“Oh shoot!”
Or did something a little stronger slip out? Cursing has become commonplace in society–but is that a good thing? The short answer: no. One simple way to increase joy in our lives and in our homes is by removing curse words.
Cursing
Cursing is closely tied to emotions. It’s often used to express overwhelming feelings, such as pain, shock, or anger. Today, it has crept into nearly every part of daily life–especially through media.
Some argue that swearing is beneficial in alleviating pain, building connection, or expressing oneself. So what could be wrong with it?
It separates us from God.
Our Connection to Heaven and Joy
In the very beginning of the Bible Moses received the Ten Commandments, and within the first five it commands, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Ex. 20:7). In our modern day, the phrase “oh my God” has become so commonplace, few even flinch when it is said. The same is true for the name of Jesus Christ.
Over time, other curse words have also entered our speech. They are different across languages and cultures, but the intent to induce strong emotion or cause offense is the same.
Jesus Christ taught the two great commandments are to love God and love our neighbour (Mark 12:30-31). Cursing does not show love for God or our neighbor. In fact, it offends God—and anything that offends Him distances us from Him.
God is the greatest source of all joy, so in turn, swearing separates us from the joy we could be experiencing.
What to do?
What we take into our minds and hearts greatly influences what we think, say, and do. So, the more we hear swearing, the more likely it will influence our emotions, become a part of our vocabulary, and eventually become a part of who we are.
The first step toward change often begins with the media we consume. What we watch, read, and listen to has a great impact on us. Does the media we consume promote love and joy, or anger and aggression? Does it engender respect or create offense?
While swearing may happen around us in public, we choose what enters our homes; we can choose how often swearing is a part of our family. (Unless there is a medical condition, like coprolalia).
To maximize the joy in our hearts and homes, our home should be a place God would want to be and stay long-term. If our language is offensive to him, we should spit it out.
Tools for You
Fortunately, there are tools available to help us decrease negative influences in our life that come through the media.
VidAngel is an example of one such tool. VidAngel is a subscription service that allows you to filter out offensive content—such as strong language, violence, gore, or nudity—from many movies and TV shows.
Another helpful resource is Kids-in-Mind.com. This website reviews movies, providing a 1-10 scale for sex and nudity, violence and gore, and language. It provides detailed descriptions of what the movie portrays in regards to those categories, including a number of how many times certain words or phrases are used (ie. “1 F-word”). This tool helps you evaluate what you may or may not want to watch.
Common Sense Media is another website that offers similar reviews, but also includes books, video games, and social media platforms.
*note: I am not paid for promoting any of these platforms. They are platforms I or friends have found very beneficial.*
What to Expect
In truth, no one enjoys being cursed at. We may become accustomed to hearing it, but that doesn’t mean we should accept it as normal. For maximum joy, cursing ought to be replaced with words filled with love and with outbursts that we wouldn’t be worried about if our children repeated.
If we limit the amount of swearing that is allowed into our homes, we will feel a lighter, happier, more peaceful atmosphere surrounding us. There will be less shock, aggression, and confusion. Peace and joy will fill our hearts, allowing us to share that love more freely with those we care about most.
So when cursing is gone, more love will fill that space.
Food for Thought
- How does cursing affect our brain and how we think?
- How do swear words affect our children and how they see the world?
- Why has there been an increased complacency in regard to language and respect?
