Why is cussing wrong?

[WoundedIcon]

I struggle with sounding like a sailor, but I can’t seem to understand the details as to why swearing is intrinsically wrong. I can understand if it’s used around people who would be offended, or in a way that attacks another, but it just seems so subjective and until I have a good reason to stop I just can’t bring myself to do it permanently. I need to see a virtue in stopping, not just the avoidance of a vice.

 

[Robert_Sock]

I struggle with sounding like a sailor, but I can’t seem to understand the details as to why swearing is intrinsically wrong. I can understand if it’s used around people who would be offended, or in a way that attacks another, but it just seems so subjective and until I have a good reason to stop I just can’t bring myself to do it permanently. I need to see a virtue in stopping, not just the avoidance of a vice.

Once you quite, turn to God in humble submission, you will likely see your your spirituality soar, and then you will understand.

 

[jmcrae]

I struggle with sounding like a sailor, but I can’t seem to understand the details as to why swearing is intrinsically wrong. I can understand if it’s used around people who would be offended, or in a way that attacks another, but it just seems so subjective and until I have a good reason to stop I just can’t bring myself to do it permanently. I need to see a virtue in stopping, not just the avoidance of a vice.

Do you want to be a truthful person?

Do you want to say only the things that you mean?

Do you want to avoid saying things that you don’t really mean?

Swear words are words that mean things that no one really ever means to say - or if they do, not in the context in which swearing typically occurs.

I would not be offended by someone using these words in the way that they were originally intended to be used, but I find it very weird to hear people using them out of context - it presents a very strange mental image in my mind.

 

[Meemai]

I curse a lot, but it’s just words. Kids tell they’re parents ‘I hate you’ but they do not mean it. They just are angry. So well words are just hollow. Even when someone says ‘I love you’ it could be hollow.

So I think words are just strings of letter we can say stuff with, but we all have a differetn explanation of the words. So I don’t think cursing is that bad. But people lift heavy on it. It’s crazy some people are anti cursing but carry a gun in they’re pocket. Like what the (insert curseword)

 

[TK421]

It matters because of the impression they carry in a society. Even though it’s subjective (curse words change from generation to generation) you are still setting an example of lewdness.

A naked tribal Congolese woman is not necessarily guilty of unchastity, but most other people in the world would be, and you should not promote lewdness, however it may be perceived.

 

[drrabbit]

There are two main ways that people cuss.

1. They blaspheme. That is that they take the Lord’s name in vain. In other words this is to use God’s name for ordinary things–which is without respect. Like the person who is upset and says “Jesus Christ” or just “Christ” as a swear word. This is worse than calling your mother a 'w____". This is someone you are called to Love and to be in proper relationship with. You are called to Love God with your whole heart, whole mind and whole strength (reference this past Sunday’s gospel.) These are not words of love when used this way. This is so important that there is a whole commandment about it. As Jesus said “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” This if done in a deliberate way is a mortal sin.
2. The second way is to curse someone. “Go to H.ll” or “D…n you” is to verbally tell someone that you want them to be separated from God forever. This is opposite of God’s will. Like Jesus, we are called to submit our will to God’s will “Not my will but thine be done.” We are called to love our neighbors and to love our enemies–to do good to those that hate us. This is a clear breaking of that commandment. To curse someone is the opposite of praying for them. Short hand versions also count. The more mild versions of calling someone something derogatory such as a female dog or an ape are to treat them as less than the someone for whom Christ died.

 

[drrabbit]

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

PART THREE
LIFE IN CHRIST

SECTION TWO
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

CHAPTER ONE
“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND”

ARTICLE 2
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.72
You have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You shall not swear falsely. . But I say to you, Do not swear at all.73

• I. THE NAME OF THE LORD IS HOLY

2142 The second commandment prescribes respect for the Lord’s name. Like the first commandment, it belongs to the virtue of religion and more particularly it governs our use of speech in sacred matters.

2143 Among all the words of Revelation, there is one which is unique: the revealed name of God. God confides his name to those who believe in him; he reveals himself to them in his personal mystery. The gift of a name belongs to the order of trust and intimacy. “The Lord’s name is holy.” For this reason man must not abuse it. He must keep it in mind in silent, loving adoration. He will not introduce it into his own speech except to bless, praise, and glorify it.74

2144 Respect for his name is an expression of the respect owed to the mystery of God himself and to the whole sacred reality it evokes. The sense of the sacred is part of the virtue of religion:

2145 The faithful should bear witness to the Lord’s name by confessing the faith without giving way to fear.76 Preaching and catechizing should be permeated with adoration and respect for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2146 **The second commandment forbids the abuse of God’s name, i.e., every improper use of the names of God, Jesus Christ, but also of the Virgin Mary and all the saints. **

2147 Promises made to others in God’s name engage the divine honor, fidelity, truthfulness, and authority. They must be respected in justice. To be unfaithful to them is to misuse God’s name and in some way to make God out to be a liar.77

2148 Blasphemy is directly opposed to the second commandment. It consists in uttering against God - inwardly or outwardly - words of hatred, reproach, or defiance; in speaking ill of God; in failing in respect toward him in one’s speech; in misusing God’s name. St. James condemns those "who blaspheme that honorable name [of Jesus] by which you are called."78 The prohibition of blasphemy extends to language against Christ’s Church, the saints, and sacred things. It is also blasphemous to make use of God’s name to cover up criminal practices, to reduce peoples to servitude, to torture persons or put them to death. The misuse of God’s name to commit a crime can provoke others to repudiate religion.

**Blasphemy is contrary to the respect due God and his holy name. It is in itself a grave sin.79 **

2149 Oaths which misuse God’s name, though without the intention of blasphemy, show lack of respect for the Lord. The second commandment also forbids magical use of the divine name.

[God’s] name is great when spoken with respect for the greatness of his majesty. God’s name is holy when said with veneration and fear of offending him.80

II. TAKING THE NAME OF THE LORD IN VAIN

2150 The second commandment forbids false oaths. Taking an oath or swearing is to take God as witness to what one affirms. It is to invoke the divine truthfulness as a pledge of one’s own truthfulness. An oath engages the Lord’s name. "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him, and swear by his name."81

2151 Rejection of false oaths is a duty toward God. As Creator and Lord, God is the norm of all truth. Human speech is either in accord with or in opposition to God who is Truth itself. When it is truthful and legitimate, an oath highlights the relationship of human speech with God’s truth. A false oath calls on God to be witness to a lie.

2152 A person commits perjury when he makes a promise under oath with no intention of keeping it, or when after promising on oath he does not keep it. Perjury is a grave lack of respect for the Lord of all speech. Pledging oneself by oath to commit an evil deed is contrary to the holiness of the divine name.

2153 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained the second commandment: "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all. . . . Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one."82 Jesus teaches that every oath involves a reference to God and that God’s presence and his truth must be honored in all speech. **Discretion in calling upon God is allied with a respectful awareness of his presence, which all our assertions either witness to or mock. **

2154 Following St. Paul,83 the tradition of the Church has understood Jesus’ words as not excluding oaths made for grave and right reasons (for example, in court). "An oath, that is the invocation of the divine name as a witness to truth, cannot be taken unless in truth, in judgment, and in justice."84

2155 The holiness of the divine name demands that we neither use it for trivial matters, nor take an oath which on the basis of the circumstances could be interpreted as approval of an authority unjustly requiring it. When an oath is required by illegitimate civil authorities, it may be refused. It must be refused when it is required for purposes contrary to the dignity of persons or to ecclesial communion.

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c1a2.htm

 

[Rete]

I struggle with it as well because of my time in the military. The way I see it, anything which is not beautiful and perfect does not belong in Heaven. Profanity distorts our nature, can never be the product of perfection, and therefore is displeasing to God. Beauty belongs in Heaven; ugly elsewhere.

Ask your guardian angel to make you aware of it when it happens. Then when you think or speak profanity, be aware of it, apologize to God, and move on. It does help, but it takes time to truly root it out of your being.

I have a feeling that profanity is a venial sin and reflects much needed time in penance, so it’s not my plan to have this problem when I die…

 

[WoundedIcon]

There are two main ways that people cuss.

1. They blaspheme. That is that they take the Lord’s name in vain. In other words this is to use God’s name for ordinary things–which is without respect. Like the person who is upset and says “Jesus Christ” or just “Christ” as a swear word. This is worse than calling your mother a 'w____". This is someone you are called to Love and to be in proper relationship with. You are called to Love God with your whole heart, whole mind and whole strength (reference this past Sunday’s gospel.) These are not words of love when used this way. This is so important that there is a whole commandment about it. As Jesus said “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” This if done in a deliberate way is a mortal sin.
2. The second way is to curse someone. “Go to H.ll” or “D…n you” is to verbally tell someone that you want them to be separated from God forever. This is opposite of God’s will. Like Jesus, we are called to submit our will to God’s will “Not my will but thine be done.” We are called to love our neighbors and to love our enemies–to do good to those that hate us. This is a clear breaking of that commandment. To curse someone is the opposite of praying for them. Short hand versions also count. The more mild versions of calling someone something derogatory such as a female dog or an ape are to treat them as less than the someone for whom Christ died.

See, I mainly use it out of frustration (eff that, what a total cluster****) or to spice things up and make them more impactful (that’s totally effing awesome). The worst is my habit of calling people aholes or Bs under my breath. But I think it’s a sign of a rough or tumultuous heart. And like someone else said, it’s not beautiful.

I don’t have as much of a problem with taking the Lord’s name in vain due to the fact that it’s pretty easy to repurpose a lot of that into ejaculatory prayers, hence not vain anymore.

 

[Zekariya]

See, I mainly use it out of frustration (eff that, what a total cluster****) or to spice things up and make them more impactful (that’s totally effing awesome). The worst is my habit of calling people aholes or Bs under my breath. But I think it’s a sign of a rough or tumultuous heart. And like someone else said, it’s not beautiful.

I don’t have as much of a problem with taking the Lord’s name in vain due to the fact that it’s pretty easy to repurpose a lot of that into ejaculatory prayers, hence not vain anymore.

1. While using the Lord’s name in vain is a sin, using the a**, s***, and f*** is not necessarily a sin. Those three words were once in common use and are now considered vulgar. For example, St Thomas More used the word s*** in his writings (as did Martin Luther).
2. You must not scandalize or cause others to stumble by your using vulgar words. St Paul speaks of never eating meat again, if it would cause another to stumble:

1 Corinthians 8:10-13 If someone sees you, with your knowledge, reclining at table in the temple of an idol, may not his conscience too, weak as it is, be “built up” to eat the meat sacrificed to idols? Thus through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died. When you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their consciences, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to sin.

1. You must not use vulgar words to demean another person, as an exclamation, or as a description for something negative. Christ makes it clear that we are not to demean others:

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna [aka hell fire].

1. St James speaks against pronouncing curses on others:

James 3:9-12 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers. Does a spring gush forth from the same opening both pure and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh.

I believe that the use of vulgar words are not sinful as long as it:
a. does not use the Lord’s name in vain
b. does not scandalize or cause others to stumble
c. is not used to demean someone
d. is not used as a curse

 

[CatholicRaven]

While I don’t think all cussing is necessarily sinful, I also don’t believe any of it is holy. Striving for holiness, goodness, respectfulness, etc. means we need to curb and avoid those behaviors that may cause us to stumble or fall from the good things for which we’re striving.

I try to avoid cussing even when alone, partly because I want to be in the habit of using positive words (and certainly don’t want to fall into the habit of cussing without being aware of it), and partly out of respect for my Guardian Angel, who is always with me. Avoiding that language is also a good way to practice self-control. I admit that I slip occasionally, but I really try not to use those words, because words do have meanings, even when we don’t* think *about what they mean when we say them.

I’ve also seen that when others use foul language unnecessarily, some people have a hard time taking them seriously or respecting their views as much as those who seem to have better control over their tongues.

Just my opinion, of course.

 

[Brant]

Cussing is easy. Anyone can do it. However, what everyone can’t do is say how they feel without the use of a cuss word. I personally will say a cuss word when im irritated but I can’t stand it when I do. It feels like I ate something disgusting.

When it comes down to it. Cussing has no class. I would rather have class and be able to speak kindly without the use of cuss words.

 

[Brant]

I curse a lot, but it’s just words. Kids tell they’re parents ‘I hate you’ but they do not mean it. They just are angry. So well words are just hollow. Even when someone says ‘I love you’ it could be hollow.

So I think words are just strings of letter we can say stuff with, but we all have a differetn explanation of the words. So I don’t think cursing is that bad. But people lift heavy on it. It’s crazy some people are anti cursing but carry a gun in they’re pocket. Like what the (insert curseword)

Cussing and carrying a gun are two completely different matters. You don’t cuss to protect yourself. Again, cussing has no class and frankly I believe it makes people look like complete idiots when every other word is a cuss word. Also, words can cut someone just as sharply as a knife and at times cause more damage. Just because you can cuss doesn’t mean you should. There is no excuse for it.

 

[iamcatholic100]

While I don’t think all cussing is necessarily sinful, I also don’t believe any of it is holy. Striving for holiness, goodness, respectfulness, etc. means we need to curb and avoid those behaviors that may cause us to stumble or fall from the good things for which we’re striving.

I try to avoid cussing even when alone, partly because I want to be in the habit of using positive words (and certainly don’t want to fall into the habit of cussing without being aware of it), and partly out of respect for my Guardian Angel, who is always with me. Avoiding that language is also a good way to practice self-control. I admit that I slip occasionally, but I really try not to use those words, because words do have meanings, even when we don’t* think *about what they mean when we say them.

I’ve also seen that when others use foul language unnecessarily, some people have a hard time taking them seriously or respecting their views as much as those who seem to have better control over their tongues.

Just my opinion, of course.

I agree with you. Though I have never gotten into the habit of cussing, I tend to avoid it as well. Sure, I certainly stumbled at times, but it was usually in situations where I get provoked, or when things don’t go my way. Nevertheless, cussing is a bad habit and doesn’t show any class. Plus, St. Paul has stated in Ephesians and Colossians that cussing was one of the things that we are to put of from ourselves and replace them with kindness, thanksgiving and generosity.

 

[WoundedIcon]

I believe Wisdom or Sirach states that hearing men taken to swearing makes one’s hairs stand on end.

 

[Zekariya]

I believe Wisdom or Sirach states that hearing men taken to swearing makes one’s hairs stand on end.

When the Scriptures speak of swearing, it refers to actual swearing. Similar to what some say today: “I swear on my mother’s grave.”

James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation.

 

[iamcatholic100]

When the Scriptures speak of swearing, it refers to actual swearing. Similar to what some say today: “I swear on my mother’s grave.”

James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation.

In your last post, when you said using a^^ s*** f*** aren’t necesarily sinful, but using God’s name in vain is, I was a bit confused on what you said. I was always taught as a kid that using those word were wrong. Maybe using those words might be sinful in some cases but not in other cases. Nevertheless, in ephesians chapter 4, saint pauls states,

4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

 

[Deus_tecum]

I struggle with sounding like a sailor, but I can’t seem to understand the details as to why swearing is intrinsically wrong. I can understand if it’s used around people who would be offended, or in a way that attacks another, but it just seems so subjective and until I have a good reason to stop I just can’t bring myself to do it permanently. I need to see a virtue in stopping, not just the avoidance of a vice.

I’ve struggled with this and IMO it is wrong because it denotes a disorder of the heart (not the physical heart). This verse is from memory so I don’t know the chapter and verse, but “Out of the mouth, the heart speaks.” I know that I am to be thankful to the Lord in all circumstances. Saint Paul sang praises while in prison, for example. Where is my thankfulness, where is my praise to our Lord, and where is my heart when I am cussing? Do I really need to be upset when someone cuts me off in traffic, I drop something in the kitchen, or hit my thumb while doing a carpentry repair?

It’s not just that, though. Think of the example it sets. If you are around kids and they hear you cuss and they admire you, they are going to grow up thinking it is normal to cuss and a sign of being an adult. I used to get aggravated when caught in traffic. Then one day I noticed my little nephew getting aggravated in traffic too. It never bothered him before. He was copying me.

 

[iamcatholic100]

Well, I just found out that Saint Thomas More did use vulgar words while writting under a pseudonym to Martin Luther. Furthermore, Father Mitch Pacwa and a guest on EWTN live disussed why Saint Thomas did this (at 32:00)

youtube.com/watch?v=J9KOhMRjnJ0

 

[Zekariya]

In your last post, when you said using a^^ s*** f*** aren’t necesarily sinful, but using God’s name in vain is, I was a bit confused on what you said. I was always taught as a kid that using those word were wrong. Maybe using those words might be sinful in some cases but not in other cases. Nevertheless, in ephesians chapter 4, saint pauls states,

Using God’s name in vain is sinful according to the Ten Commandments. The other words were used in common language in the past but are now considered vulgar.

There is nothing inherently sinful about saying “poop” or other forms of the same. Though s*** is considered vulgar, it is another word for poop that used to be commonly used. The English martyr, St Thomas More, used s*** a lot.

Here is one quote from St Thomas More’s Responsio ad Lutherum which I have censored for the forum:
But meanwhile, for as long as your reverend paternity will be determined to tell these shameless lies, others will be permitted, on behalf of his English majesty, to throw back into your paternity’s ****ty mouth, truly the ****-pool of all ****, all the muck and **** which your damnable rottenness has vomited up, and to empty out all the sewers and privies onto your crown divested of the dignity of the priestly crown, against which no less than against the kingly crown you have determined to play the buffoon.

[To the Moderators: I assume that the above quote does not break any rules since it is censored and is a quote of a great saint and martyr but if it does please delete it and forgive me.]

It is always sinful to use God’s name in vain. The Second Commandment in the Bible condemns it:
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.