this post is the f****** bomb

October 20th, 2007 by Mak

NOW THAT oughta net me some click throughs ;)

Trust me, it’s relevant. My wonderfully creative husband wrote a great post about, of all things, cussing.

I used to say things like, “Darn it, Fudge, Dang, Shoot” or “Golly Gee Beave!” Now I am free to leave censorship aside. I am not only free to watch rated “R” movies, I am also free to quote the lines in the car on the way home.

But for those of us newly acquainted or are being re-acquainted into the language formally reserved for heathen and Irish Catholics, let me lay a few ground rules that can help you not only live free without hypocrisy, but also not offend the children in the playhouse at McDonalds when you accidentally drop your McNuggets on the floor.

Suggestion#1. Don’t eat at McDonalds.

Suggestion#2. Be respectful. If you find yourself eating at McDonalds and you do drop your McNuggets on the floor, remember that there are probably others around who don’t want to hear that language even if you are emergent. So hold it under your breathe, or say it softly out of earshot. You don’t have to be a hypocrite and still be respectful.

Make sure you read the rest

12 Responses to “this post is the f****** bomb”

  1. on 20 Oct 2007 at 1:40 pm1 Anna

    Why flaunt your “freedom” and use it as an excuse to be crude and vulgar? I can’t help but think of what Paul wrote in Colossians: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth” (Col. 3:5-8).

    I’m not attempting to be needlessly combative here, so I apologize if this comes across that way. It’s just that this kind of attitude really concerns me. I think this is the kind of thing Peter was addressing when he wrote, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).

  2. on 20 Oct 2007 at 2:06 pm2 Mak

    I think it really comes down to how you view language and what you perceive as obscene. I personally think it has more to do with attitudes of the heart as Jesus taught.

    crude? vulgar? I have known way too many sweet talking horrid women who don’t cuss to get caught up in thinking a few cuss words here and there from a Christ follower is all that terrible

    why does it concern you? concern? please explain

  3. on 20 Oct 2007 at 4:25 pm3 Shauna

    My view of swearing is more along the lines of this list, particularly as it regards the English language. I agree that a lot of Christians make far too big a deal out of it and are wrong to use it as some gauge of spirituality. I also swear more often than I would like, especially when angry, but I still think that reflects my own immaturity and lack of control and is not in any way a positive trait.

  4. on 20 Oct 2007 at 4:35 pm4 Mak

    that’s fair :) I think for some people it can reflect individual immaturity and lack of self control but I don’t think it’s always the case. FOR ME, to use that reasoning, I’d have to axe all exclamations involving anger or passion and that’s too ascetic and gnostic for my tastes.

  5. on 20 Oct 2007 at 5:45 pm5 Catrina

    When my 10 year old loses his temper with his brothers and calls them “YOU STINKING BONEHEADS” I correct for the attitude of his heart and not the specific words. However, in our culture most of those words afore mentioned are considered obscene even in our day and age, thus the parental warnings and such. So how can we distinguish ourselves from the world and not be offensive. I’m not talking about being offensive to the believers but the unbelievers. While in Africa we could never give the thumbs up (Fonz style) because that was considered obscene, (not sure why) While there we respected their culture even though we knew that we weren’t doing anything wrong, so how can we not be respectful in our culture when the standard says that it is rude or crude? This has more to do with respect of others than sin.

  6. on 20 Oct 2007 at 5:53 pm6 Mak

    I agree with that Catrina - but in our (my husband’s and mine) social context most cussing in moderation is not considered offensive - - when it is, I always refrain - which I believe is a point David made. I have a circle of friends (some Christians, some not) where we are safe to express ourselves without judgment - I am not as “free” with most other people. And even then, I rarely say anything more colorful than shit. :)

    At our previous church, I never cussed around the people there - usually out of respect, sometimes out of fear

  7. on 20 Oct 2007 at 11:26 pm7 Anna

    Thanks for your response, Mak. I love how you give your blog a discussion format by interacting with the comments.

    I don’t understand your reference to “sweet talking horrid women” who think cuss words from Jesus followers are terrible. But I understand your desire to bring things down to the level of the heart.

    I would agree, but there is danger in too much subjectivity. And there is danger in using an avoidance of legalism as an excuse for doing wrong. These are words that are inherently obscene in the English language. Any person off the street would tell you they are curse words. It seems to me needless, if not sinful, to use words that are so completely associated with obscenity and evil, even among a community who supports your use of them.

    This quote from D.A. Carson has personally convicted me in the past about using freedom from legalism as an excuse for wrongdoing. Don’t think I am saying you are superstitious or godless; not at all. But I am concerned that the kind of perspective you are sharing on this issue can end up swinging in this direction:

    “People do not drift toward holiness.
    Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.
    We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance;
    we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom;
    we drift toward superstition and call it faith.
    We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation;
    we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism;
    we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”

  8. on 21 Oct 2007 at 7:05 am8 Mak

    Anna - I disagree with Carson on this issue and many other things for that matter. But I appreciate your point. However, I believe that it is through freedom that we are free to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

    I believe strongly in spiritual disciplines. I believe strongly in confession of sin and allowing Christ to heal our souls. I just don’t believe occasional cussing is “unholy”.

    Obviously, I wouldn’t cuss around you out of respect.

  9. on 21 Oct 2007 at 7:43 pm9 Megan

    I was laughing when I read this - I have THE biggest potty mouth, ever. I curb it when I’m around people I know it will offend - religious or otherwise. That’s cause I have manners (usually), not for any other reason.
    I’m not sure if it was the home I grew up in (hi mom and dad!), my temperment, or what, that I roll like this. Oddly enough, my using words like sh*t, and the like, have been a sort of bizarre “evangelizing” tool, in a way. Not on purpose! But several people have told me over the years that they weren’t really curious about Jesus until they met a pastor who “talked like me.” (”Me” meaning them.)
    This American Life did a really awesome bit a while ago on swearing. http://www.thisamericanlife.com/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=267

  10. on 21 Oct 2007 at 9:05 pm10 Mak

    Hi Megan, welcome. David and I have experienced the same “evangelism” opportunities. That’s not to say that people should start cussing in order to evangelize but rather maybe God uses people who have a little more colorful language in a way that others couldn’t be used.

    David’s whole point was to say that if you want to make a social argument against cussing, or a respect one or an intellectual one … that’s fine. Just don’t place burdens of behavior on others where God does not.

    Any time someone is flaunting his/her freedom it’s an issue of the heart - and it’s not good. But that’s not what we’re talking about so the Carson point is not relevant here.

  11. on 22 Oct 2007 at 3:20 pm11 paul soupiset

    Hi!

    Hey. unrelated: i wanna introduce you to my new friend kendra from ft collins. She was at the Emergence 2007 conf in Austin this weekend and is looking for conversation partners in Ft. Collins area. this is her: http://crylaughsnort.blogspot.com/
    kendthomp [at] yahoo [dot] com

    i’ll point her to you as well, and hope one of you will be bold :)

    paul soup

  12. on 22 Oct 2007 at 4:02 pm12 Mak

    thanks paul, we actually had lunch today and I also met her hubby :)

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