast into hell. Really?

The word is a verb, not an adjective.

Words are powerful. They write on our hearts. In the beginning was the WORD. Remember? It’s still out there in the cosmos… it still resonates. There’s a great YouTube video for teens that shows a guy with a feather pillow. The feathers represent all the swear words he has uttered, all the mean things he has said out of anger, and just because.
He’s asked to rip the pillow apart, The feathers go everywhere. The wind catches them, they land far away often, to places he cannot readily reach. He’s asked to take them back.
Obviously, he can’t.

Does everyone do it? Sure, probably. I’ve tried very hard in my life to stop. Occasionally one will slip out, and it’s simply ridiculous. Like the English language does not have other more suitable words?

Cussing make no sentence better.
Give it up int he New Year. You won’t miss it. If you want to confess something, say that you confess not having enough respect for the world, this beautiful world that God has given us, that you would wish damnation upon it.

Don’t accept it as normal. We can change how we speak.
We can speak in anger, or frustration, but we don’t have to curse.
We can choose a better way.

Peace to you,

 

[Lenten_ashes]

Here’s a question on a related matter…you are driving down the highway and some guy darts in front of you cutting you off. This causes you to tap the brakes and you spill hot coffee on your face as a result. You proceed to curse that guy out, but it’s in the privacy of your car so nobody but you and God heard it…Is it a mortal sin in need of confession?

 

[PelagiathePenit]

My father seems to think so.

 

[pianistclare]

Here’s a question on a related matter…you are driving down the highway and some guy darts in front of you cutting you off. This causes you to tap the brakes and you spill hot coffee on your face as a result. You proceed to curse that guy out, but it’s in the privacy of your car so nobody but you and God heard it…Is it a mortal sin in need of confession?

Is un-Christian behavior ever acceptable?

Why does the circumstance matter?

You’re cursing
Full stop.

I’m not saying people don’t experience anger.

But aren’t we better then cuss words?

 

[doomguy93]

Well, unless you’re fine with hearing your 9-year-old yelling “damn,” it’s a bad word. Is it a sin to say? Dunno.

If it is, you’d better retire to a monastery or join the priesthood, or try to work where there’s lots of DEVOUT Christians, your bosses are humane and not money-hungry angry pigs who nevertheless proclaim themselves Goddy (it’s like goody except it’s Godly!)-two-shoes Christians who give all they can to the community, etc. Avoid factories and retail jobs. If you see a restaurant kitchen to apply to, firebomb it instead of working in it. Evil, nasty places where you will worship the gods of Time, Money, and Speed or pay the price in F-bombs and where you will say non-stop F-bombs, yell Jesus’s name in vain and insert many F-bombs into it.

People who just tell you to “change your vocabulary!” are sheltered and not terribly aware of the real world, which is big and bad and will crush you like the ant you are if you don’t either join it or get out of the way and go to your monastery. Strong situations will call for strong language, period. That’s life.

Stop watching movies, period. Avoid non-Christian books, and even then you better watch out for William X. Kienzle and shoot all Blatty novels with a flamethrower. Listen only to Gregorian chants and hymns. Get off the road and start pushing your car over the nearest cliff, because when you’re driving someone might honk at you and yell THE BAD WORDS! And then you might raise the bad word finger at him.

You can’t avoid cussing if you live an average, secular lifestyle. Period. If you’re a working-class guy, don’t even think about it, your chances are zero whereas women’s chances are…5%? Something dismal like that. The cussing of others will spread to you.

Yes, I’ve said all the nastiest cuss words that can be mustered up. When I was 4 years old, a cousin taught me euphemisms for male body parts. A friend and I started in with the non-stop F-bombs when we were 11 years old, and we haven’t looked back since. Not too long ago, when I got angry or scared it was Jesus this and Jesus that, and I peppered it with F-bombs. My poor old saintly mother (who cussed a lot, but made sure to make it clear to me that she was apologetic to God about it; that’s what happens when you add Irish, Confederacy state, and Detroit) and I got into many shouting matches over my worst violations of the Savior’s name. She said it was bringing bad luck on us, and she was right.

But the worse things got, the more I said those things, especially at work. It was just my way of relieving stress and being assertive when there was no other possible way for me. “If you’re all going to hurt me and defecate on me, then I’m going to offend you so much I hope you puke! Let’s see if your false “Christianity” can withstand this!” It’s only through God’s grace that those days are over. The funny thing is, nobody was the least bit offended when I said Jesus + F-words. They thought it was kind of funny, and they completely understood.

Now that I’ve returned from my lapse, I still cuss all the time. And I still put God’s name in front of the topic word of this thread. That’s what confession is for. So don’t twist your brain into a pretzel thinking about it, but if you feel you must confess then do it. And keep the F-bombs away from Jesus. Love Jesus and seek Him while things are still going good.

 

[Lenten_ashes]

Is un-Christian behavior ever acceptable?

Why does the circumstance matter?

You’re cursing
Full stop.

I’m not saying people don’t experience anger.

But aren’t we better then cuss words?

Circumstances always matter in sin classification.

Example I heard on EWTN from Fr. Pacwa…you are hungry, w/o money and you steal a loaf of bread from Walmart to feed yourself. NOT a mortal sin.

Same situation…you are hungry, w/o money and you steal a loaf of bread, but this time from a refugee—It is a mortal sin now. Same thing occurred with different circumstances.

Obvious reasons why one sin is mortal and the other venial.

And yes, losing your cool is almost always un-Christian, but we are also human.

 

[mVitus]

The word is a verb, not an adjective.

Words are powerful. They write on our hearts.

Words are what we make of them and have no more power than the power we give them. If I say some gibberish word with hatred, then it becomes hate but if I say a cuss word with love, it becomes love. The actual word doesn’t matter so much as the intent behind it. A prayer in Latin is no more powerful than a prayer in English so long as the intent of prayer is behind it.

And when it comes to “dmn" I’d say it’s both a verb AND an adjective. Same with "f**.” In fact I’d say both have become synonymous with “very.”

How good was the ice cream? D*mn good.

Words change over time. A man saying “I want to be gay.” in the 1800s meant something else than it does now. A man saying he wants to burn a insert derogatory word for gay people back a while ago wasn’t referring to a crime, but the innocuous activity of burning a bundle of sticks. I think it’s only reasonable words with negative connotations can become acceptable if acceptable words can gain negative connotations.

Or to bring up another thing. The A-OK hand gesture which is commonly used in America is highly offensive in other places. Would you say, “Surely there must be better hand gestures to use” just because it’s offensive in some places?
Or how about the Japanese who point with the longest finger? Offensive to us Americans so surely they’re a culture flipping each other off all the time and should just use a better finger even though none of them are offended by it.

So if it’s not offensive to those you’re in company with I can’t see it being sinful. Or I think about the pope’s use of coprophagia, arguably a bad word, but perfectly acceptable.

 

[pianistclare]

Justify it all you want people.
It’s not a good thing.


catholic.com/encyclopedia/cursing

 

[mVitus]

From very entry you just linked. 3rd paragraph, Emphasis added.

it is seen that the act of cursing is not necessarily sinful in itself; like other moral acts it takes its sinful character from the object, the end, and the circumstances. Thus it is always a sin, and the greatest of sins, to curse God, for to do so involves both the irreverence of blasphemy and the malice of hatred of the Divinity. It is likewise blasphemy, and consequently a grievous sin against the Second Commandment, to curse creatures of any kind precisely because they are the work of God. If, however, the imprecation be directed towards irrational creatures not on account of their relation to God, but simply as they are in themselves, the guilt is no greater than that which attaches to vain and idle words, except where grave scandal is given, or the evil wished to the irrational creature cannot be separated from serious loss to a rational creature, as would be the case were one to wish the death of another’s horse, or the destruction of his house by fire, for such wishes involved serious violation of charity.

The article may call certain acts of cursing venial sins, but that’s in regard to wishing vengeance on said things, not the expression of frustration, which cuss words are generally used for.

 

[pianistclare]

From very entry you just linked. 3rd paragraph, Emphasis added.

The article may call certain acts of cursing venial sins, but that’s in regard to wishing vengeance on said things, not the expression of frustration, which cuss words are generally used for.

So…the fact that cussing makes one appear uneducated, cannot express self-control, and is not tolerated in most workplaces is not a deterrent?



Its just not prudent and never ever makes anything better.
One can be frustrated without being course.

 

[mVitus]

If it makes other think I’im uneducated when I’m coarse, that’s their problem. Plus I generally only use coarse words around (not at) those I know (who are fine with it) so it’s really a non-issue.

We’re not required to say “oh fooey” if the car won’t start or if the boiling pot overflows anymore than we’re required to say “oh ****.” If you don’t feel comfortable with swear words, that’s not a problem. Using them isn’t going to make you more virtuous, but it also doesn’t make you less virtuous if you do, providing they aren’t a manifestation of anger at another person. (But you don’t need to use swear words to manifest such and anger anyways.)

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

So…the fact that cussing makes one appear uneducated, cannot express self-control, and is not tolerated in most workplaces is not a deterrent?



Its just not prudent and never ever makes anything better.
One can be frustrated without being course.

Language evolves. The president. The pope, CEO’s. Coaches etc all employ a lot of vocabulary that you would say makes them appear uneducated. All of them swear and outside of customer service or education jobs swearing is part of almost every deal or boardroom meeting.

 

[edwest2]

Is saying damn a bad word.

“I can’t find the damn entrance, then damn keys.”

Must I confess this?

It’s a bad word.

Ed