"christian" Cursing

[2bLikeJesus]

Please pray for me as I try to clean up certain things I keep saying without thought.

 

Saying "My Goodness".  Mark 10:18 (KJV) ¹⁸  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.  Saying "My Goodness" is the same as saying "My God". 

 

Saying "My Word".  John 1:1 (KJV) ¹  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   Once again, saying "My Word" is the same as saying "My God". 

 

Saying "Holy cow, holy mackrel, holy _______you fill in the blank.  Calling anything at all holy but God.  

 

Just something I have come under conviction over recently. 

 

Bro. Garry

[John81]

Prayer is certainly needed when it comes to our speech. As we learn in James, who can tame the tongue! We certainly can't without the Lord's help.

 

After all these years in Christ and I still find myself fighting certain speech battles too. Including trying to not to use the words "luck" and "lucky". I rarely use those anymore at all but every so often there it is again.

 

Praying for you brother.

[ThePilgrim]

Prayer is certainly needed when it comes to our speech. As we learn in James, who can tame the tongue! We certainly can't without the Lord's help.

 

After all these years in Christ and I still find myself fighting certain speech battles too. Including trying to not to use the words "luck" and "lucky". I rarely use those anymore at all but every so often there it is again.

 

Praying for you brother.

I fortunately have been lucky to break the habit of using the word.  "Whoops".  That's a double "Whoops".  Sorry . . . . I'll just shutup now.

[prophet1]

Is this thread about "cursing"?
Cuz I haven't seen a word about that so far.

[Jim_Alaska]

Is this thread about "cursing"?
Cuz I haven't seen a word about that so far.

 

I was wondering the same thing. The examples given don't sound like cursing to me.

[2bLikeJesus]

I would never consider saying "oh my God", so is it ok to substitute the word God with a synonym for God such as "goodness" or "word"?  This is something that I personally am convicted about and would like to clean up.  I need to find another phrase to express surprise, or shock.  Maybe just "Wow", or "Oh My"  without adding another name or attribute of God in place of OMG.  This is just a personal conviction of mine I have asked for prayer for.  Am I saying everyone should do this, no, it is just a small thing I would like to do that I think would please my Lord.  

[Rebecca]

A few years back my pastor preached a sermon about "Christian Cuss Words", and used several examples and went to the dictionary and read the definitions. It was an eye opener. A lot of the words were slang for words the world uses everyday and we would feel dirty saying, but they're watered down enough that most of the time we say these words without realizing what we're doing. One example is "Gee/Geez". It's slang for "Jesus". I used to say "gee" quite frequently because I used to watch old tv shows (Leave it to Beaver, Lassie, etc) and that was a commonly used word, so I got into the habit of saying it. During the sermon I was convicted about using that word because I was basically taking God's name in vain. There were several other terms he mentioned that I was also convicted about, but that one stands out to me the most. It's another reminder to watch our tongue, be careful of the words we choose to use. 

[prophet1]

A few years back my pastor preached a sermon about "Christian Cuss Words", and used several examples and went to the dictionary and read the definitions. It was an eye opener. A lot of the words were slang for words the world uses everyday and we would feel dirty saying, but they're watered down enough that most of the time we say these words without realizing what we're doing. One example is "Gee/Geez". It's slang for "Jesus". I used to say "gee" quite frequently because I used to watch old tv shows (Leave it to Beaver, Lassie, etc) and that was a commonly used word, so I got into the habit of saying it. During the sermon I was convicted about using that word because I was basically taking God's name in vain. There were several other terms he mentioned that I was also convicted about, but that one stands out to me the most. It's another reminder to watch our tongue, be careful of the words we choose to use.

You weren't "Takng God's name in vain".
"Take" isn't a synonym for "say", in anybody's thesaurus.
If The Spirit inwells you, and leads you not to say empty things, than you most assuredly did not take His name in vain.

Example:

My wife took my name, she is legally known as Mrs. Ramsey.
Had she done this, and then gone to another man to provide for her, she would have taken my name in vain. Her vow would be empty meaningless words.

So, when a child of "He who sees and provides" says "God isn't enough for me, He can't provide", and steals, or goes to some false idolatry for provision, he has taken the name (Jehovah is the name of God in Exodus) of God in vain.
In English, we used to use the term "Providence" a translation of "Jehovah", to describe the Creator.

Pro 30:8-9
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies:
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee,
and say, Who is the Lord?
or lest I be poor, and steal,
and take the name of my God in vain.

A few years back my pastor preached a sermon about "Christian Cuss Words", and used several examples and went to the dictionary and read the definitions. It was an eye opener. A lot of the words were slang for words the world uses everyday and we would feel dirty saying, but they're watered down enough that most of the time we say these words without realizing what we're doing. One example is "Gee/Geez". It's slang for "Jesus". I used to say "gee" quite frequently because I used to watch old tv shows (Leave it to Beaver, Lassie, etc) and that was a commonly used word, so I got into the habit of saying it. During the sermon I was convicted about using that word because I was basically taking God's name in vain. There were several other terms he mentioned that I was also convicted about, but that one stands out to me the most. It's another reminder to watch our tongue, be careful of the words we choose to use.

You weren't "Takng God's name in vain".
"Take" isn't a synonym for "say", in anybody's thesaurus.
If The Spirit inwells you, and leads you not to say empty things, than you most assuredly did not take His name in vain.

Example:

My wife took my name, she is legally known as Mrs. Ramsey.
Had she done this, and then gone to another man to provide for her, she would have taken my name in vain. Her vow would be empty meaningless words.

So, when a child of "He who sees and provides" says "God isn't enough for me, He can't provide", and steals, or goes to some false idolatry for provision, he has taken the name (Jehovah is the name of God in Exodus) of God in vain.
In English, we used to use the term "Providence" a translation of "Jehovah", to describe the Creator.

[John81]

It's very common these days to hear Christians, and even some IFBs using what some call 'christian cussing'.

 

If a Christian uses a more acceptable form of "hell" as an expletive, everyone knows the meaning.

 

One term I really don't like is "freaking", which of itself wouldn't be so bad but it's come to be a replacement for a very foul word and I'm finding more and more Christians using that word. I often hear children using that term with their parents. That's something I wouldn't even have thought of doing (though as far as I know, that word wasn't being used for that back then) and I absolutely wouldn't accept my children using that word as it's used today.

 

There are many others which are slightly varnished terms for cuss words or sexual references and I hear many children and Christians using them as part of their common language.

 

Sometimes I'll say "gravy" or "poodles" or "pickles", but even then I try to limit their use.

 

Years ago I used the term "flippin'", for me I was thinking "flippin' pancakes" but somewhere along the line that term came to be a replacement for a very vulgar cuss word and as soon as I found out about that, I stopped using that term.

 

It's a challenge to make our speech pure and it can't be done without relying upon the Lord.

[ThePilgrim]

It's all a matter of vocabulary.  If one reads a lot of good books including the bible one will develop a vocabulary that does not contain such words.  In my earlier years I didn't read much and I learned my vocabulary from the people I associated with.  They were all (just like me at the time) far from the Lord and with small vocabularies.  I am not proud of it but I was a foul mouthed idiot.

 

Just about the time I took up OTR truck driving I (while listening to J. Vernon McGee over a period of time on the radio) returned to my heavenly father.  I also took up reading the bible along with commentaries and other reference material as well as a lot of history (you would be surprised how much down time a trucker has that he could spend reading).  I would say over 90% of the books I read were pre 20th century works.  I slowly but surely developed a decent vocabulary . . . . along with a determination to use it.

 

If all the words one knows are bad words . . . . one will use bad words.  Teach your kids to read a lot of good books an keep them away movies and TV . . . . it works.

[HappyChristian]

I honestly don't believe if we use the word "goodness" or even "word" we are casting slight on God. Unless we use it in relation to that, of course. I do have words, so when I use them, they are my words. So if I say, "My word" I am simply expressing surprise at something, not calling God's name out (Jesus as the Word).   I know that there is no inherent goodness in myself, but it is the same with that - I'm not calling on God's name in surprise.  

 

I've heard it taught that it is the repetitive usage of a term that can make it become cussing. We know of cussing as using things from scripture as cussing (d, h, etc. ). But then we look at the f word - something that became a word from an acronym and is vile.  And then look at the words that are from bodily functions.  Passing gas is normal and something that needs to be excused. The dictionary word for it is one which I used commonly to describe it when growing up.  But when I got married, my hubby told me he doesn't like that word and I wasn't to use it. So for the past 28 years I haven't...and when I hear it I cringe.  It's not a cuss word, but it's not a nice word.  Then there's the other word that came from the man who invented the toilet.  It went from part of his name (which my grandma absolutely forbade me to use) to the other that is more gross.

 

Ha! Pilgrim, we were posting at the same time.

 

That said, if God is leading you to not use certain words, you'd best not (anyone!).  It might not be cussing, but it would be speech that doesn't honor God because He's convicted you about using it.

[Jim_Alaska]

I would never consider saying "oh my God", so is it ok to substitute the word God with a synonym for God such as "goodness" or "word"?  This is something that I personally am convicted about and would like to clean up.  I need to find another phrase to express surprise, or shock.  Maybe just "Wow", or "Oh My"  without adding another name or attribute of God in place of OMG.  This is just a personal conviction of mine I have asked for prayer for.  Am I saying everyone should do this, no, it is just a small thing I would like to do that I think would please my Lord.  

 

Thank you for the clarification Garry. I do understand and have had the same experience of being convicted regarding usage of certain words the are substituted for other words.

 

I will pray for you in this respect as you asked us to do.

[Ukulelemike]

Sometimes I say, "Holy jumpin' weasle fritters on a hot cross bun!" or "For the love of Pete's sakes!"

[2bLikeJesus]

Maybe I should borrow from Dave's avatar "Yosemite Sam" and say "Great Leapin Horny Toads" or "Iv'e been Hornswaggled" or "Bamboozled".  

[woolysheep]

Maybe I should borrow from Dave's avatar "Yosemite Sam" and say "Great Leapin Horny Toads" or "Iv'e been Hornswaggled" or "Bamboozled".  

 

John81 unless John81 is Dave