Sin to use words Hell or the Devil?

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PeaceBeWithYou

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Examples…
What in the Hell was that?
The Devil is in the detail.

Context matters of course. These words are in scripture and certain prayers so I realize it is not a sin to use them in those circumstances.

I recently said ‘to Hell with it’ out of frustration about something I and don’t feel good about it.
 
Well, I certainly say worse…a lot worse…

Jokes about my potty mouth aside, a lot of profanity is used uncharitably, and it is often used in ways that less anger-driven response would be better. Are saying the words inherently sinful, though? Unless you’re taking God’s name in vain, no, they aren’t. It’s how you use them and the attitude with which you use them. At the very least, anything other than taking God’s name in vain is certainly not a grave matter, though the indulgence of anger and hatred could lead to graver matters.
 
PeaceBeWithYou said:
Examples…
What in the Hell was that?
The Devil is in the detail.

Context matters of course. These words are in scripture and certain prayers so I realize it is not a sin to use them in those circumstances.

I recently said ‘to Hell with it’ out of frustration about something I and don’t feel good about it.
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Oh, hell no…
 
I don’t know about that. Using profanity even if it be carelessly is sin in my opinion. I never said a swear up until high school, when my Catholic high school teacher said if the word is not said in anger at a person or God it’s not a sin. He then went on to cuss the nastiest word several times outloud to the class saying it’s only a word. From that point on I started swearing at a bad pace for many years. Using that language is not necessary, and a cuss used for no reason in my opinion is atleast a venial sin.
 
PeaceBeWithYou said:
I recently said ‘to Hell with it’ out of frustration about something I and don’t feel good about it.
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You can always bring it up in Confession. While I don’t think it’s a sin to use these words in every context, I am uncomfortable with a phrase like this. It’s basically conveying a desire that something ought to be confined to eternal hellfire. At the very least, speaking that way is probably not a good habit to develop.

It would be more serious if you were talking about a person, though.
 
LittleFlower378 said:
Using that language is not necessary, and a cuss used for no reason in my opinion is atleast a venial sin.
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As far as I’m aware, there’s no binding list on what words are and aren’t sinful, except for those uses where God’s name becomes a curse word. As such, I don’t see any point in making one. It would be better to focus on what is definitively sinful - taking God’s name in vain, gossip, dishonoring one’s parents, responding with hate, etc. - than to declare a word sinful because the nobles a few hundred years ago deemed it uncouth.
 
Our speech matters and we always want to speak the truth. So if we are using words that are deemed nasty or vulgar…?
 
I never said it didn’t matter, just that it matters more in how its used than what is said. What is and isn’t vulgar is very often just a societal label, and it would be incredibly dangerous for us to gauge morality on such labels of what is/isn’t vulgar. In contrast, something like hatred isn’t so relativistic. That would be deemed immoral whether I’m living in 21st-century America or first-century China.
 
It was about a cabinet! I am not Catholic yet so I cannot receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I’m going to work on eliminating this kind of language though.
 
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment so that it will give grace for those who hear.

Ephesians 4:29

It depends on how you use Hell if you use it to reference the place for those who rejected God then it is not a sin. But if you use it like what the h—l or why the h—l then it is a sin. But it isn’t really a sin to use the word devil since devil is usually used as another word for Satan.
 
Why not get the habit of saying Praise you Jesus!
Blessed be God!
Mighty King and Saviour!
Prince of Peace!
Mother Mary!
Queen of Heaven!

Don’t these options seem like a better choice for a Catholic?
 
My understanding is this is a tradition stemming from the belief that saying hell, or naming the devil could catch his attention. So people were taught to avoid it at all costs. Like saying god bless you when someone sneezes or throwing salt over your shoulder.

It wasn’t a sin to say hell or satan, but it was considered dangerous and might invoke him to show up and cause trouble.
 
BoomBoomMancini said:
As expletives? 🤔 no, not really…
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Fake till you make it baby! lol
I’m sure Mother Teresa had lots of stuff go sideways. I don’t think she ever swore, not that I was there to hear though. I know there’s a wide gulf between M.Teresa and me. Lord have mercy! One step at a time.
 
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