Is It Wrong To Use Curse Words?
Disclaimer: In order to discuss curse words, it was necessary to use some. I hope you understand the heart behind it.
Curse words are an interesting anomaly. People can say the same word in a variety of contexts and mean all sorts of things. We’ve all heard the F-word used this way. Someone could say, “That’s so f***ing awesome!” Or they could say, “You’re a f***ing idiot!” Or when they drop a brick on their toe, they could just yell, “F***!!!” There are also some words that may have multiple meanings, like the word a**, which historically was just another word for a donkey. And then there is the word s***… Is it really that much worse to say than crap or poop? I mean, don’t they pretty much mean the same thing?
We’ve all heard it said that, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” (See past post: But Words Will Never Hurt Me?) Honestly, it’s easy to wonder how any word could in and of itself be bad when there are so many different languages in the world. After all, what’s bad is the intent behind them… right? Most English curse words wouldn’t even be understandable to someone who can’t speak English, so how could they really be wrong to say? Even though there is some validity to that, I’m going to give TWO reasons why I think we should still AVOID using curse words altogether.
Curse Words Don’t Make Sense
Some people argue that curse words serve a purpose. There is just something about saying s*** that brings more emotion and communicates more vividly than the word crap does. There is some truth to that, and thus I acknowledge that in those instances they could possibly serve such a purpose. However, that is unfortunately NOT the way most people use these words. There is a difference between using a word to describe an emotion and using the same word as a non-descriptive adjective, adverb, or meaningless word of frustration.
A lot of times these words do not serve a logical purpose at all! What does it really mean to be f***ing awesome or f***ing stupid? I mean come on… it cant be both good and bad… right? And then when you look at it from the outside and try to define what you are actually saying (like you would do if you didn’t speak English), you see that the phrase means something completely different than what you intended. So WHY say it at all? Instead, we should choose vocabulary that more accurately describes what we are trying to say. Throwing curse words into phrases as random fillers just makes it look like you have a very LIMITED vocabulary.
Bad Language Offends People
The number one reason we should not use curse words is because ultimately they are offensive. Why do we call them “BAD words?” Because they are offensive… No one ever calls them “GOOD words.” Some people will be hurt by them, and a lot of times we use them specifically for that purpose. They often come out of our times of anger and frustration, or out of our twisted sinful desires. They are very rarely intended for encouraging and uplifting purposes. But even if you are in a context where you are trying to use them that way, there is always someone who could be listening that is offended just because of your choice of words.
There is always a better way to say something. Adding curse words to a conversation has the potential to SPARK a flame. Adding curse words to an argument has the potential to FAN the flame. That’s why it’s better to just not use them at all… In Ephesians 4:29 Paul says, “No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.” I encourage you to use uplifting words. Our world has enough hateful dialog. Build people up, be careful with your words, and have more Humble Dialog.
