10 Cs: Swearing & Cussing

Hey. It’s been a busy month! In the last issue, we looked at not putting any gods before the One God, and not worshipping idols (which include video games, looks, and TV). This week, we’re going to look at Commandments #3-4, where God tells us to keep the Sabbath holy and to not say God’s name in vain (can you say "cussing"?).

Do not take God’s name in vain. (Exodus 20:7) God shouldn’t been an empty, no-meaning word to you, because God’s name is full of meaning. Use His name only in a loving way, and count on Him to help you every day.

Cussing, Swearing, and all that Stuff. "Oh, ____!" she said in a fit of anger that her curling iron wouldn’t work. I gasped. Had my best friend just cussed? And because of something so small and insignificant?!? I tried to brush it off, but I couldn’t. Cussing really bugged me. I coughed loudly – our signal that she just cussed. "Sorry," she apologized. "I know you don’t like it."

Do your friends cuss? Does your family cuss? Do you cuss? It’s wrong. That may sound all goody-goody and holy, but think about the meaning. You’re using God’s holy name as a bad word when you’re angry. True, you can confess your angers and frustrations to him, but his name should not be used badly in the process.

Some or all of my friends cuss. Is that a bad thing? Will it really rub off on me?
I’m afraid that you’re going to have to honor God and maybe find a different group of friends to hang out with until your old friends find different words to stress their anger. Yes, over time, eventually, you may find yourself using a few of those words without even trying to or realizing it! We’re not saying that if your friend says a little something when mad, then they must be a bad and horrible person. But, if they can’t respect the fact that you don’t cuss and would rather they not, are they really your friend?

My family cusses and I try not to. I’ve asked them not to either, but they disregard me and cuss anyway. How do I deal with this?
We admire that you don’t want to be in an environment where cussing is normal. What you need to do is sit down with your parent(s) and tell them everything. You need to stress that you don’t want to cuss, will not cuss, and that it’s wrong to cuss. Then, ask them if they will please help you with this by not cussing themselves. Chances are, they’ll understand and find other words to use when they’re angry or disappointed.

I cuss a lot. Sometimes I do it accidentally. I want to get it out of my system, but it seems natural. What do I do?
Pray and ask God to give the wisdom and accountability and alertness to tone down your language. Watch what you say. Look at people who don’t cuss and hear what they say when they’re mad. Find a role model, a role model that doesn’t cuss. Eventually, by listening to them and following them, you will get it out of your system.

Weird but true. So, instead of swearing, a lot of people use "safe" swear words. "Gosh" is "God", "Jeez" is "Jesus", "Oh my Word" is talking about the Bible, "Dang" is a modification of "d*mn", which is sending someone to Hell. And, believe it or not, that weird "Gadzooks"? That originally was "God’s Hooks", referring to the nails is Jesus’ hand. So really, they’re not any better than actually saying the "bad word".