Cursing has reportedly risen between 27 and 41%
(Pixabay)
The amount of foul language has been increasing. Here is a report from the Wall Street Journal on that:
December 20, 2021
In November, Jay Rosenthal unexpectedly found himself uttering a curse word—at his children’s school. …
The old boundaries between work and home have blurred, reducing formalities and often forging foxhole bonds during difficult times.
“Artificial walls came down,” says Mr. Rosenthal, a Toronto-based founder of a media company.
Pandemic stress, the melding of personal and professional spheres, and an exhausted slide toward casualness are making many of us swear more. It is “a perfect swearing storm,” says Michael Adams, a linguist at Indiana University Bloomington.
Mentions of {curse words and their variants}, rose 41% from full-year 2019 to 2021 through the end of November on Facebook and 27% on Twitter, according to Storyful, a news and intelligence agency. Storyful is owned by News Corp, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal.
Denver-based Inversoft Inc.’s CleanSpeak profanity-filtering software, which is used by companies that host online communities and other discussion forums, says the volume of filtered words has more than tripled in the past 18 months.
“People are becoming more aggressive in their use of profane and sexually explicit terms,” says Inversoft’s Chief Executive Don Bergal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/were-cursing-more-blame-the-pandemic-11640008801
The increased use of foul language was prophesied in the New Testament:
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-6)
As far as being despisers of good, some people think foul language is fine and even relaxing:
Dropping a curse word here and there can also demonstrate comfort with someone else. “It’s something you’re not supposed to be doing, but you trust them,” says Dr. Adams. “It’s a sign of intimacy.” He says people are seeking this type of connection as they experience tectonic life shifts while often feeling isolated from their colleagues. “We’re using what we’ve got,” he says.
Tracy Brady, a communications executive in Boston who has found herself swearing more during the pandemic, likens the relaxing of language to a parallel relaxation of how we dress now.
Cursing “is the yoga pants and Uggs of language,” says Ms. Brady. …
Yet swearing can convey a kind of grittiness, or an appealing edge, say branding experts.
“If it’s used judiciously, it can be a spotlight, an exclamation point, a way to break out and seem authentic,” says Allen Adamson, co-founder of brand-consulting firm Metaforce. Yet too much swearing can undercut the substance of the speaker’s message, he adds.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/were-cursing-more-blame-the-pandemic-11640008801
No, it should not be used at all. It is not relaxing–it shows lack of self-control and lack of respect for the word of God.
The Bible condemns foul language. Notice scriptures from the Hebrew scriptures:
11 ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. (Deuteronomy 5:11)
28 “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. (Exodus 22:28)
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul wrote:
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14)
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:33, KJV)
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29)
Foul language is unnecessary and should not be used. Using ‘art’ as an excuse, does not excuse it.
Furthermore, using God’s name in vain is a prideful lie.
Interestingly, back in 2014, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed in a law against foul language (see Russia’s Vladimir Putin takes a stand against vulgar language). This resulted in certain ‘artists’ objecting to it (see Certain Russian ‘artists’ oppose ban on profanity).
I would add here that sadly, many ‘artists’ do need to be censored as what passes for art if often vulgar, lust provoking, and/or otherwise immoral. Nude shows in the West are called ‘performance art’ and now is showing actual acts of homosexual intercourse in the West. Now ‘soft pornography’ is considered as appropriate family entertainment by many in the Western media.
It is a sad commentary on the USA and its British-descended allies that it is the President of Russia and not a president of the USA that has taken steps to reduce foul language.
Violating the 3rd commandment, along with encouraging the violations of the 7th and 10th commandments, should not be done–and it is NOT real art.
Related to words and the third commandment, the Continuing Church of God put together the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:
Third Commandment Plus: Words Matter
Do words matter? What is the third commandment? Does the command cover more than cursing with God’s name? Are cursing and blaspheming the same thing? Are we to try to control our words and our thoughts? Are there inappropriate or blasphemous religious titles? Is calling yourself a Christian without being a real one a form of blasphemy? Can real Christians blaspheme God’s name by not living as a proper Christian? What about ‘sacred names’? What about the use of euphemisms? Can you be speaking against God when you speak against His ministers? What about talebearing or gossip? What about swearing or taking oaths? How about affirmations? Did Satan use God’s name in vain? Was cursing a sin before the Ten Commandments were written in stone on Mount Sinai? What about after Jesus was resurrected? What did James, Peter, and Paul teach in the New Testament portion of the Bible related to words and blasphemy? What about Old Testament writings and the command in Exodus 20? Did people blaspheme God when they spoke against Moses, Aaron, and Samuel? Can you blaspheme God through hypocrisy? Are Christians to use words to hurt or words to help? What about bullying? Will the Beast of the Sea and the final Antichrist use blasphemous words? Will you be judged for your words? Dr. Thiel addresses these and more in this sermon?
Here is a link to the sermon: Third Commandment Plus: Words Matter.
Christians are warned to be careful about their language. James was inspired to write:
4. Consider also that ships, being so large, and being driven by strong winds, are turned about by a very small rudder, wherever the will of the one who is steering may decide.
5. In the same way also, the tongue is a little member, but it boasts great things. See how large a forest is set ablaze by a little fire;
6. And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. So has the tongue been set among our members—the one member that defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of life, and is set on fire by Gehenna.
7. Now then, every species of animals and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8. But the tongue no human being is able to tame; it is an unrestrainable evil, full of death-dealing poison.
9. With it we bless God the Father, and with it we ourselves curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10. From the same mouth comes out blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so! (James 3:4-10, AFV)
The amount of foul language tolerated in Western and other societies is excessive and should not be done.
It is not good that such language use is increasing.
Even though that was also prophesied for the last days (cf. 2 Timothy 3:1-5), Christians should not do it.
As the Apostle Paul wrote:
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, …. (Ephesians 4:29)
UPDATE 12/26/21: We now have a short video related to this article:
Was Increased Cursing Prophesied?
Facebook reported cursing up 41% over the previous year. Twitter reported it up 27%, whereas CleanSpeak reported that cursing tripled. Was increased cursing prophesied for these last days times? Is cursing helpful and relaxing as some insist? Or is it corrupt, vulgar, and wrong? What does the Bible teach about this? Dr. Thiel goes over these matters and more in this short video.
Here is a link to our video: Was Increased Cursing Prophesied?
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
FIRST COMMANDMENT: Priorities and the Most Broken Commandment Which commandment is broken the most? Which one is most involved with what should be your top priority? Here is a link to a related sermon: The Most Violated Commandment and Priorities.
SECOND COMMANDMENT: What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did the early Church use icons? What was the position of Christians about such things? A related sermon is available: The Second Commandment, Idols, and Icons.
THIRD COMMANDMENT: Words Matter Are you obeying the Third Commandment? Are you sure? Could you be blaspheming with your euphemisms or life actions? Here is a link to a related sermon: Third Commandment Plus: Words Matter.
FOURTH COMMANDMENT: The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fourth Commandment: Saturday or Sunday?
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught? For a more detailed discussion of the first four commandments, please see the video The Ten Commandments: Loving God. For a more detailed discussion of the last six commandments, please see: The Ten Commandments: Loving Your Neighbor. Here is a link to a related article in Mandarin Chinese 十条诫命显示爱，违反诫命的就是邪恶的 .
The Bible Condemns Homosexuality “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality? Can homosexuals change?
Pornography: A scourge on society Is pornography harmless fun? Does the Bible teach anything about it? What are the views of some involved with it? Here is a link to a YouTube video Pornography: Harmless Fun or a Scourge on Society?
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