This has been a pet peeve of mine for decades.
I am an ordained minister. Having never been wealthy, and having worked in blue-collar jobs while in lay ministry in my youth (a la Saul and his tents), I was exposed to extreme and frequent profanity.
I do not recall ever “swearing” before the age of, say, 24. I have seldom - not never - done so since.
I am therefore not seeking to justify something that is virtually absent from my life.
Profanity means of the profane: the opposite of the divine.
Most of what is called profanity or swearing is in fact merely vulgarity. It may be distasteful or disrespectful, but it is not profanity, and it is not swearing.
Swearing is invoking the authority of a power as a witness to a vow.
If I say, “God damn you!” to someone, that is both profanity (abusing God’s name) and swearing (invoking God’s authority).
Contrary to Political Correctness, we all judge, as in evaluate; in fact, we are commanded to do so as Christians. But we are not to judge, as in condemn. That is solely God’s prerogative.
If I say, “The police are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t,” then that is decidedly neither profanity nor swearing. To be damned is to be cast out. If that casting out is in a temporal context, without abusing Divine Authority, then it is not swearing - period!
Real “cuss” words are curse words. The same standard applies. If there is in fact no genuine cursing taking place, then it is not a curse - period!
Some of the notoriously-banned seven words are not cursing, not profanity, not swearing.
They are merely verbal vulgarity. Some of that is strictly cultural and historical: Anglo-Saxon words are generally regarded as more vulgar - more common - than French words for the same thing.
(I am not here addressing the intent of the heart. That is a separate issue.)
I am much more uncomfortable with all the ways we take the Lord’s name in vain (straightforward and euphemism) than the vulgarities. The more we fill the ears of our youth with disrespect and disregard for the Maker and Savior of the universe the harder it will be to get them to regard and respect anything as precious.
There are some interesting comparative linguistic studies on the subject of “bad words.” In some cultures, terms related to sex are considered the worst. In others, it’s bodily excretions, while others frown most on misuse of religious terms.
Great post.
Well thought out and written.
Cursing: Wishing ill upon someone.
Swearing: Calling upon God as your witness.
Profanity: Misuse of God’s Name.
Obscenity: Inappropriate reference to sexual acts or functions.
Vulgarity: Inappropriate reference to scatological acts or functions.
A particular outburst of foul language may (and frequently does) involve more than one of these offenses.